Moths must’ve been quite a scourge in Jesus’ day for him to mention them in the same breath as thieves. But if you’ve ever had an infestation, it won’t surprise you.
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” – Luke 12:33-34 (NRSVUE)
Pantry moths chomp through flour, cornmeal, rice, birdseed, pet food, dried pasta. They can devour your chocolate stash faster than you. Other moths feast on wool, silk, and cotton. When they run out of natural fibers, they go for pet fur.
Not much is safe from moths. Still, in a Christian Century column years ago, editor Martin Marty didn’t think Jesus’ moths would move his congregation. He proposed a different illustration.
Picture, he said, the sprawling mansions of Seattle dot-com billionaires poised on pristine lakes. Then picture all the sophisticated devices that protect them from the uninvited. Not even God can get in.
But Canada geese do.
They also doo-doo, each bird dropping one to three pounds of poop a day on those waterfront lawns. Which means that some of the wealthiest people on earth have to walk through piles of s–t to take their boats out for a spin.
Light sensors, fake eagles, sheepdogs patrolling the grounds, nothing gets rid of the geese. Or their poop. So the billionaires (or more likely their serfs) are forced to shovel.
Jesus points out what we all know but still foolishly hope isn’t true—no earthly treasure is safe, no earthly paradise perfect. It can all go south in the splat of a goose. So, he asks, why not invest your heart elsewhere?
What’ll it be, he wants to know: treasure in heaven, or shoveling s–t?
Prayer
“Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise. Thou mine inheritance, now and always. Thou and Thou only first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.” (Mary E. Byrne)
About the author
Mary Luti is a long time seminary educator and pastor, author of Teresa of Avila’s Way and numerous articles, and founding member of The Daughters of Abraham, a national network of interfaith women’s book groups.