Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- Matthew 6:19-21
A heart which belongs to Christ may belong to a rich or poor person. Wealth is fleeting and fundamentally irrelevant regarding eternal wealth (it’s mostly a test, ala Luke 19:11-27). It is the affections of the heart that matter. Jesus used extreme language, “hate,” to make a point regarding this.
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
- Luke 14:26
A person who loves the riches of this world and the creature comforts it provides more than they love the treasures of Heaven cannot be Christ’s disciple. “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24). Therein lies the very practical distinction that Jesus presented to the rich young ruler.
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
- Mark 10:17-25
Jesus “loved” this lost man enough to challenge his heart. If this rich young ruler had a heart for Christ, he would’ve followed Jesus’ advice.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
- Matthew 13:44
The fact that the rich young ruler rejected Christ’s good advice is an illustration of the strength of conviction in a depraved heart, proving that, when push comes to shove, its truest affections are for worldly treasure.
The point of this blog is to compare two hearts: Christ’s (and those knitted to His) and the world’s. According to Holy Scripture, unredeemed people are so far from Christ’s heart that they “hate” us believers. This hatred is akin to the hate Jesus spoke of in Luke 14:26 (its usage is meant to describe the polar opposite of godly love). As such, there’s a practical reality which we believers must contend with. The world hates us.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
- John 15:18-19
This type of hatred isn’t necessarily overtly aggressive; rather, it is a heartfelt rejection of the things God’s children love, starting with Christ, Himself. In this sense, those who are of this world are enemies of Christ. In turn, this makes unbelievers our own enemies (again, I encourage you not to misconstrue the Biblical usage of hatred here).
Just because someone hates you doesn’t mean you must hate them back. In fact, Jesus taught just the opposite. He taught we ought to have a compassionate love, like His own, towards our enemies.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Matthew 5:43-48
There are two types of hearts in this world, and they have very different affections. We believers are called to have compassion for those in this world because they love something with a return on investment we call Hell. This is why I’m sad. My heart aches because while I know what the problem is, I’m hopeless to fix it. I can only give these people the Gospel, the good news about the Kingdom of Heaven, and hope that their heart is changed. While these same lost people persist in hating me (maybe in their own way they have a worldly compassion for this Bible-believing man, always perplexed by my own heart), I have a compassionate love for them. I know the outcome of their worldly investment portfolio and it terrifies my soul. I don’t want it for anyone. I suppose my comfort comes from knowing that my heart is knit with my Lord’s on this issue.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
