TREASURE IN HEAVEN

 The statement "you will have treasure in heaven" comes from Matthew 19:21, where Jesus is pursued by a wealthy, young man who asks, "Teacher, what good deed can I do to assure myself eternal life?" [v.16]

[All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted]

Most of us are familiar with the passage of this encounter with Jesus.  But can you forget what you already know about it for right now?  

Let's just zero in on the relevant dialogue between Jesus and this wealthy man:

Then a young man came up to Jesus.  'Teacher, what good deed can I do to assure myself eternal life?' [v.16]

Jesus: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven. And then come, follow Me."  [v.21]

The essence of this teaching seems to be: have money here, or accrue "treasure in heaven".

I just read a story about a woman who brought her one-year-old son to a clinic in Maradi, Niger.  But, by the time she arrived, he was barely able to breathe and a nurse had difficulty finding a vein to insert an IV.  He'd been vomiting for days and was so severely dehydrated that when he cried, there were no tears.  

When asked why she delayed so long in bringing him in, she responded, "We lived too far away to walk with such a sick baby and until two days ago, I didn't have enough money to come by bus."  [Story and photo from Richard and Renee Stearns' book, HE WALKS AMONG US, pp.221-223]

Such poverty in the face of needing to help one's only child!  Does she love her child any less than other moms love their children?  No!  She was simply dealing with the realities of extreme poverty.  

When I was teaching in northeast China, my students all had the perception that I was wealthy - because I was an American!  My attempts to explain that I was not wealthy, fell on deaf ears.  UNTIL two of my students later visited us several years later.  As we took them to Washington, D.C. to sight-see, they were not excited about the hotel that we stayed in.  They obviously saw our modest home in Enon Valley - which was a brand new manufactured home that we were delighted in.  These two students finally realized that we were NOT wealthy.  When they had us drop them off, they requested we drop them at one of the finest hotels in Washington!  :-)

Wealth here, or treasure in Heaven?  

How many of us actually believe this teaching of Jesus?  "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give all your money to the poor; then you will have treasure in heaven."

As those who, up until the last three years, have been considered some of the wealthiest people on earth, have we justified ways to keep a lot of our wealth while still believing that we're pleasing God and meeting His requirements?  

• we tithe
• we give offerings
• we give to different charitable groups
• we send Samaritan Christmas shoeboxes at Christmas 
• we drop off a few cans of food to the local foodbank

Then we go home to our 65" televisions, campers, air conditioned and heated homes, and worship in our newly built, luxurious sanctuaries that sit empty six days a week.  

Will there be a great reversal when we get to Heaven?  Will those of us who have had so much in this life be assigned to mediocre homes there while the woman - pictured above - will live in a "mansion"?

Debbie and I were deeply moved a week ago after attending a missions rally that featured four speakers from the Middle East.  The stories they told of sacrifice left us in awe.  When two of these men spoke at The Foundery Church [which I am currently leading] last Sunday, we were asked not to video-cast because of the sensitivity of their content.  In the promotional material, their last names are not even given!   We heard stories of people who are coming to Christ at the risk of losing their lives!  

On our way home, we wistfully said, "Let's sell everything we have and give it all to this need."  We had seen the need and it moved us!  

The words of Jesus convict us.  Our meager, monthly gift to Samaritan's Purse is not balancing well with our accumulation of possessions and wealth!  

You're right - and you know it - we haven't put up a 'For Sale' sign yet.  But we both reflect on the happiness and fulfillment we experienced when we sold or gave away just about everything we had and went to live in China for three years.

Don't be surprised if...