Sermon on the Mount

Wealth and Worry

Jesus of Nazareth is a 1st century Jewish man whose teaching and way of life began to reunite God's domain with our domain. He calls this reunion the arrival of the Kingdom of the skies. And Jesus invites people to follow him so that they can enter into that heavenly realm here on Earth in their day-to-day lives.

As humans, we desire divine experiences like love, peace, safety and security, but we face obstacles on the path to these rewards. In fact, Jesus says the biggest obstacle to experiencing God’s heavenly life and presence is our stuff! Possessions and wealth may make us feel more stable and secure, but Jesus has a different perspective on material things.

In this guide, discover Jesus’ teaching about wealth and possessions, including the worry they often produce in our lives. You can also explore related videos, podcast episodes, and more.

Storing Up Stuff

Jesus starts this section of teaching by saying:

19“Don’t store up your stuff on the land, where moths and nibblers destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19 Matthew 6:19 Loading... Keep Reading

We all know that stuff wears out, runs out, or gets lost. So we often work to gather even more and protect what we already own. In doing so, we place more and more of our attention on our stuff. And before we know it, we’re living for that stuff—it owns us. All of this hoarding of resources leads to more stress and fear. Jesus presents an alternative and says we can experience the good life when we direct our attention elsewhere. He says:

20“Store up for yourselves the stuff of the sky …” Matthew 6:20 Matthew 6:20 Loading... Keep Reading

But what is this “sky stuff?” Sky stuff is the rich experience of peace and fulfillment we feel when we follow Jesus’ teaching about loving God and each other. This may look like a kind word, an act of generosity, offering forgiveness, or showing compassion. Jesus encourages us to store up that kind of stuff because the loving relationships we cultivate now will last into the new creation. We receive and store up sky stuff when we trust God and live according to his instruction. Jesus describes this as inheriting eternal life. We can experience the sky stuff right now, and it will be waiting for us in the renewed creation, making it more valuable and secure than anything we could store up on the land. But why can’t we store up both land stuff and sky stuff at the same time? Jesus warns us to be careful because our stuff has a way of slowly shaping us in its image and consuming our hearts. Or as Jesus puts it:

21“For where your stored-up-things are, there too will be your heart.”

In other words, we ought to focus our hopes and desires on what matters most. When we do this, we will become more free, generous, and alive.