We follow what we focus on...

This week we have been looking at a part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which is known today as the Sermon on the Mount. Tuesday, we looked on as Jesus commanded the crowds listening, and followers of Jesus throughout history, not to center our lives on money, possessions and the treasures of this world. Jesus used a play on words that literally means do not treasure treasure.

Jesus then explained the reason behind His command by revealing the reality that treasures on earth temporary and are easily consumed by the things of the earth. Just as a moth consumes cloth or rust consumes metal, or a thief consumes our money, possessions, and treasure by stealing, the things of this earth are consumed by the things of the earth.

Instead of focusing on the accumulation of money, possessions, and treasure on earth, Jesus commanded the crowds listening to His sermon to store up, to accumulate for yourselves treasure in Heaven. Jesus wanted the crowds to clearly understand that while treasure on earth is temporary, treasure in Heaven lasts for eternity.

 Jesus then made a statement that revealed the timeless principle that our true desires are revealed by what we invest in. Jesus pointed out that people will invest in the things that they are devoted to. Jesus point is that those who are involved in a right relationship with God and who are growing and maturing in that relationship will respond to all that God has done for them by investing in God’s kingdom mission because they treasure God above everything else.

You see, the reality is that we can tell what we love by looking at where our treasure goes. Jesus point here is that if you want to know what you are truly devoted to, just take a minute and look at your checkbook and your credit card statement. Because your checkbook and credit card statement communicate the truth about what you truly love and are devoted to.  Jesus then used a metaphor to hammer His point home in Matthew 6:22-23. Let’s look at it together:

"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!

Now to fully understand the metaphor that Jesus uses here, we first need to understand what Jesus is talking about when He refers to the eye as the lamp of the body. When Jesus uses the word eye, He is referring to our spiritual eyes and what they focus on. This is important because our bodies follow what our eyes focus on. I learned this principle first hand during a mountain bike trip outside of Kingman. During my ride, I approached a steep downward section of the trail that was covered with baseball sized rocks.

Now sometimes when mountain biking, you come to situations where you realize that you have lost control of the speed of your bike. And as I gained speed down this section of the trail, this was one of those times. About ¾ of the way down this decline, there was a boulder that came up to a person’s knee. Now I knew that I did not want to hit that boulder. But as I came closer to that point on the trail, I was coming closer to the boulder.

As you have probably guessed, I hit the boulder square and went head over my handlebars down the rest of the hill. And if that was not bad enough, the bike proceeded to fall on top of me and follow me down the hill. Needless to say, my body was covered with scrapes and boulder rash. You see, because I was focused on the boulder so as to not hit it, my body actually steered the bike toward the boulder. And that is Jesus point here.

With this metaphor, Jesus is revealing the reality that we follow what we are focused on. When Jesus uses the word clear, He is referring to someone who is motivated by a singleness of purpose or focus. Jesus provided that focus in verse 19 when He commanded that we store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven. Jesus point is that when our spiritual eyes are clearly focused on storing up treasure in Heaven our whole body will be full of light. But what does Jesus mean when He states that our bodies will be full of light? The phrase to be full of light conveys the sense of being illuminated by something so as to reflect that light toward others.

So in essence, Jesus is stating that those who are focused on storing up treasures in Heaven will reveal and reflect Jesus to others. They will reflect Jesus’ generosity. They will reflect Jesus’ desire to love and serve God and others through the money, possessions, and treasure that we have while we live life on earth. And as they reveal and reflect Jesus to others, the result is that they will advance God’s Kingdom and enhance God’s reputation. Those that those who are involved in a right relationship with God and who are growing and maturing in that relationship are able to make a fundamental shift from asking the question “What honors me?” to the question “What honors God?” when it comes to how they handle their money, possessions, and treasure.

Jesus then contrasted the person who is singularly focused on storing up treasures in Heaven with the person who is focused on storing up treasures on earth. In verse 23, Jesus speaks of the person whose eye is bad. When Jesus uses the word bad, He is literally referring to someone whose spiritual eyes are unhealthy or sick. This person’s spiritual eyes are clouded by greed. This is a person who is focused on making and spending the money, possessions, and treasure that they accumulate on themselves to advance their kingdom and enhance their reputation.

Jesus then explained to the crowds listening that the end result of having spiritual eyes that are unhealthy due to being clouded by greed is that the person is described as being full of darkness. To be full of darkness conveys the sense of an absence of Christ-likeness in a person’s life. Jesus then explained that if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. But what does that mean? Jesus point is that the person whose life is clouded by greed and selfishness and that focuses on storing up treasures for themselves on earth is full of spiritual and moral darkness as well.

Now, another question that could arise here would be “Well Dave can’t I do both? Can’t I store up treasure in Heaven and store up treasures here on earth?”  I don’t know about you, but sometimes we can find ourselves trying to have it both ways, can’t we? I can find myself tempted to try to have my feet in both worlds, so to speak. So, can’t we do both? Can’t we store up treasures on earth and in Heaven?

Friday, we will see Jesus provide the answer to this question...