Friday 11th Week Ordinary Time. Where Do We Store Our Treasure?

By Kingsley Okoro On Jun 21, 2024 1,259 15

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Breakfast with the Word Friday 11th Week Ordinary Time of the Year B

Matthew 6:19-23

Treasure is what we have. They involve material and spiritual deposits that we hustle to store up for ourselves.

The Greek word for treasure in this gospel pericope is θησαυροὺς (thēsaurous). This means a storehouse for precious things, a store and hence a treasure. It comes from the word tithemi that is a place one deposits things.

Hence this refers to the things we do, things we acquire and the things we store up for ourselves.

One specific truth about storage is that it is stored for specific and future use. So, the question we ask ourselves today is “what is the essence of the things that we acquire? Of what relevance are they to us?

Why do we acquire them? Can what we acquire give us a life that is eternal or are they ephemeral? Where Do We Store Our Treasure? What is in our heart when we do what we do? What is truly the motivation behind whatever we do as children of God? So the question we have to answer today is “Where Do We Store Our Treasure?

Today’s Gospel.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells His disciples “ ‘Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”

In this statement, Jesus makes a little distinction on the type of treasure that we acquire.

By saying do not store up treasure on earth but store up in heaven means that what we acquire can have twofold implications. They can either be to enjoy life on earth or attain eternal life in heaven.

Therefore, what we do or what we acquire can either be for our own personal glory or for the glory of God. And each one we choose has its resultant effect.

The Implication.

Remember that these statements were all fruits of the sermon on the mount. Hence, on the mount, Jesus was surrounded by the crowd who came to Him from different walks of life. They came seeking Him.

Therefore, the first implication of this statement focuses on the reasons we are seeking God.

Here, Jesus is asking His hearers to make sure that the reason for coming to Him is to seek salvation and eternal life.

Around Jesus today are different kinds of people with different kinds of needs. So, what Jesus means today is that though what they are seeking is for their welfare, their main motivation should be for the salvation of their souls and eternal life at last. This type of treasure is beyond decay.

Secondly, surrounded by Jesus are the Sadducees, Pharisees, scribes, and some religious men who serve God in different aspects of life.

Here, Jesus is warning them to make sure that their aim of serving God is not only to look very religious on the outside but their hearts are on the money and what they will acquire.

This is why He says, For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. Therefore if the reason behind the service we render to God is the material gain, the money and the earthly fruits we can get from that, there will be our heart. But if truly our hearts are to save our souls and that of others, then there will our heart be.

Therefore Jesus is asking us to refocus our attention, repent and change our minds towards Him. The reason behind our worship and service to God should first of all be for the salvation of souls.