Treasure in Heaven

Mt 6:19-23…[Jesus said to his disciples,] 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. 20But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.…22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; 23but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

TREASURES: The meaning of treasure (Greek thesaurus) is given by Jesus in the Gospel: it is where our “heart” is. A treasure can be any material possession. By extension, it can be a person we love. …People in ancient times invested in garments, grain, animals, gold, and other precious stones. But as the Gospel states, they are all perishable. Moths destroy garments (Is 51:8), rats and mice eat grain, rust “eats” by corrosion, and thieves “dig through” the mud wall of Palestinian houses and storerooms and steal what is stored there. People accumulate treasures in their desire for security and to eliminate anxiety. But “treasures on earth” are always unstable, and those who rely on them are pitiable indeed. James’ condemnation of the rich is based on this frivolity: “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten; your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire” (Jas 5:1-3).…Storing up “treasures in heaven” does not mean setting out to make sure of a place in heaven. It means relying on God as the source of our security. It means having a genuine and sincere relation with him who knows us, accepts us, and gives meaning to our lives. It means having God as the singular object of our “heart.” We are totally committed to seeking out his kingdom, confident that he will provide us with what we truly need (Mt 6:33).