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Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But 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!
24 “No 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.
… 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In these brief paragraphs, Jesus gives us a choice of two polar opposites presented in three alternative ways.
• Either we store our treasures in heaven, or on earth. Either our heart is in heaven, or it is on earth.
• Either our eyes are good, or they are bad. Either our bodies are full of light, or they are full of darkness.
• Either we serve God, or we serve Money.
According to the Lord, there is no middle ground for us to choose between these respective opposites.
Now we have a reasonable way to interpret the teaching on the eye as being the lamp of the body. Having good eyes means that we store our treasures in heaven, and having bad eyes means that we store our treasures on earth. Having good eyes means that we are serving God, and having bad eyes means that we are serving Money. If our eyes are good, then our body will be full of light.
The Bible commentator Smith describe it thus: “the man who looks with a good, sound eye, walks in light, seeing every object clear; so a simple and persistent purpose to serve and please God in everything will make the whole character consistent and bright.” Conversely, the man whose eyes are bad will walk in great darkness.
The most significant factor which determines whether we walk in light or in darkness is our attitude toward money. If we have truly stored our earthly treasures in heaven thus showing that we “hate” it and “despise” it, we will walk in the light. But if we have stored our treasures on earth as many do and by so doing show that we essentially “hate” and “despise” God, we are walking in great darkness.
There is no middle ground or compromise here. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. According to Jesus, our choice is not between God and Satan, but rather between God and Money. Love of money is the root of all evil. But this does not mean that if we love God we will be necessarily poor and needy on earth. For Jesus promised that if we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, our earthly needs will be provided for us as well.
If we are poor, it does not necessarily follow that we love God. If we happen to be wealthy, it does not mean that we hate God. The important consideration is how we “see” money.
How we see money will have profound effect upon our attitudes in life, and like ripples radiating outwardly from a stone thrown in a pond, determine the actions and direction of our lives. It may ultimately affect the health of our physical bodies.
Do we truly believe and obey his word? If not, then we are living in darkness and his word is not in us; we do not have eternal life. As the saying goes, put your money where your mouth is. If we say that we are followers of the Way, then our attitude and actions toward money will demonstrate it.
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9