What Do You See?

What do you See?

Matthew 6:22-23

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

Charles Spurgeon called these verses “one of the most pithy, sententious utterances of our Savior,” “capable of being adapted to so many things that the best of commentators despair of being able to give you the whole of its fullness.” Amen! Having been “sandwiched” between Jesus’ reference to storing up treasures in verse 19-21 and His reference to “money” in verse 24, this passage undoubtedly relates to one’s attitude towards material possessions. And yet I can’t help but feel that Jesus’ command to keep one’s eye healthy has far reaching implications. While the letter of Jesus’ words clearly points to prosperity theology and wealth hording as being sins, His reference to the “eye being a lamp of the body” seems to indicate there is a deeper moral lesson to be learnt in this passage. The first part of this sermon is going to examine prosperity theology and Jesus’ rebuke of such thinking by explaining where “real” treasure is to be stored. The second part of this sermon is going to suggest the “eye” in this passage most likely refers to our affections and conscience and as such is a warning that what we allow into and dwell upon in our souls not only affects our faith but also obedience to Christ.

Prosperity Theology

Before one can truly understand the significance of Jesus’ critique concerning material possessions one must first understand the curses and blessings as outlined in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 27-28). In Moses’ farewell speech he outlined God’s expectations for His people as they entered the promised land. He instructed Israelites to setup an altar on top of two mountains. The first altar on Mount Ebal was to remind the people that breaking God’s laws would lead to the following negative consequences: their city, wombs, crops and herds would become cursed in the form of war, few children, diseases, drought, livestock handed over to their enemies and locusts and worms devouring their vineyards. The second altar on Mount Gerizim was to remind the people that obeying God’s laws would lead to the following positive consequences: their city, wombs, crops and herds would be blessed in the form of defeated enemies, more children, plenty of rain and an abundance of livestock and crops. These two altars were to remain on both Mounts as a constant reminder of the curses and blessings for either not obeying or obeying God’s commands.

Health and wealth in Bible times became a key indicator of their standing before a holy God (Psalms 1:3). For example, after having lost his wealth, health and children Job’s friends wrongly concluded that he must have sinned. When the young ruler “went away sad” the disciples were astonished for he had great wealth and yet was not saved (Matthew 19:25). This belief that health and wealth are tied to God’s blessings is still alive in some churches today. For example, playing on society’s insatiable desire for health, wealth and happiness, Prosperity Gospel teaches that when people give more money to the church it guarantees God will return to them an abundance of health and wealth. There are countless modern-day stories of couples who gave away their life savings to the church in hopes of “buying God’s” favor and becoming filthy rich! According to proponents of Prosperity Gospel the root cause of anyone who is unhealthy, poor and unhappy is due to their being stingy and giving so little money to the church!

Where to Store Treasures

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 24 “No one can serve two masters. 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.

Given the Old Testament belief in a direct correlation between obedience to God and material blessings, one can almost feel how shocked the audience of the Sermon on the Mount must have been when Jesus said treasures are to be stored in heaven where “the uncertainties of life cannot affect them.” Storing treasures on earth in the form of nicer homes, cars and fat bank accounts for example is not a wise practice for Christ stated that all these things are subject to “the destructive effects of life in a fallen world.” Either thieves will steal or moths and vermin will destroy one’s earthly possessions. It is not the presence of wealth that is evil, for Job and Abraham were rich, but the prioritizing of one lifestyle in a manner that focuses on selfishly, accumulating money (1 Timothy 6:10) rather than seeking first the kingdom of God that is evil. Since God and money make all-consuming demands and represent competing interests and moral values, one’s choice of where to store one’s treasure truly dictates to whom one has chosen to be the master of their heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37).