A VERY general belief of mortals is that of lack or poverty. Like the Biblical character who would tear down his barns and build greater ones to hold more of material things, or the present-day struggler who would have a bank balance greater than that of his neighbor, many mortals have considered the quest for material wealth the main object of life. The Master, realizing the futility of this quest, the utterly unsatisfactory nature of a life lived for such a purpose, was explicit in his command, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth."
Jesus understood that real wealth does not consist in an abundance of material riches, but in the heavenly treasures of true knowledge, of spiritual understanding. He pointed out that the real treasure we should seek is not that which can be counted piece by piece and deposited in a bank, but rather that which no thief can steal from us nor moth or rust corrupt,—the riches of Spirit. The mortal error which the Master sought to correct lay, as it still lies, in the misinterpretation of what constitutes true riches.
The student of Christian Science is learning that material riches—mere money and its equivalents—are not worthy to be compared to the heavenly riches which lie open to him through an understanding of the Bible, as given by our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. He is also learning that if he would gain these heavenly riches, he can do so only "by forsaking all worldliness" (Science and Health, p. 459) and recognizing
