"The Good Life" - Week 24

Week 24 - Matthew 6:19-24

Now, Jesus goes from preaching to meddling. Jesus already struck chords with many of us with his teachings on enemies, lying, lust, and anger. But if you're still reading, you weren't offended enough.

So, now he brings up your pocketbook.

"You cannot serve God and money."
"Where your money is, there your heart will be also."

And then, there's all of this language about good and bad eyes that seems a bit out of place. What do my eyes have to do with the topic of money and generosity?

I'm glad you asked. "The good eye" was a Jewish metaphor about generosity. And "an evil eye" meant that one was stingy or greedy. In other words, how we view our stuff colors the way we look at the rest of our lives. That's an image we should recover!

But the phrase that has caught my "eye" this week is the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." And while this phrase might be easy to misinterpret, I don't think Jesus is saying my heart is at Wells Fargo. But he is making a strong connection between our money and our hearts.

As you dwell in Matthew 6:19-24, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:

1) Consider the image of the "good/evil eye." How good do you think your eye is today?

2) Dwell on the phrase "Where your money is, there your heart will be also." What does Jesus mean by that statement? If your heart lies where your money lies, where is your heart today?

3) Jesus doesn't say "You should not serve both God and money." He says, "You cannot serve both God and money." Is that truly an impossibility? Why is Jesus so strong in his wording there?

4) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?