Gospel in Art: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Original film poster by Drew Struzan, 1981 Lithograph © Wikimedia

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 19 June 2026
Matthew 6:19-23

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

'The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!'

Reflection on the film poster

In today's Gospel, Jesus places before us two very different kinds of treasures: the treasures we gather on earth, and the treasures that endure in heaven.

Earthly possessions can so easily disappear. Wealth fades, objects deteriorate, valuables can be stolen, circumstances change, and even the things we cling to most tightly can be taken from us. Jesus reminds us that real security is not ultimately found in what we own, but in becoming rich in the eyes of God. True wealth is spiritual, not material.

Jesus Himself is the perfect image of what it means to be rich before God. He did not spend His life gathering status, power or possessions for Himself. Instead, He poured Himself out completely in service. That generosity reached its fullness on the cross. To the world, Calvary looked like utter failure and poverty. Christ was stripped of everything. And yet, precisely there, He revealed the deepest riches of all: total love, total obedience to the Father, total gift of self. That is why Jesus can then say those searching words in today's Gospel reading: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Our hearts always drift towards whatever we value most. If our treasure is only success, possessions or recognition, our hearts become trapped within fragile things. But if our treasure is God, then slowly our hearts will begin to belong to heaven already.

Humanity has always been fascinated by treasures. From ancient legends of buried gold to modern archaeological discoveries, there is something deeply exciting about the idea that somewhere, hidden beneath the dust of history, lies an object of immense value waiting to be uncovered. Entire generations have dreamed of secret maps, forgotten tombs and lost civilisations. It is perhaps why treasure-hunting stories have always captivated us so much. Many of the great adventure films are built around this. For example, films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade invite us into worlds of mystery, danger and discovery of earthly treasures.

And yet, interestingly, these films rarely end with happiness being found in the treasure itself. The treasure often becomes dangerous, divisive or even destructive. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark of the Covenant is not presented as a magical object to possess, but as something sacred beyond human control. The true victory is not ownership, but reverence. The art of the film poster is itself a fascinating modern art form. Film posters began to emerge in the late 19th century alongside the birth of cinema itself, initially as simple advertisements outside theatres. But over time they evolved into a unique artistic genre. A great poster does far more than advertise a film: it compresses an entire narrative into a single image. It has to suggest adventure, danger, romance, conflict and mystery all at once. In many ways, film posters are descendants of older traditions of visual storytelling, from medieval stained glass windows to Baroque altarpieces, where one image had to communicate an entire drama instantly to the viewer.

One of the most iconic examples is the poster for Raiders of the Lost Ark, painted by the celebrated artist Drew Struzan in 1981. Struzan became famous for his richly painted posters for films such as Star Wars, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones. His Raiders poster is almost theological in its composition. Indiana Jones dominates the centre like a rugged pilgrim-adventurer, surrounded by scenes of temptation, danger and revelation. But the true centre of gravity is the Ark itself.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-6-19-23-2026/
Video: How art called me to the priesthood: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/55096