God or Mammon

The gospels are filled with Jesus' teaching about money. Before us is an extended passage dealing with the tendency of man to forget God and His kingdom while obsessing over the almighty $$$.

Treasure Here Or Treasure There (vv. 19-20) The desire to accumulate wealth is a universal human impulse & Jesus does not discourage us from storing up treasure. In fact, He begins this section by offering free financial advice. Jesus is not against investing, He is only opposed to bad investments. But what is a bad investment? A bad investment is putting all your resources into a market that is guaranteed to crash. Whether it be moth, rust and thieves or inflation and bear markets, the treasure we accumulate in this life cannot be counted on while we live and it cannot be used after we're gone. Therefore, Jesus counsels us to put our treasure in the only place that is truly secure - the bank of Heaven.

Follow The Money (v. 21-23) Notice that Jesus does not say, "Your money will follow your heart." In fact, He says exactly the opposite. The heart follows the money. While it is true that our hearts effect our behaviors, it is also true that our behaviors powerfully influence our hearts. He says if all your investments are tied up in worldly things, your heart will become entangled in worldly things. But if you are spending your time, talent and treasure in ways that further the kingdom, (which is an investment in the bank of heaven) then your heart will be drawn to heavenly concerns. Verses 22-23 are intended to illustrate this point, unfortunately what was a common figure of speech in Jesus day has become enigmatic to us. These were illustrations for identifying the location (heaven or earth) of your heart. "The lamp of the body is the eye" simply describes what we experience. If we are blind, it is as though our whole body walks in darkness. If we can see, the eye acts as a lamp for the rest of the body; "if your eye is good" meant generosity, and "if your eye is evil" meant stinginess (see Prov 28:22). Being generous and open-handed with your earthly goods floods your whole life with light. Being stingy leads to a heart that is restricted and dark. Which is another way of saying, the heart follows the money.

God Or Mammon (v. 24) This is the climactic statement around which this section is arranged. Here Jesus explains that our attitude toward money is a first commandment issue, as in, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. The tricky part is that unlike the god's Molech and Baal, Mammon is something we are required to handle. We mustn't be smug, our hearts are slippery and there are few areas where we are as apt to self-deception as here and memorizing a few well worn and pious phrases like, "God doesn't mind His people having money, as long has money doesn't have them" is no protection against this insidious threat to our souls. So, "Who is your God?" And, "Does your checkbook give the same answer?"

Don't Worry, Your Father Knows (vv.25-34) Here Jesus explains and illustrates how we may avoid making money our God. The issue is one of trust. Who is going to take care of us? The most common thing for a man to do is to think that his security and well being is solely a function of his ability to generate and accumulate food, clothing, shelter and a find a bomb proof retirement plan. You can identify these folks by their frenzied efforts and furrowed brows. They go at it like they do, because, in spite of their exhaustive research into all things financial, they don't know something. They don't know Who feed's clothes and shelters them. The saddest part is that Jesus has to tell His disciples not to act like the Gentiles who don't know the Father. "Don't be like them," He says.

Seek First The Kingdom - That which was to be the primary focus of prayer, is now the primary object of our actions. How do we seek first the kingdom? The answer is in Jesus sermon. Remember, He is preaching the gospel of the kingdom (4:23). We begin by getting out attitude right about God, self & others (5:3-12). Then we influence the world as light and salt (5:13-16). We surpass the righteousness of the scribes & pharisees by cleansing our hearts of hatred & lust, by keeping our word, returning good for evil and loving our enemies (5:17-48). We quietly relieve the poor, pray and fast before the Lord. And we lay up treasure in heaven (6:1-34). That should keep us busy for a while.