“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 06:19-21, NKJV).
There is an innate desire in the human heart for things to last. I see it in young children just learning to think, and in the elderly near the end of life. The cry of the human spirit is that good things should not end.
Despite the inevitable outcome of entropy, the eventual and implacable decay of order into chaos, we humans engage mightily in the futile attempt to prevent things in this life from ending. People have had their heads frozen, built massive monuments to the dearly departed, carved empires out of the wilderness, and enclosed themselves in every conceivable defense against the dissolution of what they have invested their lives to build. Needless to say, all attempts throughout all history have failed.
If the entirety of what you believe is what you can see, taste, touch and measure, then any attempt at material preservation flies in the face of irrevocable physical laws. If your existence is merely the span of days between conception and grave, then whatever you leave behind will eventually turn into dust and ashes. This cold hard fact does not prevent the attempt. Everyone, everywhere invests in some kind of preservative until the day they die or give up and commit suicide.
Pictures, videos, writings, whole cities, nations, and, if this age lasts long enough, perhaps whole worlds will be the focus of accumulation and preservation. From individuals to kingdoms, the human heart will not be denied and the desire to live on will live on. Even the most rabid materialist has keepsakes. If the atheistic view of existence is true, this makes no sense at all. If the equation of life is simply the random events between birth and death, then logically and biologically, people should just accept the incontrovertible and get on with their lives. Like dogs.
But we don't. We strive to pass on a lasting legacy. We deny our own mortality until it descends upon us like a ton of bricks. We invest in earthly treasures one way or another, from the grandiose designs of the billionaire, to the faded memento of a homeless man dying in the street. It makes no sense, unless… there truly is something more.
Jesus is confirming the futility of earthly accumulation in these verses. There is no investment that can be made in this life that will endure. It will all come to an end. But at the same time, He is also affirming the desire for immortality in the human heart. Not only that, He is stating in concise terms an irrefutable truth about the human condition. Where we invest our treasure, time, and talent is where our priorities truly lie. What we are willing to pay for, and what we attempt to save, says more about each one of us than any number of lofty words can convey. There is also the implication that our hearts follow our treasuries, like a two-way street. What we invest in and save is what we value; a circular reinforcement.
Care then must be taken in this life about what becomes our priorities, our treasures. A material focus is ultimately useless. Jesus characterizes the peril as safeguarding what's important "where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal". Acquisition of money and things can never last and are subject to all the vagaries of life in this fallen world. Something as outwardly insignificant as a fragile insect, or the inevitable passage of time, or the greed and dishonesty of other humans will always threaten, and eventually destroy earthly treasure. Try as we might to protect worldly goods, we will fail. And when we die, all those things must be left behind. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return…” (Job 1:21, NKJV).
Jesus continues by further affirming there IS otherworldly treasure that can be safeguarded for all time and eternity. Things of heavenly rather than earthly value. These treasuries are invulnerable. And as in everything having to do with our priorities, where our treasures are, there too will be our hearts. There too will be our energies and our focus.
We know from experience or exposure what constitutes earthly treasure. These are as familiar to us as breathing. But what is the nature of heavenly treasure? What will survive not only this life but our passing from this life? What rewards can we take with us when we die? There can be only ONE answer: those things we have done on behalf of other immortal souls, other creatures made in the image of God. Indestructible treasure, though likened in Scripture to gold, silver and precious stones, are not these things, but are something else entirely. They are those actions and sacrifices done on earth in the name of Christ, empowered by His Spirit, for His glory. They are those things which we have done that bear witness to the world of the Son of God, and the miraculous transformation that takes place in a human being saved by grace through faith.
These acts can be as simple as giving someone a drink of water in His name, or as profound as laying down one's life for another. These can be as easy as showing kindness, or sharing the gospel, or providing materially for someone in need. These can be, and are, any and all investments made in the Kingdom of God, whether treasure or time or talent. And know this, that as you continue in these investments and priorities by faith, your heart will increasingly begin to follow, and soon, very soon, you will know the unparalleled joy of serving the Lord Christ in those things which are of eternal value, and will not fade away.
And on that day, that glorious day when Messiah Himself welcomes you into eternity, your heart will soar when your Lord says to you, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:23, NKJV).
