Matthew 6:19

Lay not up. Literally, “do not have the habit of laying up,” or “stop laying up.” The accumulation of worldly goods is generally motivated by a desire for security, and reflects fear and uncertainty for the future. Jesus points out to those who would be citizens of His kingdom that the possession of material wealth is a source of anxiety rather than a means of escape from it. The Christian will not be anxious concerning the material necessities of life because of his confidence that God knows his needs and will provide for them (vs. 31-34). As Paul later pointed out, this does not mean that the Christian will be indolent in providing for his own needs and for those of his family (1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:8). Matt. 6:19-21 appears to have been in poetic form, and may have been a proverb. See on Prov. 10:22.

Treasures. Gr. thesaurous (see on ch. 2:11). Christ here refers to wealth in the broad sense of all material possessions. The love of money was the ruling passion of thousands in the time of Christ, as it is of millions today. In the Greek there is an interesting play on words.

Moth and rust. Symbols of various kinds of damage. Rust, Gr. brosis, from bibrosko, “to eat,” is literally something that eats, gnaws, or corrodes. Every material possession is affected in one way or another by loss, decay, depreciation, or deterioration.

Corrupt. Gr. aphanizo (see on v. 16). Aphanizo might here better be rendered “consume.”

Break through. Or, “dig through,” that is, through mud walls or walls of dried brick.