Matthew 6:20 tells you to invest your life in things God values, not in things that wear out or can be taken from you. Jesus is urging the people in his listening crowd to set their deepest priorities on heaven, where loss and decay cannot reach. He spoke these words during the Sermon on the Mount, addressed to his disciples and the crowds gathered on the hillside in Galilee.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal…
Matthew 6:20 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:20 Means
The phrase “lay up for yourselves treasures” uses the everyday language of storing valuables. In Jesus’ world, wealth was often kept as grain, clothing, or coins hidden in a jar, and each of those could be spoiled by insects or stolen by thieves. Jesus is not telling you to avoid saving or providing for your family. He is asking where your savings are ultimately kept and what you are working hardest to secure.
The words “in heaven” describe a store of value that sits beyond the reach of decay and theft. Scripture consistently presents God’s kingdom as the realm where his people’s faithfulness is remembered and honored, though the verse itself does not spell out every detail of that reward. What it does promise is security: nothing you give your life to for God’s sake will be lost to moth, rust, or thief.
The verse does not promise material prosperity in this life, and it does not guarantee that faithful people will never suffer loss on earth. It addresses the placement of your heart, not a formula for financial success.
The Context of Matthew 6:20
Matthew’s Gospel was written to a community of Jewish believers, most likely in the latter part of the first century, and it presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills the law and the prophets. The Sermon on the Mount, which runs through chapters 5 to 7, is his most extended body of teaching on life in God’s kingdom. Matthew 6 deals with giving, prayer, fasting, and money, and each of these practices is aimed at the question of who you are really living for.
Just before verse 20, Jesus has been talking about giving, prayer, and fasting done in secret so that your Father, who sees what is hidden, will reward you. Verse 21 then says, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” which explains why this storing up matters. Read in that setting, Matthew 6:20 is not a call to a separate spiritual investment program. It is part of a single teaching about a heart fixed on God rather than on being seen or on accumulating earthly goods.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:20
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
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This passage calls you to trust the Lord with all your heart rather than leaning on your own understanding. It pairs well with Matthew 6:20 because both ask you to place your ultimate confidence in God, not in what you can accumulate or control.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share; 19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.
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Paul instructs wealthy believers not to set their hopes on uncertain riches but to be generous and rich in good works. This passage expands Matthew 6:20 by showing what storing up treasure in heaven looks like in ordinary, generous daily choices.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:20
Lord, you know how much I want to feel secure, and how easily my heart drifts toward the things I can count and keep. Show me where I have been storing up my hopes in what will fade or be taken away. Teach me to give, serve, and trust in ways that reflect what I truly believe about your kingdom. Help me to see my work, my money, and my time as gifts I can place in your keeping. Let my heart follow the treasure I have chosen, and let that treasure be you. Amen.
