Matthew 6:19–24

Bible Studies for Life
Professor of Religion, Samford University

Matthew 6:19–24

The Bible is fairly realistic about material possessions. John Wesley spoke of money in a sermon when he said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” 

Money can do much, but it cannot bring to us what we really want and need. Money is a necessary part of life. We all have it. Some have more, some have less. But whether we have little or much, it is still our responsibility to assign money its place in our lives. 

We all know the story where a young man turned down the invitation to follow Jesus — and it was because he had many possessions. 

Invest in eternal treasures. (19–21)

Jesus is not telling us to be reckless and never to make investments. However, we all need to learn that “there are no pockets in a shroud.” We don’t take a single penny with us when we leave this earth. Only character is a garment that we can weave in this world and wear in the eternal Kingdom. 

Stock markets rise and fall and the value of our 401(k)s can dissipate overnight. Treasures on earth in the 21st century are as susceptible to corrosion and thieves as they were in the days of Jesus. 

The key statement of these verses is found in verse 21: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” How much of our interest in money comes from our need to seek and find security? A lot of self-imposed anxiety would leave us if we would relax into the divine promise that God will never leave us or forsake us. 

The proper object of our trust as human beings is not a thing called money but a person called God, who gives us all things richly to enjoy.

Keep a clear focus. (22–23)

The focus of these verses is to have clarity of spiritual vision, maintaining a clear concentration on God and the life of godliness. This will ultimately lead us to share our resources with others.

Karl Marx once gave a speech in which he called for a society which could inscribe on its banners, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” 

Have you ever wondered where he got those words from? He got them from the book of Acts. Whatever our political and economic convictions may be, these principles are biblical principles to which we should hold fast, focusing on God (which Marx did not do) and the needs of others (which God always does).

Stay totally committed to God. (24)

Our Lord concludes this section on money by warning us against covetousness and urging us to seek contentment. He speaks very plainly when He says you cannot serve God and money.

If you’re a lover of Charles Dickens you will know that it is he who has described more clearly than in any other literature the covetous character par excellence — Ebenezer Scrooge. At the beginning of the book, Dickens describes him as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheeks, stiffened his gait, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.” 

That’s the description of a covetous person. He is focused only on himself — not God and certainly not the needs of those around him.