Matthew 6:19-24
Treasure in Heaven
Read the passage
19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus tells his disciples not to store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. He directs them toward treasure in heaven, because where their treasure is, their heart will be also. The contrast is not between owning anything and owning nothing; it is between possessions that can be lost and a life oriented toward God.
Jesus then speaks about the eye as the lamp of the body. A healthy eye fills the person with light, while an unhealthy eye leaves the person in darkness. In context, this image warns about the way desire and perception direct a whole life. What we look at as our good may reveal whether we are generous or grasping.
The passage ends with a stark choice: no one can serve both God and money. Money is useful and necessary, but it is a terrible master. It promises security while quietly asking for trust, allegiance, and more of our attention.
Jesus describes two masters making competing claims. Devotion to one involves rejecting the other. We cannot reserve obedience for God only when money leaves us free to give it. The issue reaches beyond the size of a possession to the loyalty it receives.
Treasure, sight and service belong together in His warning. What we treasure draws our hearts; what we regard as good directs our lives; the master we serve receives our obedience. Jesus calls for allegiance to God that reaches all three.
Questions
1 Where does Jesus tell his disciples to store their treasure?
AnswerJesus tells them to store treasure in heaven, where moth, rust and thieves cannot destroy it. Their hearts will follow what they treasure.
2 How do moths, rust, the eye, and two masters develop the warning?
AnswerJesus names moths, rust, thieves, the eye as the body's lamp, and the impossibility of serving both God and money. The images move from loss to perception to the master a person ultimately trusts.
3 What do our possessions reveal about the allegiance of our hearts?
AnswerWhat we treasure draws our hearts and can begin to demand our obedience. Jesus warns that we cannot serve both God and money.
4 Which spending or time habit should our household examine?
AnswerReview one household spending or time habit and ask what it is serving. Make one change that directs resources toward God, people in need, or a healthier freedom from status and fear.
What This Means for Us
Jesus does not tell the family that earthly needs are imaginary. He tells us that earthly wealth is a poor place to store ultimate hope. Moths, rust, and thieves expose how fragile security can be, while service to God gives possessions their proper place.
Money can become a master through greed, fear, or the need to appear successful. A household can resist that mastery by budgeting honestly, practicing generosity, refusing contempt toward people with less, and talking about financial decisions without secrecy or blame.
Choose one resource—money, time, space, or attention—and direct it toward a person or purpose that reflects God's kingdom. Then ask whether the act made the household freer to love.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, keep our hearts from being ruled by possessions, status, or fear. Teach our household to use money and time generously, to value people above things, and to store our deepest treasure with you. Amen.