A, Ash Wednesday- Matthew 6:19-21 "The Litany of Jesus' Treasures"
Who is Jesus? How do you
explain Jesus to someone else? Who is
Jesus to you? What makes Jesus important to you, for you in your day-to-day
life?
Jesus tells those who listen to his Sermon on the Mount, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasurers on
earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.”
In coming weeks, we will be examining a litany of Jesus’ life to see
his treasure. Then we can identify our
treasure to gain a deeper understanding as to why and how Jesus gave up his
divinity and served humanity through what he treasured.
Last Sunday we came to and from the Mountain of Transfiguration. Now we travel with Jesus in remembrance to
the Mountain of Calvary, to the cross, where the Gospel was nailed out for our
deliverance from sin and death.
We are being led to God’s kingdom, forgiven, and equipped to
forgive. Given what we need to walk the
way of this wilderness through heartache and suffering. But also, given it with hope in the great day
of salvation, when Jesus will lead us through the Jordanian waters of death
into the eternal land of milk and honey.
However, first we find ourselves on the mountain of teaching with
Jesus as he opens up the Law to us in greater depth than the Old Testament, and
with greater width than we can possibly fulfil during the length and breadth of
our lives on earth.
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the beatitudes, “nine
statements of blessedness”, then calls the hearer to be the “salt of the earth”
and the “light of the world”.
He explains that he has not come to abolish the law and the prophets
but to fulfil them. Then what would have
surprised everyone he teaches, one’s righteousness needs to exceed that of the
pharisees and scribes, to enter the kingdom of heaven.
He expounds the laws of murder and adultery to include, hatred and lust. He teaches how to pray, giving them his
prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, to turn meditation from themselves to God and his
gifts.
What becomes apparent to all who listen with the right heart to his
Sermon on the Mount, is that no one can fulfil what the law and the prophets
have said. And even more so! Now, that Jesus has expanded the Commandments
to include not glorifying the self, nor being anxious or worrying. As well as increasing hating and calling one
a fool into the same as murder, and likewise desiring with sexual hunger as the
same as adultery.
In the midst of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus focuses on what are
one’s treasures. A treasure is
literally anything that you set aside as security for yourself. He then focuses us on the greater treasures
of heaven. But the sting he leaves with
us is this: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What is your treasure, where is your heart? What is your haven of heavenly treasure?
To work out firstly what your heaven might be, we can place ourselves
in the shoes of the young man who came up to Jesus, enquiring…
“Teacher, what good deed must I
do to have eternal life?” And he said to
him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If
you would enter life, keep the commandments.
The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still
lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would
be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions.” (Matthew 19:16-17,
20–22 ESV)
Jesus tells him to sell all his goods.
Or, to rid himself of all the things he deems good for his existence.
Now that you are in the shoes of this young man, how do you receive
these words from Jesus?
This should rightfully make you feel uneasy. With his word, Jesus cuts to the heart of
every person’s treasure. Or what we can
rightfully call, goods or riches that have become idols or gods.
Jesus follows on, and says to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the
kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, 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.”
(Matthew 19:23-24 ESV)
The disciples get the gist of Jesus’ word and on hearing, “they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who
then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at
them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26 ESV)
God gives us what we need to live, but we take these things and they
become treasures greater than the treasures of heaven. But they perish, and once we’ve made them our
gods, we too are in danger of perishing with them.
Yes! We all die! However, these earthly treasures tempt us to
trust them and lead us away from being saved.
One’s treasures can lead, not just to a physical death, but an eternal
death!
The treasures of the kingdom of heaven are only possible through God.
So, what Jesus was teaching at his Sermon on the Mount is that getting
the treasures of heaven is only possible through him.
In a moment we are going to receive the imposition of ashes and I will
announce to you as I place an ash cross on your forehead, “remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
We do this in full realisation that through humanity’s knowledge of
good and evil, we lost access to God, and that we live under the curse of
death. But upon the knowledge of the law
we live looking forward in faith in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
During the Lenten season we will examine just what this knowledge of
Jesus Christ is. After the imposition of
ashes, we will pray the “Litany on the Life of Jesus” which will be the form of
our five meditations. We will also learn of the activity of God the Holy Spirit
as Jesus passively lived seeking treasures of his Father in Heaven, his name,
his kingdom, and his will, as he walks to the cross for us.
In this Litany of Jesus’ treasures, the Holy Spirit will seek to give
you a deeper understanding and teaching of…
1)
The prayers
of Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to pray.
2)
The gifts of
Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to give.
3)
The toils of
Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to work.
4)
By the love
of Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to love.
5)
By the cross
of Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to live.
In allowing the Holy Spirit to rule in our hearts, bringing us to
Jesus, we will be Holy Spirit prepared to tell others what the Gospel is. How we are blessed by forgiveness. Understand for ourselves God’s purpose for
us, despite the curse of sin and death in our lives. And therefore, show the compassionate
steadfast love and generosity we receive, to others, who like us, need God’s
forgiveness and salvation. Amen.
