In various parables Jesus emphasized the need for mortals to overcome the desire for the accumulation of material things, a mental state as common to humanity then as now, in order to gain spiritual riches, the spiritual understanding of God and His universe, and to lay hold of lasting treasure, eternal life. The rich man in the parable, whose grounds had brought forth so abundantly that his barns would no longer contain his harvest, proposed to replace his storehouses with greater ones, that he might lay up more of what he believed to be the substance necessary to his enjoyment, that is, material things. In the midst of this planning, God said to him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" And Jesus assured his disciples that this parable illustrated the mental condition of those who would gain material riches while making no effort to serve, and thus to please God. And service to God is profiting mankind in some constructive and useful way. The rich man was trying to pacify his material yearnings by satisfying them with more materiality.
Paul charged Timothy to impress upon the adherents of Christianity that they should not place their trust "in uncertain riches," but rather "in the living God," the source and Giver of all good. The Bible is replete with this sentiment, that trust in God is the only way to salvation, the only way to gain permanent things, spiritual ideas, and eternal life. Christian Science, developing the Science of the Scriptural teaching, states and reiterates the paramount importance of gaining an understanding of God and of His universe. This knowledge is permanent, since it constitutes spiritual riches, which alone are dependable and lasting. In the definition of "ark," on page 581 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, we read, "God and man coexistent and eternal; Science showing that the spiritual realities of all things are created by Him and exist forever."
One of the greatest tragedies of human experience is that mortals are generally inclined completely to ignore these profound truths and devote time and energy to the accumulation of that which at best is temporal, since it possesses no quality of permanence. Christianity as preached and taught has had only a measure of success, it seems, in impressing the fundamentals of the Master's teachings upon needy, struggling humanity. The search has been, and still is, not for treasures of truth, spiritual riches, but for that which satisfies personal desires, the material senses. This is true not only of individuals, but of peoples and nations as well; and it is this fact that accounts in large measure for the terrible situation of the world today. Analyzed, the underlying purpose of the terrific struggle is to build bigger barns in which to lay up greater store of material things.
