Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the New Testament, known as The Expanded Bible; being entitled: New Testament: The [ expanded ] Bible: Study the Bible While You Read. Matthew 6:19-24 read as follows:
"19 'Don't store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. 20 But store *your [for yourselves] treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is. 22 'The eye is *a light [Lthe lamp] for the body. If your eyes are *good [healthy; clear], your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are *evil [unhealthy; bad], your whole body will be full of darkness. And if the *only light you have [or light you think you have; Llight in you] is really darkness, then *you have the worst darkness [how great that darkness is!]. 24 'No one can serve two *masters [lords]. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will *follow [be devoted/loyal to] one master and *refuse to follow [despise] the other. You cannot serve both God and *worldly riches [money; Lmammon].'"
Jesus ( see 5:1 ) teaches, here, that, as Christians ( see Acts 11:26, for example ), we are not to store for ourselves treasures on earth ( as we read in verse nineteen ).
Furthermore, He does not simply change the subject and abruptly begin talking about our eyes ( as we read in verses twenty-two and twenty-three ), and then the following of one master and the despising of the other ( as we read in verse twenty-four ). All of these verses form a complete context. Specifically, if we store treasures for ourselves on earth, this means that our heart is with earthly treasures ( as implied in verse twenty-one ), because our eyes are evil ( unhealthy or bad ), which means that we have the worst darkness, because we serve worldly riches ( money or mammon ) and despise God.
By contrast, if we store our treasures in heaven, this means that our heart is with God, because our eyes are good ( healthy or clear ), which means that our whole body is full of light, because we serve Him and despise worldly riches ( money or mammon ). Please study the Holy Bible ( which is God's word - see Psalm 119:65-73, 142, and 151; John 17:1, 3, and 17; and 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16, 17, for example ). If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E. Willis>.
NOTE: Since in-line bullets are not available in the formatting of this weblog, asterisks "*" were used to "show where to begin the replacement of a word or words before the set of brackets with the word or words within the set of brackets." [ See New Testament, The [ expanded ] Bible, THOMAS NELSON, NASHVILLE, DALLAS, MEXICO CITY, RIO DE JANEIRO, BEIJING, The Expanded Bible, New Testament, Copyright 2009 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., p. xi. ]
Moreover, since the superscript function is also not available in the formatting of this weblog, the smallest font size was used for the character "L," associated with its respective marker ( or sigla ): the complete list of the ones employed in this weblog posting is provided below:
"[ ] EXPANSION: Other possible ways of translating a word, phrase, clause, or sentence. . . ." [ Ibid. ]
"[or] ALTERNATE: A different translation possibility that takes the meaning of the original language in a different direction than the base text does. . . ." [ Ibid., p. xii. ]
"[or] ALTERNATE: A different translation possibility that takes the meaning of the original language in a different direction than the base text does. . . ." [ Ibid., p. xii. ]
"L LITERAL: A more literal rendering of the original language, allowing the reader to see why translations make varying choices. . . ." [ Ibid. ]
