Fool’s Gold?

Jock Stein April 19, 2023 0 1

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Matthew 6: 19-24 (NRSVA)

19 ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Yes, treasure on earth is ‘fool’s gold’ to the follower of Jesus. When we pay attention to Jesus saying these words in his ‘sermon on the mount’, we see that clearly, as our eyes are ‘washed by the word’ and wide open spiritually. But when we face the challenges of life, whether it is coping with the cost of living crisis or managing significant wealth, our eyes are quickly blurred so that we mix up what is gold and what is not.

Wealth is relative. I have a grandson who earns as much in a year (as an intern) as his London boss earns in a day (I think he said in an hour, but I find that hard to believe!) And wars in Ukraine and the Middle East remind us of our own relative wealth. John Wesley had a very sensible attitude to wealth: “Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” When he died, he had about £25 and six silver teaspoons.

PRAY for

• An eye for the main thing (not the main chance)
• An eye for your close companions
• An eye for the needs of others