Chapter six is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. In an attempt to keep the context of what Jesus said in chapter 5 we might summarize it this way:
- Beatitudes:
- Oh the bliss of the Christian life when we have a proper view of our self and our sin. Oh the bliss of reflecting the God that saved us.
- The world's response to this will be persecution, but even in that we are blessed.
- This countercultural ethic is going to make you different and obvious in this world. We are to understand that's normal and right because we are the salt and light of the world.
- Jesus isn't contrary to the law and prophets.
- In fact, the understanding of the law was shallow - Jesus, the lawgiver, straightens them out what was really meant.
- Jesus the fulfillment of the law.
As we continue on with chapter six, we continue to see Jesus point to flaws of their previous understanding or at least the teachers who rejected Jesus and held to laws, traditions and heritage as a trade off for the living Word of God.
To the Jews there were three great works of the religious life: Almsgiving, prayer and fasting. No one, including Jesus, would have disputed this. The problem was these thing were done with a wrong motive. They weren't to be done to attain righteousness; but they were the out-flowing work or a righteous life.
6 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
To 'take heed' is to beware, to be on full alert in regards to temptation. When Jesus says 'beware' we ought to be paying special attention; this is the Lord of all creation giving us direction. Anyone offering charitable deeds will be tempted to seek the glory of men.
The word for charitable deeds is understood as Almsgiving and is interchangeable for righteousness. This was a sacred religious duty to them; when it was done the person was viewed as righteous. The law doesn't require Almsgiving. This was giving for the poor and it was giving over and above their normal giving.
It wasn't unusual for some to make a big show of their giving. To bring attention to your giving in any way is seeking the approval of men; seeking to impress. Even if the men you sought to impress offered no accolades, that still became your reward.
When we offer our charitable deeds with the right heart we will be rewarded by our Father in heaven.
2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed ..........
Note that it says 'when' not 'if'. It is assumed by Jesus that you dear Christian will offer your charitable deeds.
2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
I visited a church in another town when traveling for business on a Wednesday night. This church spent fifteen minutes building the pressure and heaping shame on people regarding their giving. They went on to hold up certain people, by name, who had given the most. They had their picture posted on a star in a display case as a 'Gold star giver'. We probably don't blow a trumpet these days to announce our giving, but we've found ways to draw attention and get men's approval. Jesus said we need to guard against this because when we do it, it is obvious we are giving for the wrong reason. In fact, this is what the hypocrites do. This is a reference to the religious folks of that day that wanted everyone to see how righteous they were and how much they give and how long their robes were and amazing their prayers sounded. It just went on and on. The pride of man is an ugly thing when displayed in contrast to the God's glory, mercy and love.
The hypocrite was one who wore a mask. The mask displayed something pleasing and pleasant to those who saw. It was worn to convey a message that was very different from the face behind the mask. In this case, the charitable deed conveyed an air of righteousness and piousness. In reality, these men weren't giving out of love to help someone in need. They were serving them selves. These men got their reward.
3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
We should note this doesn't condemn open giving. But giving in secret certainly reduces the opportunity for that temptation to become sin. If you left hand knows what your right hand is doing, it may pat you on the back while you give. You can't clap for yourself with one hand. The idea is that if it were possible we would even keep this secret from our self.
This charitable deed done secretly will be rewarded openly by our Father in Heaven. This is an amazing promise that we can't even imagine what it entails. It's clear that this is a reward that comes at a future date.
5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
The Jews had these set times to pray. If they couldn't pray at the temple or a synagogue they were to stop where they were at the appropriate time and offer a prayer. It wouldn't take much coordination to end up on a street corner or in the middle of the square at prayer time. These hypocrites made a big show for all to see and hear them in their prayers. Again, the reward is lost when these prayers are offered for others to hear.
The Shema was an imperative prayer of the Jew. It was offered in the morning and evening; as early as possible:
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
20 "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son: 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;
The second imperative prayers offered were the Shemoneh Esreh (the eighteen). This was a list of eighteen short prayers that became part of the synagogue service. They were to prayer the Shemoneh Esreh three times a day according to the their law (tradition). These prayers were offered reverently by many but by others they became rote recitals of words. They were vain repetitions offered from the lips; nothing was coming from the heart. There was nothing about these prayers that resembled the created falling to his knees to speak to his creator.
Examples of the Shemoneh Esreh (the eighteen):
1. The God of History
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Blessed art thou, O lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the great mighty and revered God, the most high God, who bestows lovingkindness, and the Master of all things; who remembers the pious deeds of the patriarchs, and in love will bring a redeemer to their children's children for your Name's sake.
2. God of Nature
O King, (You are) a helper, a savior and a shield. Blessed are You Lord, Shield of Abraham. You are mighty forever, my Lord; You resurrect the dead; You are powerful to save.
(In summer say: He causes the dew to descend. In winter say: He causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall.)
He sustains the living with loving kindness, resurrects the dead with great mercy, supports the falling, heals the sick, releases the bound, and fulfills His trust to those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, mighty One! And who can be compared to You, King, who brings death and restores life, and causes deliverance to spring forth.
3. God who sanctifies.
And they call to one another and said,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts: The whole earth is full of His glory.
Those over against them say, Blessed...
Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place.
And in Your Holy Words it is written, saying
The Lord shall reign for ever, Your God O Zion, unto all generations. Praise Ye the Lord.
Unto all generations we will declare Your greatness, and to all eternity we will proclaim Your holiness, and Your praise, O our God, shall no depart from our mouth for ever, for Your are a great and holy God and King. Blessed art thou, O Lord the holy God.
These prayers were so well known they could rattle them off without thinking. We have done the same in many Christian circles with the Lord's Prayer and other common prayers. The difference though was these men were reciting their prayers to be seen by others. In doing so, they have received their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
This is how we are to pray. We go to our prayer room and shut the door. This is a place where you are alone with God. It's a place where you are away from other men and the temptation to wonder how you are being perceived. This is just you and God in the secret place. In just offering our prayers this way God will openly reward us.
Should we take from this that there should be no public prayer? No, not at all but we need to be aware when we pray publicly that our inclination is to impress others with our prayers.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
In 1 Kings 18:26 when Elijah was facing the prophets of Baal it says that they prepared a bull and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" This is an example of the vain repetitions of the heathen. They assumed there was a sufficient number or words or time in which God would owe them a response. Their biggest problem was they were praying to the wrong god!!
8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
So why do we need to pray if God already knows what we need? I think the answer lies within the model prayer. It begins by lifting up God Most High, hallowing His name and our desire to see his will and kingdom come. Once we have put God in His rightful place, high and lifted up, then we can come with out needs and wants. We don't come to God to change His will but to seek His will; to become one with Him.
If we have some desire that is sinful or could lead us to sin, it would be even more difficult to voice this to the Father after we have acknowledged who He is and what He has done. To see God so high is also to acknowledge our low place, a place of need and submission and humility. With that established, we can now bring our request. Does that sinful request still seem like a good idea?
This prayer is a model of our prayers; an outline of our approach to the throne.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
First it is important to get our eyes on God. There are so many distractions, so many things to contemplate and worry about; things to be considered and mulled over. All this must be set aside, for we are approaching the King of Kings! This is the throne room of the universe!! It is God who sites on the throne. We can imagine His power and authority. We can't begin to comprehend all that He knows and has seen. His mercy and grace is manifold; His love beyond this world. His wrath and justice is real and should be feared. Our God has created all and holds it all together. The more our scientists learn the more impressed they are of God and all He has done, though many are reluctant to admit it. God's will is done in heaven. His angels' minister to Him and His will is perfectly played out. It is prayerful desire that his will be done in the same way here on earth.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Our daily bread is God's provision for us. This can be as simple as bread to eat. It can be the provision of Jesus, the bread of life. This is the air we breathe and the opportunity of the day set before us. It's the rain for our crops and the sun that brings the rainbow of God's promise.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
Our forgiveness is tied directly to our ability to forgive. We see this in several places in the bible. God has gone to great lengths to save a wretch like me and you, should we not exercise the same type of grace and mercy towards those whom we deal with? What does it say about us when Jesus shed His blood for you that you might have your sins forgiven and inherit eternal life, but you won't forgive those who have wronged you?
When we admit we are sin-fallen creatures in the midst of the most high God, we come to understand once again that it's not because of anything we have done. This should bring us to a fresh remembrance of His amazing grace. God doesn't keep us in debt, we shouldn't keep anyone else there either.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
God doesn't lead men to temptation, but He does test us. The word for temptation is better understood here as testing. This is a cry to stay under the watch care and protection of the Father. We don't want to end up in the wilderness being tested by the devil. We often put our selves in these situations of testing by where we go, what we see and here and who we hang out with. We can hardly ask God to deliver us from evil if we invite it into our lives. In this sense it's almost a prayer that might sound like, "God, please save me from my self!"`
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is a statement of God's sovereignty. It's all His Kingdom, He is all powerful and all the glory goes to Him, forever! This part of the verse 13 was omitted from some early texts.
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
As noted in verse 12, the bible has much to say regarding this topic of forgiveness. How much burden are we carrying around? How long is our scorecard of those who have wronged us and we seek to return the favor. We must STOP THIS! It is harming our relationship with the Father.
16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Normal fasting of the hypocrites would be to make sure everyone knew they were fasting. They would drag around with a contorted face to appear pathetic for the approval of men. This is their reward.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Again, we see that it is 'when we fast' not 'if we fast'. As Christians, this seems to be something we are to be doing. When we do it though, it's not done to impress others, either in the church or outside it. This is something done between you and God. When it is done this way, we will be rewarded openly.
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In the first 18 verses of chapter six we covered the 'big 3' of Judaism; giving alms, prayer and fasting. These disciplines had become legalisms to many of the people. The Jewish leadership had taught these things were required for righteousness. Helping the needy, prayer and fasting were being done for the wrong reason.
In the first 18 verses Jesus deals with the state of their heart. And He builds on the idea that He stated earlier, "that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."(5:20) The Pharisees declared their righteousness by their works, but Jesus said it wasn't good enough
It's the same pattern we saw earlier. It's as if Jesus said, "You've heard it said..........But I say to you.........." It's a contrast of the current teachings and beliefs with the message from the Son of God. If your thoughts are different from God's, you should figure out why that is and who needs corrected. It's an indication that something is wrong. Jesus indicates the source of this wrong teaching was due to hypocrisy.
The Pharisees said give alms and you will be righteous. Jesus had no problem with them giving, but when they did it, they were to give with a right heart. This couldn't be done seeking the approval of men.
Prayer is good but not so one could impress others with his words. If you pray openly to impress others, the praise they give you is your reward. Imagine that, taking time to talk to the God of the universe but only getting the fickle accolades of men.
The Pharisees also fasted; doing so publicly as to draw attention to their self and get the praise of men. Jesus said the praise of men was their reward; again, what a pathetic reward from for the affliction of your soul.
In this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows his disciples the contrast of the earthly reward of men's attention and the heavenly reward. In this we also see the contrast in mans understanding of righteousness verses God's understanding; the natural heart of man vs. the regenerate heart of a believer; and the contrast of a God's value system verses the values of men.
We might sum up these contrasts with a lesson that says, "Instead of looking to man and his world, look up to God." This is a call to raise our standards; lift our eyes and our understanding to a new level. It's the kingdom of God contrasted with this world; and its no comparison, no competition.
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The idea is that we aren't to even consider the things of this world as treasures. The treasures of this world are subject to being moth eaten, corroded away or stolen. Here's the contrast again; treasures of this world vs treasures of heaven. The treasures of heaven aren't subject to the affects of a sin-fallen world. They won't be consumed by moths, rusted away or stolen. The treasure of heaven is everlasting.
There is nothing wrong with the material wealth you have in this life but we need to see it for what it is. The gold that mankind places so much value on is what God paves the streets of heaven with.
Materialism is in direct conflict with the renewed heart and mind of a believer. Whatever the Lord has entrusted us with must be seen as His just as we are His. It's a tool of this world to further the kingdom of heaven. How many times have we seen the same story played out where someone trusts money more than the Lord? Our sin nature is greedy and it doesn't take much for us to start believing that money can fix anything. Treasure will fail us every time. Jesus never will.
Your heart resides in the same place as your treasure. Where is your treasure? What do you treasure in this life more than anything else? Your car, house, savings account, trust fund, church, religion, family, intelligence, wisdom..........this list could go on forever. This is a call to put the kingdom of God first in our life. God is number one on a list of one. Everything else is just window dressing for your relationship with God. Every circumstance, situation, every person, place or thing is under the sovereign rule of God most high.
Has your heart been overcome and overwhelmed by Jesus? Is your treasure the approval of men? Is your treasure that you are perceived righteous? Is your treasure your security? The kingdom servant lifts his eyes from this world and its ways to the kingdom of heaven.
22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
A bad eye is one that failed to look up and instead looked at this world as the answer. Someone that had an 'evil eye' was one who was covetous, envious of others, in love with money. They were miserly and known to have never giving anything away to help someone. A bad eye looked into the darkness and declared it light; called bad good and found hope in hopeless things.
The eye is a lamp of the body; as if it were the window that let light in. Without a good eye the entire body was in darkness. This bad eye, an eye toward this world instead of heaven, affected the entire body negatively. There was no such thing as a kingdom servant with a bad eye!
To have a good eye is to be generous and single minded in your service and purpose. It was to have you eyes lifted high to the Kingdom of God. A good eye is filled with the light of Jesus Christ and that light spreads throughout your entire body.
Sometimes we can make excuses for having a bad eye, saying it's just a part of our life, its part God's still working on. Then we ignore that this area is bringing darkness throughout our life. How can we accept this darkness and a personal flaw and ignore it then complain to God about living in darkness? It doesn't make any sense does it?
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
It's not entirely clear what mammon is. The word is very close to an Aramaic word for material wealth. Some believe mammon was a pagan god. What we do know for sure is that it represents materialism. Mammon is a false god that calls equally to all men, women and children. To worship Mammon is to be continuously discontent and constantly desiring something more, something better, something shinier, etc.
Contentment is recognizing that I am in this great adventure with the Lord. He didn't drop me off to see how I'd do so He could pick me up later and measure my success. Every day was can look up and be content in knowing that we are walking with Him. Godliness with contentment is great gain. You can't be a kingdom servant and serve Mammon. We all serve a master, but none of us can serve two masters.
We can only be owned by one master. That ownership will bring us to love one and hate the other or be loyal to one and despise the other. There is no option to be wholly and completely owned by both; nor is there an option to love one be friends with the other. The order at the end of the verse may imply the order of alternatives:
You will hate God and love mammon,
Or, you will be loyal to God and despise mammon.
You simply cannot serve both. Choose a master. If you've chosen Jesus, then keep the other in its proper place.
As a word of caution, we shouldn't be confused in thinking that one has to have a certain amount of money to serve Mammon. This is a problem for all disciples of Jesus; rich or poor, anyone can be greedy. Anyone can be mastered by materialism.
A kingdom servant has his eyes lifted up and on the Lord, his master.
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
Every concern of our life becomes an opportunity to trust in Jesus. Every time we feel those concerns of the world crashing down, we should listen for the voice of the Lord asking, "Do you trust me in this also?"
Do you see what worry does to us? We become focused on what we think we need or want. Suddenly our eyes are on this life and this world and no longer on the Lord. We aren't content and we find our self wringing our hands trying to figure out how to get something. This might be wealth, health, love or just stuff.
Have you ever seen a bird worry? Jesus said the birds aren't running around fretting about what they will eat. God places a higher value on us than the birds. We were created in His image. No one ever worried themselves out of debt, bad health or loneliness.
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
God has gone to great lengths to save you. You are created in His image. He knit you together in you mother's womb. He didn't bring you here and now to see how you'd do on your own. He didn't kick you off into the deep end to see if you could swim. He takes care of the mundane and lifeless, how much more will he take care of you? To believe otherwise is to be one of little faith.
There is a balance that must be understood in this passage. Jesus isn't telling us its okay to shirk all responsibility and wait for Him to deliver life to our doorstep. In fact, we are called to be at work doing the business of the Father. In doing so we must keep our eyes on Him and recognize all that we have and are given are a blessing from Him. To be drawn away to worry is to lose our faith, bring our eyes down into the world and seek a solution of our own power and strength.
What a pitiful thought this is, that people who claim to be born again and bought and paid for by the blood of Christ would seek a solution of their own strength instead of waiting on and trusting the God of all eternity, the God of all creation to bless and provide.
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
When we wring our hands in worry, we resemble the fallen, godless world. We resemble those with an 'evil eye'. We don't need to look like them, we have a God who loves us and watches over us and knows our needs better than we do.
23 And the Lord said to Moses, "Has the Lord's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not."
Even Moses doubted the Lord's abilities at times. Sure, God could provide meat; but for countless thousands he thought that was too much.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
This is a call to put God first in every way. I constantly run into situations where folks complain about their life situation. Yet, when I discuss it with them they know they aren't living in a way that honors God. Seek God first, keep your eyes on Him and all these other things will fall into place. These added things are like accessories to a righteous life. This is that picture again of recognizing your place in the this life and in this world. Everything else is window dressing. Our every step is driven by 'What can I do for the Lord?" Instead of "What can I do for me?" or worse yet, "What can God do for me?"
What a testimony it is to the world when a Christian dares to practice Matthew 6:33! What a tragedy it is when so many of us fail to practice it. (Wiersbe)
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Remember the lessons of yesterday and the past; plan for the future as a good steward; live for today keeping your eyes on Jesus. We are to put away any worldly mindedness that would draw us away from our Lord to chase a prosperity that offers no hope to the neglect of all else.
What an incredible liberty God has given us through Jesus Christ. We don't have to worry and fret. We don't have to chase all over the creation to get answers. We have a relationship with the creator and king who promise to provide for our needs. He offers a contentment that can be held to daily while we experience the freedom of chasing after the things of the world as unbelievers do. This very contentment and worry free life becomes a testimony to the God we serve and the one who saved us.
©2015 Doug Ford
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