Smoodock's Blog

Some scholars use the word “hording” wealth (Matthew 6:19) to describe treasures saved on earth, but this doesn’t seem to fit the context. Whatever Jesus is against, as far as life on earth is concerned, he is not against a thing, if the same thing is done for the sake of the Kingdom of God. In other words, Jesus is not against amassing wealth; he simply tells his disciples that, if their wealth is what they have on earth, or what they use to comfort themselves, what does that matter as far as eternity is concerned? If no thought is given to the hereafter, why would they share what they have with those who have not? Being merciful to others often involves sacrifice (fasting in the context of our previous study) on the part of Jesus’ disciples. How strong is their faith? Do they even believe in rewards that they can’t see, which the Lord plans to give them?

Let’s think about wealth for a moment. The wealth of ancient Orientals was amassed not in terms of only gold, silver, and precious stones, but personal wealth included having beautiful changes of clothing (Genesis 24:22, 53; 45:22; cp. Judges 14:12).[1] Thus, the idea of a moth consuming one’s wealth was real (Matthew 6:19). We don’t always think of rust consuming gold, silver and precious stones, but the term rust (brosis – G1035) stands for anything that consumes or eats up our wealth. It could be unexpected expenses, theft or simply losing it through bad investments. In modern terms, we could have bought X number of shares of stock for $100 dollars per share, and not long afterward it drops to $50 per share. Where did half our wealth go? No one stole it, but it’s gone, disappeared overnight! This is the kind of thing that happens to wealth that is invested in this world’s markets or wealth we have stored in our homes. In one way or another, it can be consumed and lost forever.

On the other hand, if we consider what Jesus said about sharing our wealth with those in need (fasting, in my previous study), we may still lose some or all of our personal wealth through theft, moth or unexpected expenses and disasters, but we would have lost less, if we shared what we had with others. Sharing with others is investing in the Kingdom of God, and one cannot lose what we invest in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:20). The Kingdom of God operates on different principles than those, which the world values.

Our hearts, what values we have in life, are found in where we invest our wealth, vis-à-vis where we invest our lives (Matthew 6:21). It is wrong, in my opinion, for church leaders to hold up, as examples, men who have given away large portions of their wealth, yet the Lord prospered them, concluding that no one can out-give God. While this principle may be a truism, vis-à-vis “I cannot out-give God,” it doesn’t mean that God will prosper everyone who gives away large portions of what he possesses. I also believe church leaders know this in their hearts, because I have yet to find such a leader who is willing to **guarantee** this principle, by saying he would return the tithes and offerings, if the Lord didn’t bless the prospective giver with an overabundance of wealth, he couldn’t spend in one lifetime.

If we’re going to talk about faith, let’s go for the whole enchilada! What about the preacher’s faith in the principle? Why not give it all back, if it doesn’t work like he claims or implies it will? The point is, that such motivation is counterproductive to Jesus’ principle of storing up treasures in heaven. Either I’m looking to store treasures I cannot see in this life, or I’m seeking to add to my personal wealth here by investing in the Kingdom of God. I don’t think I can have it both ways, unless that’s God’s prerogative. Let God be God. Let him bless whomsoever he wishes in this life without judging why, and obey Jesus’ principle of giving no matter what the consequences, knowing my investment in God’s Kingdom won’t be lost.

Jesus entire message is about motivation. Let the truth of God govern our lives, not the traditions of men. God will not always act in the same manner that men perceived him acting in the past. God is light (1John 1:5), and our light is our eye. If, therefore, our eye is on God, our lives are full of light. If, however, our eye is on the traditions of men, our lives will be full of darkness, but we’ll perceive it all as light (Matthew 6:22-23). In other words, we simply won’t know, or wouldn’t be willing to admit, we are in error, and we would have no impetus to repent. Why repent, if we believe in our hearts that we are correct?

No man can serve two masters, and he will serve either God or mammon (Matthew 6:24). What is mammon? Many believe it is our wealth in terms of gold, silver and precious things in life, but this isn’t true. All men, who don’t serve God, don’t live their lives serving gold and silver. Everyone isn’t pursuing personal wealth, as I claimed in another study of mine in the Gospel of Luke.[2] Mammon is this life that we live today, and the time that God has given us. We can use it to serve our lusts or we can use it to serve God in the Gospel. The choice is ours.

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[1] At this point Jesus isn’t speaking of the wealth of land or livestock. That has to do with being businessmen. Jesus’ point concerns personal wealth in the text at hand.

[2] See my study: What Does Jesus Mean by Mammon?