Decision Time! (Matthew 6:19 24) here is an old story about a man who was given the job of peeling a large mound of potatoes. The one who hired him told him, After you peel them, sort them into three piles according to their size: small, medium, and large. After an hour or so, the employer checked on the man and found him exhausted. I didn t realize that peeling potatoes was such a hard job, the employer said. The man replied, Peeling potatoes is not that difficult. It s making all those decisions that s wearing me out! It may be an old story, but many of us identify with the potato-sorter; we do not like to make decisions. Nevertheless, we have to make decisions every day. Some are relatively unimportant, such as what to have for breakfast or what to wear that day. 1 Others are much more important, such as decisions about one s occupation or whom to marry. These decisions have an impact on our lives. There is, however, no decision as important as the decision to serve the Lord. That decision not only affects us now, but it will also affect our eternity. The text for our lesson is about decisions life-changing, eternity-changing decisions. In the passage we find three choices each of us has to make. T EARTH OR HEAVEN? (6:19 21) Not on Earth The first choice is found in verses 19 through 21: We have to choose between earth and heaven. 1 Adapt this paragraph to reflect typical decisions that have to be made in the society where you live. The passage begins with these words: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal (v. 19). These words were not intended as a ban on all possessions. Paul wrote that God... richly supplies us with all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17; see also 4:4). Neither was the passage given to prohibit provision for the future. Solomon praised the ant who stores up food for the winter (Proverbs 6:6 8). What, then, was Jesus concern? The answer to that question is found in the words for yourselves : Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth. John R. W. Stott gave the following summary of what Jesus was denouncing: What Jesus forbids his followers is the selfish accumulation of goods... ; extravagant and luxurious living; the hardheartedness which does not feel the colossal need of the world s underprivileged people; the foolish fantasy that a person s life consists in the abundance of his possessions [Luke 12:15]; and the materialism which tethers our hearts to the earth. 2 Is someone thinking, Preach on! Rich people, with all their treasures, need that message! But the passage certainly doesn t apply to me. I have no treasures. I barely make it from day to day? It is true that the emphasis in our text is on physical treasures, but application can be made to everyone. All of us have something we treasure, something that is important to us. It may be family members, a home, a job, a 2 John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, The Bible Speaks Today series (Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter- Varsity Press, 1978), 155. 1
skill, physical strength, a good reputation, or almost anything. Clovis G. Chappell wrote, Our treasure is that something that we love the best. It is that which we most yearn to possess, if it is not ours. It is that which we most fear to lose, if we already possess it. 3 There is nothing wrong with valuing and enjoying the kinds of things just listed, but something is very wrong if these are the most important things to us if our affections are centered on this earth. In our text Jesus gave several reasons for us not to store up treasures on earth. His first appeal is to the mind, to common sense: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal (v. 19). In my part of the world, earthly treasures are often in bank accounts, but that is not the case in other parts of the world. It certainly was not the case in the ancient world. When the magi opened their treasures before the child Jesus, they did not give Jesus and His family a check or cash. Their treasures consisted of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). (These items were probably chosen because, even though they were valuable, they were small, easy to carry, and easy to keep hidden on their long journey west.) In Jesus day, a man s wealth might be invested in a variety of things, including clothing, 4 grain, 5 precious metals, and jewelry. All these could be (and can be) destroyed or stolen. The first destroyer Jesus listed was the moth. Moths could destroy the ornate clothing so highly prized in the first century. Moths lay eggs on stored clothing, and the eggs hatch into fabric-eating larvae. You know what I mean if you have experienced the shock of seeing tiny holes in a favorite garment that has been stored for a while. The second destroyer is called rust in the NASB and many other translations. The word translated rust (brw siß, brosis) means an eating. 6 It can be thought of as the eater. The word can 3 Clovis G. Chappell, The Sermon on the Mount (Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1930), 179. 4 Part of Naaman s gift to Elisha was clothing (see 2 Kings 5:5). 5 See Luke 12:16 19. 6 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White, Jr., Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), 541. refer to rust that eats away at anything with iron content or to corrosion that lowers the value of precious metals. The term can also include mice and other vermin that spoil stored grain. It can even be applied to worms that destroy growing crops. The third destroyer Jesus mentioned was thieves who break in and steal. Most houses in Palestine were built of dry, sun-baked bricks. Even if the doors were locked or barred, a determined thief could dig through the walls and steal valuables stored in the dwelling. Nothing was safe in the ancient world. I am thankful that is no longer the case, someone may respond. I spray for moths, put out traps for vermin, and have the latest security system to thwart thieves. 7 However, after you have taken every precaution possible, it is still true that, as Solomon said, the things we own can make themselves wings and fly away (see Proverbs 23:5). The list of potential wealth-destroyers is almost endless: Serious illness Business reverses Loss of a job Collapse of the economy Mishandling of funds Natural disasters Wars Even if you are able to hold onto your possessions all your life, you will someday die (Hebrews 9:27) and will have to leave them all behind. One man, as death approached, converted all his wealth into diamonds and gold coins. He swallowed the diamonds and had the coins sewn into the lining of his burial coat. 8 His wealth went with him to the grave, but not into the world to come. The words of Job seem appropriate on this point: Naked I came from my mother s womb, and naked I shall return there (Job 1:21). John wrote, The world is passing away (1 John 2:17a). Anyone can look around and see that this is true not only of physical possessions, but of almost everything that people treasure on earth. Health goes. Beauty fades. Strength fails. Skills diminish. Further, that which we do not 7 Adapt the application to fit the situation where you live. 8 Adapted from David F. Burgess, comp., Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations (St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Publishing House, 1988), 95. 2
lose often loses its appeal or ceases to satisfy. Jesus, therefore, commanded, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, because those treasures will disappear. But in Heaven Jesus continued, But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal (v. 20). In heaven there are neither moths, nor mice, nor marauders. 9 All deposits in the bank of heaven are secure. Peter wrote of an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:4). How do we store up... treasures in heaven? The emphasis in the text is on using our physical blessings to fulfill God s purposes. Jesus told the rich young ruler, Go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21; emphasis mine). Paul told Timothy, Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Timothy 6:17 19; emphasis mine). It has been said that we can t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead. A similar truth has been expressed like this: What we keep, we lose; but what we give, we have. However, the principle of storing up treasures in heaven is not restricted to the proper use of material blessings. As we put God first in all that we do (Matthew 6:33), we are storing up treasures in heaven. As we live the kind of lifestyle described in the Sermon on the Mount, we are storing up treasures in heaven. Why is it important to store up treasures in heaven? As we have noted, Jesus first appeal was to the mind: Treasures on earth are temporary. His second appeal was to the heart, to the emotions. In verse 21 He said, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 9 Stott, 156. Jesus could have said, For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. We invest time, money, and energy in that which we treas ure. However, Jesus was making a somewhat different point related, but different. He was saying that if what we treasure most is on earth, that is where our hearts will be. If what we treas ure most is in heaven, then our hearts will be there. The heart follows the treasure, as... the sunflower [follows] the sun. 10 Not long ago, I sat in a class taught by Mel Stinnett. He told about David Livingstone, who was a missionary to Africa for over thirty years (1840 1873). When Dr. Livingstone died, his body was brought back to England, but his heart was buried in Africa at the foot of the tree where he died. Brother Stinnett asked those of us in the class, If people from another country followed you around for a year, where would they bury your heart? In your bank, in your house, in your place of business, or where? 11 Where are our hearts? What is most important to us? Paul wrote, Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1, 2). DARKNESS OR LIGHT? (6:22, 23) The second choice in our text is between darkness and light. In speaking of this choice, Jesus used an analogy that was probably common in His day 12 and so was easily understood by His listeners. However, it is not one in common usage today, and it puzzles us. Here is what Jesus said: The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (vv. 22, 23). 10 Author unknown; quoted in Frank L. Cox, Sermon Notes on the Sermon on the Mount (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Co., 1955), 17. 11 Mel Stinnett, Choosing Your Master, lesson taught at Eastside church of Christ, Midwest City, Oklahoma, 10 August 2005. 12 Jesus used a similar analogy on at least one other occasion (see Luke 11:33 36). 3
The Metaphor Jesus was using an extended metaphor. 13 To understand a metaphor, one must first understand the concept upon which the metaphor is based. In this case, it is the relationship of the eye to the body. The eye is the lamp of the body : that is, the eye supplies light and vision to the body. Images enter the eye and are transmitted by the optic nerve to the brain. The brain then uses that information as it controls the body. If the eye is good ( clear ), it supplies accurate information to the brain. If, however, the eye is bad if it has cataracts, glaucoma, or some other visual disability the information it sends to the brain is distorted. If the eye has been blinded, no information at all will be sent to the brain. The eye is the only organ designed to bring light to the body; therefore, if it is darkened, how great is the darkness! The Message? The relationship of the eye to the body is not difficult to understand, but what truth did Jesus intend to convey by referring to that relationship? The key to understanding Jesus message is to keep in mind the context. The verses before (vv. 19 21) warn against amassing material possessions on earth. The verse that follows (v. 24) is about choosing God over material possessions. It is reasonable, then, to conclude that verses 22 and 23 are basically about how we view material possessions. It may sharpen our understanding to consider the contrast between the words translated clear and bad in describing the eye. Clear is translated from aóplouvß (haplous). When applied to the physical eye, haplous means clear, sound, healthy. 14 However, the basic meaning of the word is single. Haplous is used in this sense in Ephesians 6:5 and Colossians 3:22 and is translated sincerity in both contexts. While 13 A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made without using terms of comparison (such as like or as ). According to D. R. Dungan, an extended or expanded metaphor is an allegory (Hermeneutics [Delight, Ark.: Gospel Light Publishing Co., n.d.], 258 260). 14 This information on haplous is from Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th ed., rev. and aug. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), 85. the NASB has sincerity of heart, the KJV has singleness of... heart in those passages. In applying our text, teachers and preachers often speak of the need to be single-minded (instead of being double-minded [see James 1:8]). This definition makes the analogy relate to the thought in verse 24: No one can serve two masters (as a double-minded individual tries to do). Haplous can also have the connotation of generous. A form of the word is translated liberality in Romans 12:8 and 2 Corinthians 8:2. Bad is translated from ponhro/ß (poneros), the word for evil. 15 When applied to the eye, it means in poor condition, sick. Pertinent to our discussion is the fact that in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX), the phrase evil eye was sometimes used to describe stinginess. For example, note Deuteronomy 15:9, which uses this phrasing:... thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him [nothing]... (KJV). If we use this meaning in our text, the contrast is between having a generous eye or having a stingy eye. It is not necessary to choose between the possible meanings of the words translated clear and bad. God wants us to have a healthy attitude toward possessions, not an unhealthy one. We are to be single-minded regarding the things of God, always putting His kingdom first (v. 33). When that is the case, we will not be stingy in helping others, but will be characterized by generosity. Today, we still have words and phrases that use eye terminology. We say, I see, and mean I understand. We talk about the importance of insight and how vital it is to have the right outlook on life. We refer to the need to see this or that in the right light. As we apply verses 22 and 23, we might think of the eye in the passage as the way we view life and the body as who we are, all that our lives encompass. Our outlook on life affects our entire being. If we have a healthy point of view if we have a single-minded devotion to God which makes us generous to others then our whole selves are, so to speak, full of light. On the other hand, if we have an unhealthy point of view if we have conflicting motives and a disposition that makes us grasping and stingy then it will be as 15 This information on poneros is from Arndt and Gingrich, 697. 4
though our entire beings are filled with darkness. If that which should fill us with light (a proper viewpoint) has itself been darkened, how great is the darkness in our souls! The scribes and the Pharisees were among those Jesus had in mind. They thought that they were in the light. Nevertheless, Jesus said they were in darkness. Today, many refer to themselves as enlightened. They do not realize that they dwell in darkness... because they [have] rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High (Psalm 107:10, 11). The darkness is all the more terrible for failure to recognize it for what it is. 16 WEALTH OR GOD? (6:24) The final choice in our text is between wealth and God. In reality, this is what all the choices have been about. Are you primarily concerned with storing up treasures on earth? Then you are choosing wealth. Are you more concerned with storing up treasures in heaven? Then you are choosing God. Is your understanding of what is truly important darkened? That is an indication that you have chosen wealth. Are your priorities in that which will last? That shows you are choosing God and are filled with light. The Need to Choose Jesus first emphasized why it is necessary to choose between God and wealth. His opening words in verse 24 have been called one of Jesus most memorable statements 17 : No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate 18 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other (v. 24a, b). Some object, But a man can have two jobs and work for two bosses. Jesus was not referring to employees, but to slaves. The word translated serve (douleu/w, douleuo) means to serve as a doulos [douvloß, slave ]. 19 A. H. McNeile noted, 16 D. A. Carson, Matthew, The Expositor s Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Regenc\y Reference Library, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 178. 17 Robert H. Mounce, Matthew, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991), 60. 18 Hate and despise are used as words of contrast. Jesus was just saying that one cannot be equally devoted to two masters. 19 Vine, 562 63. In the New Testament, doulos occasionally Men can work for two employers, but no slave can be the property of two owners. 20 R. V. G. Tasker observed that single ownership and fulltime service are of the essence of slavery. 21 Some have attempted to serve two masters. The Old Testament says that certain nations feared the Lo r d, but they also served their idols (2 Kings 17:41; see vv. 24 41). Today some try serving the Lord on Sundays while devoting themselves entirely to the world the rest of the week. Jesus, however, spoke plainly on the matter: No one can serve two masters. The Two Options What two masters did Jesus have in mind? As already noted, He was thinking about the choice between God or wealth. In the last part of verse 24, Jesus said, You cannot serve God and wealth. The word translated wealth (mamwna ß, mamonas) is rendered mammon in the KJV. Mammon is a Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word for wealth. 22 In this passage, mammon/ wealth 23 is personified 24 as a slave-owner. Jack P. Lewis noted, Many a man is owned by that which he thinks he owns. 25 It has been said that money is a good servant but a harsh master. Perhaps you are reminded of someone whose every action seems controlled by money and what it will buy. Let us, however, make application to ourselves. Most of us have been guilty, to some extent, of allowing money to control our lives perhaps without even realizing it. Notice that Jesus did not say that we should not serve both God and wealth, but that we cannot serve God and wealth. It is an either/or situation: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other (v. 24b; emphasis mine). Consider the conflict involved in attempting to be devoted to both of these masters: does not carry the implication of bondage; but in Matthew 6:24, Jesus was talking about a master/slave relationship. 20 Quoted in Stott, 158. 21 Ibid. 22 Jack P. Lewis, The Gospel According to Matthew, Part I, The Living Word Commentary series (Austin, Tex.: Sweet Publishing Co., 1976), 107. 23 Application can also be made to anything we treas ure on earth (see the list of treasures earlier in the lesson). 24 For something to be personified means for it to be spoken of as though it were a person. 25 Lewis, 107. 5
Their orders are diametrically opposed. The one commands you to walk by faith, the other to walk by sight; the one to be humble, the other to be proud; the one to set your affections on things above, the other to set them on the things that are on the earth; the one to look at the things unseen and eternal, the other to look at the things seen and temporal; the one to have your [citizenship] in heaven, the other to cleave to the dust; the one to be [full of care] for nothing, the other to be all anxiety; the one to be content with such things as ye have, the other to enlarge your desires as hell; the one to be ready to [give], the other to withhold; the one to look at the things of others, the other to look only at one s own things; the one to seek happiness in the Creator, the other to seek happiness in the creature. Is it not plain [that] there is no serving two such masters? 26 The devil uses wealth as a tool for his evil purposes, and he does not mind a divided heart. That is because one who tries to serve both God and wealth has in reality rejected God. God will not tolerate a divided heart. He has said, I am the Lo r d, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another (Isaiah 42:8a). E. Stanley Jones noted, To be able to live a spiritual life in the midst of a material environment has been and is the perpetual problem of religion. 27 One of our challenges as Christians is to be able to overcome the world (1 John 5:4) while living in it. Some have tried to solve the problem by distancing themselves from the world, by living in isolation. That is not the solution God wants. He desires for us to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:11, 16) to choose God instead of worldly things. Then, and only then, can we be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13, 14). CONCLUSION Decisions, decisions, decisions each of us has to make decisions all day every day. Some are relatively unimportant, while others are of great importance. Some are made with little thought, but others require all the mental resources we possess. Of all the decisions we must make, none are more important than these: 26 Jay, quoted in Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1950), 215 16. 27 E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Mount (New York: Abingdon Press, 1931), 220. Storing up treasures in heaven or storing up treasures on earth. Having a view of life that is full of light or having a view of life that is full of darkness. Choosing to serve God or choosing to serve wealth. If we have grasped the message of Matthew 6:19 24, these decisions should not be difficult to make. Who would not reject the worthless in order to receive the immeasurably valuable? Who would not desire to avoid darkness so that he might live in the light? Who would not choose to bow before a loving, eternal Father rather than to serve the decaying things of this dying world? In light of our text, the decisions do not seem difficult. Nevertheless, all over the world, people are daily making wrong decisions regarding this life and the life to come. What about you? What will you decide? It s decision time! Preaching and Teaching Notes If you conclude this presentation with an invitation to come to Christ, you can list specific decisions some of your listeners will have to make. They can choose to believe in and trust Jesus (John 3:16), or they can refuse to accept Him as God s Son. They can choose to repent of their sins and determine to lead better lives (Luke 13:3), or they can continue in their sinful lifestyles. They can choose to confess the name of Jesus (Matthew 10:32), or they can remain silent. They can decide to express their faith and love by being baptized (Mark 16:16), or they can reject God s purpose for them and not be baptized (see Luke 7:30). Many other titles would be appropriate for this lesson. Here are a few: What Choice Will You Make? ; Where Is Your Treasure? ; Treasures in Heaven! ; Who Is Your Master? If you want to cover the Sermon on the Mount in thirteen lessons, you should combine this lesson with the next two lessons which are on worry. The three could be studied together under the general title Putting First Things First (Matthew 6:33). The two main divisions could be The Curse of Avarice (vv. 19 24) and The Cure for Anxiety (vv. 25 34). David Roper 6 Copyright, 2008 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED