Treasure (Luke 12:33-34)

Things100“Sell your possessions and give to the poor,” Jesus said. “Make money-bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33-34; similar words can be found in Matt. 6:19-21). The word translated treasure in these verses refers to a treasury; a storage box, coffer, or other place valuables are kept; or the actual valuables deposited in a safe place (or that should be put in a secure place). The word appears a total of 17 times in the New Testament. The following verses reflect some of the contexts in which the Greek term is used.

  • When the wise men entered “the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11).
  • Jesus declared, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44).
  • Jesus said, “A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart” (Luke 6:45). Here the word is translated “storeroom.”
  • The apostle Paul wrote, “Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
  • Paul said of Christ, “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him” (Col. 2:3).
  • The inspired writer of Hebrews said of Moses, “For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward” (Heb. 11:26).

Thus, the word translated treasure in all these verses can mean eternal treasure or earthly treasure, depending on the context in which it is used. Believers need to distinguish between these two and obey the command of Jesus to collect eternal wealth rather than riches that will not last. Do you have the right approaches to both worldly and eternal wealth?

 

 

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in SundaySchoolZone.com materials are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®,  Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

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