Correcting Our Double Vision Series

I have entitled our message this morning, “Correcting Our Double Vision.” Double vision, according to Yale Medicine, is understood as being when someone sees two of the “same” image instead of one.(1) But today, I want us to think of double vision as seeing two “separate” images at the same time. You see, a lot of believers find themselves having two focuses at once; one being on the things of God, and the other being on some kind of worldly distraction; or perhaps numerous distractions. But, in our passage of Scripture, Jesus shows us that we cannot serve the Lord wholeheartedly if we have spiritual double vision. So, let us go ahead and get started with this passage.

Treasure in Earth or Heaven (vv. 19-21)

19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus was saying here, “You can have treasure on earth or have treasure in heaven, but you cannot have them both; so, choose which one you will value!” The Greek word for “treasure” in these verses is thesaurous, from which we derive our English word “thesaurus.” A thesaurus can be viewed as a collection or “treasury of words.” Jesus said that, rather than pursuing and hoarding earthly valuables and possessions, we should be storing up a collection of spiritual treasure. The reason why is because the things of this world do not last; they are insecure, as they can be stolen or crumble away from the elements.

When Jesus mentioned how thieves could break in and steal them (v. 19), the word for “break in” literally means to “dig through.”(2) “In [ancient] Palestine the walls of many of the houses were made of nothing stronger than baked clay; and burglars [gained] entry by literally digging through the wall.”(3) This was “easy to do through the mud walls or sun-dried bricks . . . The Greeks [actually] called a burglar a ‘mud-digger’.”(4) “The reference here is to the man who had hoarded up in his house a little store of gold, only to find, when he comes home one day, that the burglars have dug through his flimsy walls and that his treasure is gone. There is no permanency about a treasure which is at the mercy of any enterprising thief.”(5)

Jesus said to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (v. 20). Commentator Adam Clark says, “The only way to render perishing goods eternal, to secure stately furniture [and clothing] from moths, and the richest metals from [rust], and precious stones from thieves, is to transmit them directly to heaven by ‘acts of charity’.”(6) So, why might Clark have connected storing up treasure in heaven with acts of charity? Well, because this was part of what the Jews believed at that time. So, let us look in to this matter further.

“The Jews were very familiar with the phrase ‘treasure in heaven.’ They identified such treasure with ‘two things’ in particular. 1.) They said that the deeds of kindness which a man did upon earth became his treasure in heaven . . . The Jewish rabbis were sure that that which is selfishly hoarded is lost, but that which is generously given away brings treasure.”(7) “2.) The Jews always connected the phrase ‘treasure in heaven’ with character,” as in the character of one who obeys the precepts of the Law. Both sentiments can be found in a statement by Rabbi Yose ben Kisma from the first century A.D. He once declared, “In the hour of man’s departure neither silver, nor gold, nor precious stones accompany him, but only his 1.) knowledge of the Law and 2.) his good works.”(8)

So, treasure in heaven was understood as doing good works and giving away money to the poor. It was also understood as having good character; but character is not “tried and proven” in isolation. I think we tend to view treasure in heaven as something we store up by spending devotional time with God through Bible study and prayer. But devotional time is normally done in isolation. It is personally rewarding and uplifting, but it does not edify others; unless we allow it to overflow in service. But we often use devotional time as a copout, because doing good works and being a good example in character requires us to spend time among people, and interacting with people can be challenging. However, we do not know true sacrifice until it hurts – until it is “tried and tested” in community – and to hit us where it hurts, it must hit “our pocket book” and “our pride” – good works and character.