The Message of the King: “What Do You Seek?” (Matt. 6:19-24)

[Sung Psalm: 27]

The two parts of our passage are intimately tied together. What are you seeking – who or what are you serving? is, ultimately, the same question as ‘what are you anxious about?’

Part one deals with questions like:
Where is your treasure?
What is your heart set on?
What is your master?
Whom do you serve?

Probably, if you are a Christian, you know the right answers:
My treasure is in heaven.
My heart is set on Jesus.
Jesus is my master and Lord, so I serve him.
(At least, that’s what I want to be the case!)

That’s why we need verses 25-34 – because this reveals that we are not so pious after all!

What are you anxious about?
What worries you?
What keeps you awake at night?

I’m anxious about my future – my career –
how are we going to pay the bills?
how can I fix the situation with my friend?
what am I going to wear to the wedding?

All these anxieties reveal that we do really trust Jesus.
My treasure is on earth.
My heart is set on getting this job.
Food is my master.
I serve the whims of my friends.

What Jesus says here is so shocking that many people simply cannot believe that he really meant it....