Matthew 6:20
Treasure in Heaven

This is one of the most famous verses of the bible, and simultaneously, one of the most ignored. Christians will read it, nod their head, and continue doing the exact opposite. Let’s first explore the verse and then I will explain why I make this bold and provocative statement.

This verse is found in the middle of Jesus’ longest recorded sermon; the Sermon on the Mount. So far, the emphasis in the Sermon on the Mount has been about God rewarding people. The conclusion of the beatitudes was that you should consider yourself lucky if people persecute you, because that is how they also treated the prophets, and your reward in heaven would be great. He also described who will be small (few rewards) and who will be great (many rewards) in the kingdom of heaven.

Then in chapter 6, we find three sections in which Jesus teaches that God will reward deeds of charity, prayer, and fasting, if you do them for God and not to please men.

Then, in the immediate context of verse 20, we find:

Matthew 6:19 “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 contrasts laying up treasure on earth (the pursuit of the majority of humanity) with laying up treasure in heaven (unfortunately, the pursuit of only a few). He explains that treasure on earth will not last, but that treasure in heaven will. And then He gives a reason for why people should pursue eternal treasure: because your heart will be where your treasure is.

The Greek in verse 20 is pretty straightforward. The imperative (command) is to lay up, or ‘thesaurizo’. This comes from the noun ‘thesauros’, which is indeed the root for the English word ‘thesaurus’ (treasury, or storehouse).  That was also the meaning in Greek, a store-house for precious things, hence, a treasure. It is also the word that is used for ‘treasures’ in both verse 19 and 20. The Greek for heaven is ‘ouranos’ and it is used both for the sky (the visible) heaven as well as for the region where God dwells. 'For yourselves' is the personal pronoun ‘su’, and it really refers to you, as in the person to whom the teaching is directed. Thus, 'lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven' is a good translation.

So, Jesus is teaching, nay commanding, us to lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven. And this is why I believe the verse gets ignored by most Christians today. Most of the time, when I discuss the idea of rewards with other Christians, I get opposition. People seem to think it’s selfish to be motivated by eternal rewards. Or they believe all Christians will be treated the same in heaven. But treasure equals rewards. Some people will have a small treasure, and some a big one. It all depends on our faithfulness and obedience to God in this life, our good works. 

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Most Christians spend far more time and energy working on their earthly treasure rather than on their heavenly treasure. But Christ commands us to do the opposite. For where out treasure is, that is where our hearts will be. Where is your heart?