Matthew 6:19-24 Love of Money

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!   "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. [Matthew 6:19‭-‬24 NASB]

This passage has to be understood in context with the preceding verses in this chapter. If you make a display of giving to the poor, then you have treasure on earth, but if you give in secret, then you have stored up treasure in heaven. In the same way if you pray or fast publicly to be seen by men then you have treasure on earth. If you pray and fast in secret, you have treasure in heaven.

Treasure on earth is fleeting, but treasure in heaven is eternal.

Jesus takes this general principal and narrows it to one issue: greed. "You cannot serve God and wealth." Jesus is the ultimate anti-"prosperity doctrine" preacher.

One day when He was in the temple, He saw many rich people putting large sums of money into the treasury. When a poor widow put in the equivalent of 1 cent, Jesus praised her saying, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." [Mark 12:43-44 NASB]

Jesus is not impressed with riches.

Prosperity preachers teach that holiness can be measured by your checking account. In a nutshell they say that the New Testament is a contract, that Jesus' redemptive work includes health and financial prosperity, and to receive it, all you have to do is confess it. If you don't have it, it is because of sin in your life.

That is so contrary to Jesus' teachings.

Prosperity preachers weren't around in Jesus's day, but this passage applies to them. Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation." [Mark 12:38-40 NASB] They prey upon the fears, hopes and dreams of the less privileged, telling them that if they will only contribute money "into this ministry", then God will bless them, and they will become rich.

The apostle Paul was the most prolific preacher of the New Testament era. He spoke of his many hardships, and said, "I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." [2 Corinthians 11:27 NASB] Paul confesses that he became sick, "but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time;" [Galatians 4:13 NASB]

Money isn't evil in itself. Paul said, "...I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction." [Philippians 4:11-14 NASB]

The key is to be content in whatever circumstance you find yourself. But if you are grasping for money, "confessing" prosperity, or making it the focus of your life and ministry, then you are displaying a love of money. Paul says, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." [1 Timothy 6:10 NASB]

We are told in the book of Hebrews, "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." [Hebrews 13:5 NASB]

I would agree with this prayer of the writer of the proverb, "Keep deception and lies far from me,

Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God." [Proverbs 30:8-9 NASB]