“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.

Matthew 6:19-21 

Of all the teachings of Jesus, perhaps none is more frequently misunderstood than His admonition in the Sermon on the Mount about earthly treasures. The words from Matthew 6:19-21 are stark: “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… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

For centuries, this passage has been interpreted as a call to reject material wealth outright, fostering a belief that spiritual growth and earthly possessions are fundamentally incompatible. But what if this common interpretation misses a deeper, more nuanced truth? The work of Abd-ru-shin, the pen name for Oskar Ernst Bernhardt and author of the spiritual work In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message, offers a critical and illuminating perspective that challenges this binary thinking.

The Common Misinterpretation: Poverty as Piety

The traditional reading of Matthew 6:19-21 often leads to a false dichotomy. It suggests that to be spiritual, one must be poor; that any concern for material well-being is a distraction from the path to God. This view has, at times, glorified poverty as a virtue in itself and cast suspicion upon wealth as inherently corrupting.

It is precisely this “either-or” mentality that Abd-ru-shin identifies as a significant spiritual error. He writes with striking clarity:

“The erroneous conception that material possessions are incompatible with spiritually striving upwards is responsible for the absurd view held by the majority of people that any spiritual endeavor must never have anything in common with earthly possessions if it is to be taken seriously. The harm mankind have done themselves through this view has strangely enough never occurred to them.” – Abd-ru-shin, In the Light of Truth

The harm, as Abd-ru-shin sees it, is twofold. First, it creates an unnatural and unnecessary tension in the lives of striving individuals, forcing them to deny a part of their earthly existence. Second, and more critically, it misidentifies the true enemy. The problem is not the possessions themselves, but the human relationship to those possessions.

Abd-ru-shin’s Clarification: The Trap is Attachment, Not Possession

Abd-ru-shin’s work re-frames the teaching. The core issue Jesus pointed to was not the treasure, but the act of “laying up for yourselves.” The danger lies in the heart’s orientation—when the pursuit and hoarding of material things becomes the central focus of life, thereby enslaving the individual.

Earthly possessions are neutral tools, part of the Creation meant to support human life. They become a spiritual obstacle only when we chain our hearts to them. Abd-ru-shin explains that a person can be spiritually free while surrounded by wealth if they remain unattached, just as a person can be utterly enslaved by greed and attachment while living in poverty. The true “moth and rust” are the inner states of anxiety, greed, and fear of loss that corrode the soul when its security is placed in transient things.

He emphasizes that the material world is not separate from the spiritual but a part of it, a necessary field for development. To reject it entirely is to reject the very plane on which we are meant to learn and grow. The goal is not to escape earthly life but to learn to navigate it correctly.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

“Where Your Treasure Is”: The Heart of the Matter

This brings us to the concluding line of the scripture: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This is the key that Abd-ru-shin’s interpretation helps to turn. The teaching is a profound lesson in the laws of spiritual gravity. Our energy, our attention, and our love naturally flow toward what we value most.

If we treasure only the material—the bank account, the property, the social status—then our heart (our core being) becomes bound to a realm of decay and theft, subject to inevitable loss and disappointment. This creates a soul in a constant state of fear and instability.

However, if we treasure the development of a noble character, acts of compassion, the pursuit of truth, and a connection to the Divine—the “treasures in heaven”—then our heart ascends and anchors itself in what is eternal and incorruptible. Abd-ru-shin would argue that this does not require the abandonment of earthly responsibilities. On the contrary, a person whose heart is anchored in the spiritual can use earthly possessions more wisely, generously, and effectively as a tool for good, free from the anxiety of possession.

A Balanced Path Forward

Integrating the teachings of Jesus with Abd-ru-shin’s critical analysis leads to a more balanced and practical understanding. The call is not to asceticism for its own sake, but to right relationship with all aspects of life.

• Wealth as a Responsibility, Not an Idol: Earthly possessions are not sinful, but they carry a responsibility. When used with a free heart, they can support one’s family, foster creativity, and help others.
• The Inner Litmus Test: The crucial question is not “Do I have possessions?” but “Do my possessions have me?” We must regularly check: Has my pursuit of security become an obsession? Does the fear of loss dictate my peace?
• Investing in the Eternal: “Laying up treasures in heaven” means consciously investing our time and energy in what lasts: love, knowledge, kindness, and the strength of our spirit. These are the treasures no earthly force can destroy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the wisdom of Matthew 6:19-21 is not a condemnation of the material world, but a warning against the inner bondage of attachment. As Abd-ru-shin critically points out, the error has been to condemn the tool instead of correcting the user’s grip. By freeing ourselves from the false dichotomy of spirit versus matter, we can learn to live in the world without being of it, using earthly means for heavenly ends, and ensuring that our heart’s true treasure is stored safely beyond the reach of any thief.