Matthew 6:19

Matthew 6:19 is surely addressed to the disciples of Christ (see Matthew 5:1). And how much we need to pay attention to such instruction. You will notice that our blessed Lord is setting out here the moral characteristics of earth and heaven. There is no such thing as moth, or rust, or thief in heaven. On earth there is.

The warning of the Lord Jesus — first of all directed to His disciples — does not refer to the blessing of God we may desire. It refers to something completely different: the greedy striving after wealth and earthly security. We read about this already in Proverbs 23:4-5: "Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven."

Earthly wealth and earthly treasures are passing and therefore very insecure. This is what the Lord Jesus sets before His disciples here. The moth, a small, insignificant creature, can ruin the most costly materials in a very short time. Rust can destroy the things that seem most durable and most valuable, and thieves can steal it all at once. In the last century, war, flight and inflation taught many people — including children of God — that their apparent earthly securities could vanish like vapour.

Child of God, where is your treasure? Is it Christ in heaven? If so, you are happy! If it is wealth or distinction, the Lord warns, your heart will be there too. Many hold a fond notion that directly contradicts Christ: that the struggle for riches can swallow up a whole life while the heart is not in it but true to Him. What can be more false and deceiving! It is not for lack of solemn warning that a Christian can stray like this. What we are set on and live for from day to day proves our character and our state.

Here our Lord contrasts the heavenly with the earthly, the spiritual with the natural, the things of time with those of eternity. His estimate of these is perfect, and He would have us governed by it. The heart follows what it prizes most, and if that is the things of earth, how great the loss! In this world, where death lies on everything, people set up many artificial arrangements to give security. But what is heavenly and eternal needs no insurance societies — eternal things are the sure things.

As to things here, you have your Master's goods. If you hoard them up here, you surely lose them hereafter, and turn them into accusers. On the other hand, you have gracious permission to transfer them really to your own account, by laying them up where your treasure is — "in heaven."

We believe the Christian is bound to provide for his family, day by day — bound to educate his children and put them in the way of earning an honest living. The New Testament commands all this so plainly that no one can question it. But these sacred duties leave the question of hoarding and speculation untouched. We do not believe in these at all. We believe that hoarding covers the soul with rust, and speculation fills the heart and mind with care and anxiety.