Divine Treasury

The search for the treasures of of heaven is a daily one. That is a part of its character. There is nothing static about it. It is a daily commitment, a daily exploration, a daily mystery, a daily prayer.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is trying to teach us into the Kingdom. His teaching has a mysterious quality. Its meaning is allusive. It stimulates inquiry and interpretation on a continuing basis. Treasures in heaven, treasures in heaven – the phrase rolls off the tongue as if its meaning were clear. But it is not. What are clear are the characteristics of the treasure which may be sought. The treasure is true wealth. It has a heavenly or divine quality and blessing. It is indestructible, ever-living, and permanent. No one can take it from you.

Every day, millions of people go to some source of information – now it is almost certainly web-based – to see what is happening to the value of various stocks, bonds, commodities, and financial instruments. A split second’s delay (literally) in reaction to a change in monetary value can make the difference between profit and loss for an investor or manipulator of money. To succeed at the accumulation of monetized wealth in this fashion demands total attention and dedication. (Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.)

There are people – and I know some of them – who can give this kind of attention to the markets and yet put their hearts toward the treasures of the kingdom. They are very special people, and they have been made special by the difficulty of this intense conflict of value.

In one form or another, this intense conflict of value confronts everyone, not just persons engaged in financial markets. Each of us finds at least one particular treasure which tries and tempts us as our primary competition for the treasures of heaven. Temptation teaches. It ups the ante. It makes us aware that we have hearts, and that there is choice to be made. The temptation treasure can ultimately become a sacrament for the treasures of the kingdom, but only when it is first renounced for its own sake. You don’t get to keep primary allegiance to the obsession that encapsulates your heart by renaming it a sacrament, or by sending a few charitable donations to heaven.

I think that the quest for the treasures in heaven must be a daily one. There is something alive here. The quest is not a denial of attention to one’s life and the things of this world. Rather the quest for the treasures of heaven demands an attentive presence to one’s own life – to the concerns which one has, and to the persons and situations which one confronts.

Is it possible that a search, day after day, for the treasures of the kingdom might awaken hope, or train the heart, or familiarize the ears and eyes to the signs of opportunities for divine investment? Surely we hope so – that as we pray our way into each day and seek to respond to its possibilities, we might be more and more on the path that leads through the emporium of true wealth.

The business of heavenly treasure is a commitment to a lively and constant rediscovery of the kingdom. It doesn’t stay found. About all we can do is learn to mark the territory: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

The treasure of the kingdom is not something that we possess, but rather something of which we ourselves become a part. There is a collective treasure here. The very quality of heavenly treasure is its collectivity. It benefits oneself and others – the benefits are expansive, non-discriminatory.

We never stop having the opportunity to put things into the divine treasury. The different stages of life, with their different tasks, provide different opportunities. When we are sick or in bed there are some unusual, deeply powerful opportunities for this wealth for ourselves and others. And when we are actively involved in our lives, there are not only the daily deposits which we may make, but also the incredible entrepreneurial opportunities. We cross what seemed to be solid lines of stubborn negativity and break forth at last with others into the wealth which Jesus had in mind from the beginning.

I suppose one day the wealth of the kingdom will simply overwhelm the riches of this world, working through its own mediums of exchange to bring about a kind of leveraged buyout of the Kingdom of this World.

It will happen, if it does, because of the choices which people are making daily as they come to see the only treasures which make any difference at all, the only treasures which have true value, the rhythm and melodies of the songs of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Rev. Benjamin P. Campbell, Senior Pastor