Treasures in Heaven: On Giving to the Poor

True Treasure in Heaven

1. The Gospel reading today reminds me to speak to you, beloved, about heavenly treasure. Our God has not—as unbelieving, greedy people suppose—commanded us to lose what we have. If we properly understand what He has taught, and believe it with devotion, and receive it faithfully, He hasn't instructed us to lose anything, but rather shown us where to store our valuables. Everyone thinks about their treasure and follows their wealth in a kind of journey of the heart. If treasure is buried in the earth, the heart seeks the depths of the earth; but if it's stored in heaven, the heart will be lifted above.

If Christians truly desire to do what they profess (though not all who hear know it, and I wish those who do know it wouldn't know it in vain), if they sincerely wish to "lift up their hearts," let them store up in heaven what they love. Though still in the flesh on earth, let their hearts dwell with Christ. As Christ the Head went before His Church, so let each Christian's heart go before them. Where the members will follow when Christ the Head has gone before, each person at their resurrection will go where their heart has already gone. Let us go from here, then, with what part of us we can. Our whole person will eventually follow where one part has gone ahead. Our earthly house must eventually collapse; our heavenly house is eternal. Let's move our goods beforehand to where we ourselves are preparing to come.

2. We've just heard about a certain rich man asking the "Good Teacher" for advice on how to obtain eternal life. The thing he loved was great, but what he was unwilling to give up was of little value. With a perverse heart, upon hearing Him whom he had just called "Good Teacher," he lost something of great price because of his overwhelming love for what was worthless. If he hadn't wanted to obtain eternal life, he wouldn't have asked how to obtain it. So how is it, brothers, that he rejected the words of the one he had called "Good Teacher," words drawn from the doctrine of faith?

What? Is He a Good Teacher before He teaches, and then a bad one after He teaches? Before teaching, He was called "good." The rich man didn't hear what he wanted, but he heard what was good for him. He had come with yearning but went away in sadness. What if Jesus had told him, "Lose what you have"? When he went away sad, it was because he was told, "Keep what you have securely." "Go," Jesus says, "sell all that you have, and give to the poor." Are you afraid you might lose it? Look at what follows: "And you will have treasure in heaven."

Perhaps until now you've assigned some young servant to guard your treasures; God Himself will be the guardian of your gold. He who gave them to you on earth will Himself keep them in heaven. Perhaps the rich man wouldn't have hesitated to entrust what he had to Christ and was only sad because he was told, "Give to the poor." He might have thought, "If You had said, 'Give it to Me, I will keep it in heaven for you,' I wouldn't hesitate to give it to my Lord, the 'Good Teacher.' But now you've said, 'Give to the poor.'"

3. No one should fear to give to the poor or think that the person whose hand they see is the true recipient. The One who commanded you to give receives it. And I don't say this from my own imagination or by human conjecture. Listen to Christ Himself, who both encourages you and gives you security: "I was hungry," He says, "and you gave Me food." And when, after listing all their kind actions, they answered, "When did we see You hungry?" He replied, "As you did it to one of the least of these who are Mine, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:35-40).

It's the poor person who begs, but the Rich One who receives. You give to someone who might waste it, but Christ receives it and will restore it. And He won't just restore what He receives; He's pleased to borrow with interest and promises more than you've given. Now give free rein to your desire for gain—imagine yourself as a lender. If you were actually a money-lender, the Church would rebuke you, the word of God would refute you, and all your brothers would detest you as a cruel usurer seeking profit from others' tears. But now be a different kind of lender—no one will stop you. You're willing to lend to a poor person who, whenever they repay you, will do so with grief. But now lend to a Debtor who is fully capable of repaying and who even urges you to receive what He promises.

4. Give to God, and press God for repayment. Better yet, give to God, and you will be pressed to receive payment. On earth, you had to search for your debtor, and he too searched—but only to find where he could hide from you. You would go to the judge and say, "Order my debtor to be summoned." Upon hearing this, he would run away and not even wish you well, though you may have given him financial help through your loan.

You now have someone on whom you can wisely spend your money. Give to Christ; He will seek you out to make you receive payment. You'll even be surprised that He received anything from you. To those placed on His right hand, He will first say, "Come, you blessed of My Father." "Come" where? "Receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." For what reason? "For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick and in prison, and you visited Me" (Matthew 25:34-36).

And they will say, "Lord, when did we see You?" What does this mean? The Debtor is pressing to pay, and the creditors are making excuses! But the faithful Debtor won't let them suffer loss. "Do you hesitate to receive? I have received, and are you unaware of it?" He explains how He received: "As you did it to one of the least of these who are Mine, you did it to Me." "I didn't receive it personally, but through My people. What was given to them came to Me. Be confident—you haven't lost anything. You looked to those who couldn't repay on earth, but you have One who is able to repay in heaven. I," He says, "have received; I will repay."

5. "And what have I received, and what will I repay? 'I was hungry,' He says, 'and you gave Me food,' and the rest. I received earth, I will give heaven; I received temporary things, I will restore eternal things; I received bread, I will give life." We might even say, "I received bread, I will give Bread; I received drink, I will give Drink; I received shelter, I will give a House; I was visited in sickness, I will give Health; I was visited in prison, I will give Freedom. The bread you gave to My poor is consumed; the Bread I will give both refreshes the hungry and never diminishes."

May He give us Bread, He who is the living Bread that came down from heaven. When He gives Bread, He gives Himself. What did you intend when you lent money at interest? To give money and receive money—but to give a smaller sum and receive a larger one. "I," says God, "will give you something better for everything you've given Me." If you were to give a pound of silver and receive a pound of gold, what great joy would possess you! Examine and question your love of gain: "I've given a pound of silver and received a pound of gold!" What proportion exists between silver and gold!

Even more, what proportion exists between earth and heaven! Your silver and gold you would have to leave here below, whereas you yourself won't remain here forever. "I will give you something else, something more, something better; I will give you what will last forever." So, brothers, let our earthly greed be restrained so that another kind—a holy greed—may be kindled. The counsel of greed is altogether evil; it prevents you from doing good. You're willing to serve an evil mistress instead of acknowledging a Good Lord. Sometimes two mistresses occupy the heart and tear apart the slave who deserves to be enslaved by such a double yoke.

6. Yes, sometimes two opposing mistresses possess a person: greed and self-indulgence. Greed says, "Save"; self-indulgence says, "Spend." With two mistresses demanding and commanding different things, what can you do? They both have their persuasive methods. When you begin to resist them and take a step toward freedom, since they have no power to command, they resort to sweet talk. Their flattery is more dangerous than their commands.

What does greed say? "Save for yourself, save for your children. If you're ever in need, no one will give to you. Don't just live for today; plan for the future." On the other hand, self-indulgence says: "Live while you can. Do good to yourself. You must die, and you don't know when. You don't know who will inherit what you save or who will possess it. You're taking food from your own mouth, and perhaps after your death, your heir won't even place a cup of wine on your tomb—or if he does, he'll drink himself drunk with it, and not a drop will reach you. So do good to yourself while you can." Greed commands one thing: "Save for yourself, plan for the future." Self-indulgence commands another: "Do good to yourself."

7. But you, free person called to liberty, grow weary of your slavery to such mistresses as these. Recognize your Redeemer, your Deliverer. Serve Him—He commands easier things. He doesn't command things that contradict each other. I dare say more: greed and self-indulgence commanded contradictory things, so you couldn't obey them both. One said, "Save for yourself and plan for the future"; the other said, "Spend freely, do good to yourself."

Now let your Lord and Redeemer come forward. He will say the same things, yet they won't be contradictory. If you're unwilling, His house doesn't need a reluctant servant. Consider your Redeemer; consider your Ransom. He came to redeem you; He shed His blood. He valued you highly when He purchased you at such a great price. You acknowledge Him who bought you; consider what He redeems you from.

I say nothing of the other sins that lord it over you proudly; you were serving countless masters. I speak only of these two—self-indulgence and greed—giving you contradictory orders and pulling you in different directions. Free yourself from them; come to your God. If you were a servant of wickedness, now be a servant of righteousness. You hear the same words from your Lord that they spoke to you—the same commands they gave you. Yet His commands aren't contradictory. He doesn't change their words, but He removes their power. What did greed say to you? "Save for yourself, plan for the future." The words haven't changed, but the person has changed. Now, if you wish, compare the advisors. The one is greed; the other is righteousness.

8. Examine these contradictory commands. "Save for yourself," says greed. Suppose you want to obey her; ask her where you should keep your money. She'll show you some well-protected place—a secured chamber or iron chest. Take all precautions, yet perhaps some thief in your house will break into these secret places. While securing your money, you might fear for your life. It's possible that while you're protecting your wealth, the person planning to steal it is also planning to kill you. Lastly, even if you protect your treasure from thieves with various precautions, defend it also against rust and moths. What can you do then? Here's no enemy outside to take away your goods, but one inside consuming them.

9. Greed has given no good counsel. She instructed you to save, but hasn't found a place where you can save securely. Let her also give her next piece of advice: "Plan for the future." For what future? For a few uncertain days. She says, "Plan for the future," to someone who might not even live until tomorrow.

But suppose you live as long as greed thinks you will—not as long as she can prove or guarantee or have any confidence about, but as long as she thinks. Suppose you grow old and reach your end. Even when bent double with old age and leaning on a walking stick, you're still seeking profit and hearing greed say, "Plan for the future." For what future? When you're drawing your last breath, she still speaks. She says, "for your children's sake."

I wish we didn't find childless old people being greedy! Even to these—who can't even excuse their wickedness with any pretense of natural affection—she never stops saying, "Plan for the future." But these people might soon be ashamed of themselves, so let's consider those who have children. Are they certain their children will possess what they leave behind? Let them observe during their lifetime other people's children—some losing their inheritance through others' unjust violence, others wasting their possessions through their own wickedness. They remain poor, though they were children of rich parents. Stop being home-grown slaves of greed.

Someone will say, "My children will possess this." It's uncertain. I don't say it's false, but at best, it's uncertain. But now suppose it's certain—what do you want to leave them? What you've acquired for yourself. Certainly what you acquired wasn't left to you, yet you have it. If you were able to get what wasn't left to you, they will also be able to get what you don't leave to them.

10. Thus we've refuted the counsel of greed. Now let the Lord say the same words. Now let righteousness speak: the words will be the same, but not their meaning. "Save for yourself," says the Lord. "Plan for the future." Now ask Him, "Where should I save?" "You shall have treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys" (Luke 12:33). For what an enduring future you will save it! "Come, you blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

And how many days will this kingdom last? The end of the passage shows. After saying of those on the left, "So these will go away into everlasting punishment," He says of those on the right, "but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). This is planning for the future—a future with no future beyond it. Those endless days are called both "days" and "a day." As one person said of those days, "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" (Psalm 27:4). And they are called a day: "Today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2:7).

Now those days are one day, because there is no time in it. That day is neither preceded by yesterday nor followed by tomorrow. So let's "plan for the future." The words greed spoke to you are no different in terms from this, yet through these words greed is overthrown.

11. One thing more might be said: "But what am I to do about my children?" Hear on this point also the counsel of your Lord. If your Lord should say to you, "I am more concerned about them, having created them, than you who merely begot them," perhaps you would have nothing to reply.

Yet you will look at that rich man who went away sorrowful and was rebuked in the Gospel, and might say to yourself, "That rich man did wrong in not selling everything and giving to the poor, because he had no children; but I have children. I have those for whom I should keep something." Even in this weakness, the Lord is ready to advise you. I dare to speak through His mercy; I dare to say something not from my own imagination but from His compassion.

Keep something for your children too, but hear me. Suppose (such is the human condition) you lost one of your children. Note, brothers, note how greed has no excuse, either for this world or the next. Such is our human condition; I don't wish for it, but we see examples. Some Christian child dies—you've lost a Christian child. Or rather, you haven't lost him but sent him ahead. He hasn't gone away completely but has gone before you. Ask your own faith: surely you too will go there soon, where he has gone ahead. It's just a short question I ask, which I suppose no one will answer: Does your son live? Ask your faith. If he lives, why is his portion taken by his brothers?

But you'll say, "What, will he return to possess it?" Then let it be sent to him where he has gone before. He can't come to his goods, but his goods can go to him. Consider only with whom he is. If any son were serving at court and became the emperor's friend, and were to say to you, "Sell my portion that's there and send it to me," would you know how to answer him? Well, your son is now with the Emperor of all emperors, with the King of all kings, with the Lord of all lords. Send to Him. I'm not saying your son is in need; but his Lord, with whom he stays, is in need on earth. He is willing to receive here what He gives in heaven. Do what some greedy people do: make a transfer. Give to those on pilgrimage what you may receive in your own country.

12. But now I'm not speaking about you at all, but about your child. You hesitate to give what is yours, or rather you hesitate to return what belongs to another. Surely this proves that you weren't saving for your children. Look, you don't give to your children, seeing you would even take from your children. From this child, at least, you will take away. Why is he unworthy to receive his portion, because he lives with One more worthy than all?

There would be reason in it if the One with whom your son lives were unwilling to receive it. You will now be rich for your house, but that house is God's house. I'm not saying to you, "Give what you have," but I am saying, "Pay what you owe." But you'll say, "His brothers will have it." What an evil principle, which may teach your children to wish for their brother's death! If they are to be enriched by their deceased brother's property, be careful how they might watch one another in your house. What then will you do? Will you divide his inheritance, and so give lessons in killing one's brothers?

13. But I don't want to speak of losing a child, lest I seem to threaten calamities that do befall people. Let's speak in a happier, more auspicious tone. I don't say you'll have one less; rather, count that you have one more. Give Christ a place with your children. Let your Lord be added to your family; let your Creator be added to your offspring; let your Brother be added to the number of your children.

Though there is such a great distance between us, He has condescended to be a Brother. Though He is the Father's only Son, He has chosen to have co-heirs. See how generously He has given! Why will you give so sparingly? You have two children; count Him as a third. You have three; let Him be counted as a fourth. You have five; let Him be called a sixth. You have ten; let Him be the eleventh. I'll say no more; keep the place of one child for your Lord. For what you give to your Lord will benefit both you and your children, whereas what you wrongly keep for your children will hurt both you and them. Now you will give one portion, which you've calculated as one child's portion. Count that you've gained one child more.

14. What great demand is this, my brothers? I only give you advice; I don't use force. As the Apostle says, "This I speak for your own benefit, not that I may put a leash on you" (1 Corinthians 7:35). I imagine, brothers, that it's a simple and easy thought for a father to suppose he has one more child, and thereby to secure an inheritance you may possess forever, both you and your children.

Greed can say nothing against it. You've cried out in agreement at these words. Turn your words against her instead. Don't let her overcome you. Don't let her have greater power in your hearts than your Redeemer. Don't let her have greater power in your hearts than the One who urges us to "lift up our hearts." And so now let's dismiss her.

15. What does self-indulgence say? What? "Do good to yourself." See, the Lord says the same: "Do good to yourself." What self-indulgence was saying to you, righteousness now says to you. But consider here again in what sense the words are used.

If you want to do good to yourself, consider that rich man who wished to do good to himself, following the counsel of self-indulgence and greed. "His ground yielded plentifully, and he had no room to store his crops; and he said, 'What shall I do?'" I have no place to store my crops. I've figured out what to do: "I will pull down my old barns and build new ones, and fill them, and say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods; take your ease.'" Hear the counsel against self-indulgence: "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" (Luke 12:16-20). And where must that soul go which will be required of him? This night it will be required, and it will go he knows not where.

16. Consider that other self-indulgent, proud, rich man. He "feasted sumptuously every day, and was clothed in purple and fine linen; and the poor man lay at his gate full of sores, and desired" in vain "the crumbs from the rich man's table." He fed the dogs with his sores, but the rich man didn't feed him. They both died; one was buried; of the other, what is said? "He was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:19-22).

The rich man sees the poor man; or rather, now the poor man sees the rich man. He longs for a drop of water on his tongue from the finger of the one who once longed for a crumb from his table. Indeed, their situations were reversed. The dead rich man asks for this in vain. Oh, let us who are alive not hear it in vain! He wanted to return to the world but wasn't permitted. He wanted one of the dead to be sent to his brothers, but this too was denied. What was said to him? "They have Moses and the prophets." And he said, "They will not listen unless someone goes to them from the dead." Abraham said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:29-31).

17. What self-indulgence once said in a twisted sense about giving alms and securing rest for our souls in the future, so that we might "do good to our souls"—Moses and the prophets have also spoken about this. Let's listen while we're alive. The one who despised these words while hearing them here will desire to hear them in vain in the afterlife.

Are we waiting for someone to rise from the dead to tell us to do good to our own souls? It has already happened: your father hasn't risen again, but your Lord has risen. Hear Him, and accept good counsel. Don't spare your treasures; spend as freely as you can. This was once the voice of self-indulgence; now it's the Lord's voice. Spend as freely as you can, do good to your soul, lest this night your soul be required.

Here then you have, in Christ's name, a message on the duty of giving to the poor. Your voice now applauding is pleasing to the Lord only if He also sees your hands active in works of mercy.