For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:34
Luke 12 [22.] He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.
Luke 12 [30.] For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12 [35.] “Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”
Meaning:
Jesus has told his “little flock” not to be afraid, because the Father is pleased to give them the Kingdom. Then he said, “Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys” (Luke 12:32-33). This verse gives the reason: what we treasure shapes the direction of our hearts.
- “For where your treasure is”
A treasure is whatever a person values most, whatever he works for, protects and depends on. For the rich fool earlier in the chapter, it was his grain and goods stored in bigger barns (Luke 12:16-18). For others it may be money, reputation, career, comfort or even a relationship. Jesus contrasts treasure on earth, which can be lost to thieves and moths, with treasure in heaven, which never fails.
- “there will your heart be also”
In the Bible the heart is the centre of a person: thoughts, desires, choices and loyalties. Jesus teaches that the heart follows the treasure. We do not first love something and then, perhaps, invest in it; what we invest in also draws our love after it. Where we put our money, time and energy, our affections go too.
This is why Jesus says, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13). A divided heart is impossible in the end.
Matthew records the same saying in the Sermon on the Mount: “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).
- Treasure in heaven
Treasure in heaven is not gained by earning salvation. It is the result of a life given to God, shown in generosity, service and faithfulness. Jesus told the parable of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field and “In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). When a person discovers the worth of God’s Kingdom, letting go of lesser things becomes a joy rather than a loss. Paul encourages believers, “Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).
The Significance of Luke 12:34
- A test of the heart
Looking at how we spend money and time reveals what we truly treasure. This verse invites honest self-examination.
- Redirecting the heart
Because the heart follows the treasure, giving generously to God’s work and to people in need helps turn the heart toward God. “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Cross-References:
Matthew 6:21: "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew’s account.
Luke 16:13: "You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon." One master only.
Colossians 3:1: "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God." A heart set above.
Matthew 13:44: "In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field." The joy of the true treasure.
Conclusion: Jesus taught that the heart follows the treasure. Whatever we value most and invest in will capture our love and loyalty. Treasure stored on earth can be lost, but treasure in heaven never fails. By giving generously and seeking God’s Kingdom, believers set their hearts where they belong: with God.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible