Commentary on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: Seek First the Kingdom

The Flaws in Pharisaical Religion

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ commentary on the Ten Commandments, which is divided into two parts. The first five, known as the First Table of the Law, deal with our obligations to God. The second five, known as the Second Table of the Law, deal with our obligations to our fellow man. In His commentary, Jesus starts with the Second Table and discusses in particular the laws against murder, adultery, and bearing false witness. Then in the closing portion of Matthew 5, Jesus considers the great moral principle at the basis of the last five commandments. This principle is the one fundamental obligation which these commandments translate into specific obligations. That principle is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Jesus’ treatment of this principle was revolutionary, for He greatly expanded the concept of neighbor. It includes not only our relatives, our friends, and the people living next door to us, but also anyone who brings evil into our lives, including anyone who deliberately seeks to do us harm. Jesus taught how we should relate to them. He said, "Love your enemies."

Having dealt with the lesser question of what it means to love our neighbor, Jesus now turned to the greater question of what it means to love God. Again, He attacked the Pharisees head-on. The Pharisees had no doubt that they were God's favorites. Their self-satisfaction free of guilt rested on the confidence that they were keeping all His laws. But the laws they were keeping were not His laws with the meaning He intended, but their own self-serving interpretations of His laws. Indeed, they were rank hypocrites. Far from keeping all of God's laws, they were actually breaking them all. They were offenders against each and every one of the Ten Commandments.

The third. They took God’s name in vain by declaring oaths in the name of something God created. Jesus had already rebuked them for this practice earlier in His Sermon on the Mount.

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Matthew 5:34–37
Also, the Pharisees agreed among themselves that certain oaths which sounded very sincere were not really binding. They used these to make false promises to people who were not Pharisees.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Matthew 23:16–22
The fourth. Jesus said that the Sabbath, the day of rest, was made for man, meaning that it was made to restore his body after a week of hard work.

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Mark 2:27
Yet when Jesus miraculously healed a man's body on the Sabbath, the Pharisees objected. Thus, instead of furthering the purpose of Sabbath law, they set roadblocks in the way.

9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

Matthew 12:9-14
The fifth. They dishonored parents by withholding support from them on the pretext that their own possessions had been dedicated to God.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

Mark 7:10-11
The sixth. They broke the commandment against murder by claiming that it was right and proper to hate an enemy.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

v
Jesus here is referring to a teaching of the Pharisees. It is, of course, hatred that is often the driving force behind murder.
The seventh. The Pharisees committed adultery by permitting and practicing divorce. Indeed, when they were tired of one woman, they divorced her and married another.

3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Matthew 19:3-9
The eighth. The Pharisees were thieves, as a result of their predatory exploitation of helpless widows.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Matthew 23:14
Scholars are not sure what kind of abuse Jesus was referring to. Perhaps after a man died, a Jewish court controlled by the scribes and Pharisees allowed a male relative to take possession of his home and evict his widow.
The ninth. The Pharisees bore false witness when they heard reports of the amazing miracles done by Jesus.

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

12:22–24
The tenth. The Pharisees were so far from keeping the Tenth Commandment, the commandment against coveting, that they mocked Jesus when He preached against the love of money.

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Luke 16:13–14

We have alluded to all the commandments except the first two. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me”" (Exod. 20:3), and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" (Exod. 20:4). The Pharisees must have felt secure in their observance of these above all, for they shunned idolatry with genuine horror. Their zealous devotion to Mosaic religion was surely proof that they had no other god besides Jehovah and that they worshipped no idol made with hands. But in the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed that indeed they had another god. The false god to which they gave chief homage was self. And Jesus revealed that indeed they bowed before something material and treated it as divine. The material thing that drew their adoration was money.

Religious Exercises

Almsgiving

Although covetous, the Pharisees were willing to give away a few pennies now and then to the poor. The King James Version terms this kind of charity "almsgiving." But the motive behind it was not a genuine love for the needy. Rather, the motive was a desire to make themselves look pious.

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:1–4

Jesus here showed His genius for inventing colorful figures of speech. It is possible that when the Pharisees went on an errand of almsgiving, they sent heralds with trumpets ahead of them to announce their intention. Yet elsewhere in ancient literature we find no evidence of such a practice. It is more likely that Jesus was only speaking figuratively—that his reference to trumpets was a satirical exaggeration of what they actually did. Figurative exaggeration is called hyperbole. Jesus meant that the Pharisees did their good deeds with such display for the purpose of gaining attention and praise that they might as well have done them to the sound of trumpets.

He warned them that if their goal was the praise of men, they could expect no other reward. God puts no value on good works done for praise. It is right to do them out of love for those who benefit, or out of love for God. But to do them for praise arises from love of self. It is putting self in the place of God.

To please God, we should give alms in secret. The figure Jesus used to illustrate the secrecy we should strive for is another hyperbole. He said that the right hand should hide its giving even from the left hand. What He meant, of course, was that charity should be a strictly private matter. Sometimes even the recipient need not know the benefactor. We have all heard stories about impecunious college students, near the end of their ability to pay for more schooling, who received anonymous checks in the mail. That kind of story is popular among Christians because it illustrates Christian charity in its purest form.

Jesus said that secret charity will be rewarded openly—that is, before all the saints in heaven when they gather before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Prayer

The Pharisees thought that praying often in public was one way to impress others with their righteousness.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matthew 6:5

It was likely no exaggeration when Jesus said that hypocrites like the Pharisees were fond of praying on street corners. Why there? Because on a street corner, you can be seen in all directions. What a Pharisee would pray about in the midst of a crowd is hard to imagine. It would have been arrogance in the first degree to pray as another Pharisee did in the Temple.

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Luke 18:10-12

Yet we should not underestimate the arrogance of such men.

Another favorite practice of the Pharisees was to stand praying in the synagogue. Here we find a thorn to prick our own pride, for which of us has not felt a little smug and self-congratulatory after he has done a good job of praying in public? We must be careful not to feel superior to the hypocrites that Jesus was rebuking. As soon as we feel superior, we make ourselves like them. It was their delusion of being better than others that was their downfall.

Jesus pointed out that prayer for man's applause will receive no reward. Like ostentatious charity, prayer to impress people seeks to magnify self and puts self ahead of God. It is a violation of the First Commandment.

Jesus then explained the right manner of prayer.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Matthew 6:6–8

Jesus said first that like almsgiving, the kind of prayer most pleasing to God is private (v. 6). The right place for it is an inner room, away from the sight and hearing of others. Secret prayer will be heard and rewarded.

Jesus went on to teach us what to say. He started on the negative side by labeling a certain kind of praying as inappropriate. He said that we should avoid vain repetition such as the heathen use (v. 7). The Jews had enough familiarity with the pagan cults to know what He meant. Then as now, people in bondage to false religion commonly believed that the gods were more likely hear them if they chanted a few simple words over and over again. The prophets of Baal, for example, spent all day trying to get their god's attention.

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

1 Kings 18:22-29

What the prophets of Baal said was likely the same thing repeated many times. Devout Catholics suppose that they can reach the heart of God, or of God's mother, by monotonously intoning, "Hail, Mary," as they touch the beads of a rosary.

But, as Jesus observed, vain repetition actually insults God. It treats Him as though He were inattentive or hard of hearing, when in fact He knows what we will say before we say it (v. 8). Even worse, it treats Him as though He were ignorant of our needs, whereas He knows them better than we do.

By denouncing vain repetition, Jesus was not forbidding perseverance day-by-day in the same prayer. There is a vast difference between regular utterance of the same thought and continual repetition of the same words. The difference is that repetition is mindless and empty of meaning. Perseverance is thoughtful and full of meaning.

The basic fallacy of heathen prayer is its supposition that "they shall be heard for their much speaking" (v. 7). As Christians, we know that the acceptability of prayer depends rather on other things: on whether we are right with God and are praying according to His will, for example.

Jesus then proceeded to give us an example of a prayer that would be both appropriate and effective.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9–13

This prayer, generally known as the Lord's Prayer, is the exact opposite of "much speaking." It is brief and to the point. We should not, however, infer that a longer prayer is offensive to God. Nor should we view the Lord’s Prayer as a formula that we must reproduce word-for-word. Exact repetition is not wrong, but if we habitually recite the same words, they may become the kind of vain repetition that Jesus wanted to discourage. It is best to treat the Lord's Prayer as simply a pattern that we can follow when we compose our own prayers. That is, we should see it as a skeleton to be fleshed out with details.

The Lord's Prayer contains six distinct requests bracketed by a formal salutation and a formal close. The first three center on the glory of God. The last three center on our needs.

Preceding these requests is a salutation identifying God as "our Father which art in heaven" (v. 9). Jesus' permission to address God in this fashion was revolutionary. The Jews regarded God and His name with such awe that they would never have presumed to be on familiar terms with Him. To approach Him as a loving father was unthinkable. Yet to approach Him in this way is the amazing right of a Christian.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 8:15

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:6

In both texts, Paul uses two words for "father." The first, translated "Abba," is the Aramaic word. The second, translated "Father," is the Greek word. Paul wanted his readers to understand that we are entitled to address our God with the same loving title that we use for our earthly father, for in fact we are children that God has adopted into His family. Of course, we should speak this title not in a flippant way, but in a way expressing the loving tenderness that is possible when we see God correctly, as no less than the author of our life both now and forever.

After the salutation in the Lord's Prayer comes the first request, which is, "Hallowed be thy name" (v. 9). "Hallowed" means "set apart." The desire of the first request is simply for God to be exalted. His name is set apart in the sense that it is the only name that should call our hearts to worship. It points to the person who is far above all others and even far above our best attempts to reckon His greatness.

The next two requests—"Thy kingdom come" and "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (v. 10)—seek the return of Christ to set up His kingdom. A similar request appears in the closing words of the Bible.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 22:20

Pleading for Christ to come deserves high priority in our prayers because His return will provide a final solution to all of our problems. It will in a sense be the answer to all our prayers concerning ourselves.

Of the three personal requests, the first seeks a material benefit, our daily bread (v. 11). Notice that we should pray for what we truly need. We need bread, not steak and caviar. Notice also that we should pray for bread every day, even if we already know where we will obtain it. Keeping up this prayer both in times of plenty and in times of scarcity helps us remember that we are dependent on God for His provision.

People who complain that God is not answering their prayers are generally guilty of praying for the wrong things. They are praying not for real needs, but for imagined needs that, if granted, would bring them harm rather blessing. Are you asking God for a vacation in Hawaii? If you do not get it, do not blame God for being deaf or indifferent. Rather, thank Him for being a wise heavenly Father who knows what is best.

The remaining two requests in the Lord’s prayer concern our spiritual needs (vv. 12, 13). From the greater attention given needs of this kind, we deduce that Jesus wanted us to offer prayers that emphasize these rather than material needs. Our spiritual needs are mainly two: for forgiveness of past sin and protection from future sin.

Whether God will forgive us depends on one condition, whether we are willing to forgive those who have offended us.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:14-15

Here, as elsewhere, Jesus was teaching that we have the power to set the standard by which we will be judged. If we are merciful, God will be merciful to us.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7

If we refuse to judge others, God will not judge us.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Matthew 7:1–2

If we forgive others, God will forgive us. The contrary is true as well. If we do not forgive others, God will not hear our prayers for forgiveness.

True forgiveness is so generous and merciful that it does not wait for proofs of repentance. It does not require the offender to say, "I'm sorry." Our model is Christ, who forgave those who crucified Him even while they were committing the crime.

32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Luke 23:32–34

Likewise we should forgive an offender even while he is offending us.

The last personal request is for protection from temptation and deliverance from evil (v. 13). A better translation is probably "evil one." The prayer acknowledges that God is sovereign even over the doings of Satan, for Satan cannot tempt us unless God allows him to do so, or, in the words of the prayer, unless God "leads us" into temptation. God Himself tempts no man.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13–15

But although God never encourages us to commit sin, He may direct our path through perilous country, where He knows that Satanic temptation lies in wait. In Pilgrim's Progress, Pilgrim is on the right road to the Celestial City when he goes through the Valley of Humiliation, where Beelzebub intercepts and attacks him. God may lead us into temptation if He desires to prove what is in our hearts, or if He thinks that spiritual warfare will firm up our spiritual fortitude. But we should not desire temptation as if it were a good thing. We should pray rather to escape it, on the basis that we have already been diligent to learn the lessons that temptation can teach. The sure way to fall again into the same temptation is to coddle a weakness rather than combat it.

The end of the prayer is a "doxology" (a hymn of praise), ascribing to God ultimate possession of everything that exists (v. 13). "The kingdom" represents His whole creation. "The power" represents all His acts in relation to His creation. "The glory" represents His own nature.

I have often wondered why the Lord’s Prayer contains no requests for other people. Elsewhere, the Bible teaches us that when we pray, we should not omit intercession.

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I Timothy 2:1–4

So, why is there no intercession in the Lord’s Prayer? Then recently I discovered that I was not looking at the Lord’s Prayer correctly. In fact, it does exhort us to remember others when we pray. Notice that in the list of personal requests, Jesus uses the first person plural, not the first person singular. The words He gives as our model are not, "Give me this day my daily bread," but, "Give us this day our daily bread." In other words, I am to pray not only for my bread and my other material needs, but also for the bread and other material needs of my brother. Likewise in the spiritual requests, the wording is, "Forgive us our debts," and, "Lead us not into temptation," and, "Deliver us from evil." So, it is not only for myself, but also for my brother that I am to seek these spiritual benefits.

Let me offer a checklist you can use to make sure that your prayers are legitimate and also as wide-ranging as they should be. Pray

for sufficient income to live on (but do not expect God to subsidize reckless spending),
for protection from the fallout of any economic crisis,
for physical strength to do your work,
for protection of your family from corrupting influences,
for your children that they will be saved, that they will accept God’s direction in their lives, that they will receive a good education, and that they will make good marriages,
for their future spouses,
for your pastor that he will be granted protection and wisdom,
for the young people in your church that they will not go astray,
for the elderly in your church that God will preserve them so that others will have the benefit of their wisdom and prayer support,
for new believers that they will hold firm despite attacks from the evil one,
for your local church that God will grant unity and growth,
for missionaries,
for political leaders,
for spiritual revival in churches here and abroad.

Fasting

Another religious exercise that gives hypocrites a chance to look pious is fasting. Although it has fallen into disfavor or at least disuse among modern Christians, in Jesus' day it was a common practice. Those primarily known for fasting were the Pharisees.

18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

Mark 2:18–20

In no way did Jesus disapprove of the practice itself. He Himself fasted on occasion. At the beginning of His ministry, He fasted for forty days in the wilderness before He was tempted by the devil. He also recommended fasting to others, especially as an aid to earnest prayer.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:18–21

But our Lord objected to making a public show of fasting.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:16–18

Jesus censured those who advertised their fasting by putting on a mournful face and acting as if the sacrifice was almost too great to bear.

Such play-acting was wrong for three reasons.

It gave the impression that complete absorption in the things of God—an absorption so complete that it excluded such mundane activities as eating—brought sorrow rather than joy. But in truth, putting on sackcloth and ashes and having the look of someone about to die are hardly the result of getting close to God. Central to God’s character is joy, which He will share with His creatures to the extent they are willing to receive it. But to receive it, we must do things His way. One purpose of life is to show us that doing things our way does not take us to joy, only to sorrow.
It was insincere. The person pretending to be spiritual was no closer to God than the next man. His fasting was empty of any real communion with God.
The motive was only a desire for applause. Therefore, as practiced by the Pharisees, fasting was another religious device perverted to bring glory to a man rather than to God. In their fasting as in their almsgiving and praying, the Pharisees were honoring only themselves. They were setting self above God and violating the First Commandment, forbidding the worship of any God but Jehovah.

Setting Priorities

Shunning materialism

The next section of the sermon is perhaps the easiest to understand, but the hardest to apply.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:19–24

We all know what Jesus meant when He said that we should lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. He was telling us how we should use the life He has given us. We should use it to serve Him, the consequence of faithful service being the accumulation of heavenly rewards. We should not use it to build a comfortable nest full of adornments that please the eye and of devices that keep us entertained. We should not retreat into our little castles and live out our days as though we had found heaven on earth. Happiness is not a prosperous life in a pretty home.

As Jesus pointed out, it is madness to devote our lives to gathering things. All material things vanish or perish within a short time. Though we live a long life, we cannot possess them for more than a few years, and many will pass out of our hands even before we die. We might lose them to corrupting forces such as moth or rust, or thieves might take them away. Yet these hazards are just the head of a long list that Jesus did not bother to recite. We feel secure in our guarded and insured houses. But how many complacent Americans have learned overnight that wealth is too slippery to hold? How many have suddenly lost everything in a tornado or hurricane or flood or fire or some other disaster? How many have been seized by economic troubles, snatching away their livelihoods and plummeting them to a lower standard of living? Now, as if we were not insecure enough, we must also fear terrorism and financial meltdown, even nuclear war.

Where we choose to deposit our treasures dictates our priorities. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (v. 21). The heart is the seat of affection. Jesus was saying that if we use our days to gather earthly riches, we will come to love this passing world more than the world to come. We will develop a greater keenness for finding our own pleasure than for serving God. To support our obsession with things now, we will withhold our time, our energy, and our resources from things of eternal significance. So, by gathering earthly wealth, we will lose heavenly wealth.

How much better it is to seek the riches of heaven! The mansion Christ prepares for us will have no leaky roof. Mice will not get into the walls and chew the wiring. Termites will not attack the foundations.

Years ago we possessed a number of antique Royal Doulton figurines. We received these as an inheritance from my wife's side of the family. But our life of serving the Lord has made it impossible for us to keep them safe. As the Lord has led us through many long-distance moves in cars and moving vans, our belongings have suffered a barrage of bangs and jolts. One by one our figurines have cracked and lost their value. Yet when we discover that another has become a casualty, we find consolation in reminding ourselves that it is just a lump of clay. In heaven, the Lord may reserve a corner in each of our mansions for a display of figurines and other art objects far more beautiful than any we have owned here.

Jesus contrasted a single eye with an evil eye (vv. 22, 23). The Greek word for "single" means in this context "clear, sound, and healthy." A "single" eye is one through which light readily passes, an eye that can easily see light. An evil eye is blind to light. What then is the meaning of this obscure saying? From it Jesus draws the conclusion, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." Jesus was commenting on the tragedy of being materialistic. A materialistic person cannot see reality. He sees only the earthly treasures that his heart desires, but these are illusions. As modern science has discovered, matter itself is an illusion. It has no irreducible core of hard substance. It is just energy in a form that could dissolve in a moment. And indeed the day will come when all things material will dissolve. Therefore, to fix one's eyes upon riches is a form of blindness. It is a blindness to the real world of eternal things that will last forever. To have the darkness of materialism in one's heart is bad enough, but to see the world covetously, through an evil eye that keeps light from entering the heart and dispelling the darkness is even worse.

Jesus then presented a choice between two masters: God and Mammon (v. 24), the latter being a personification of material possessions and of the money required to obtain them. He said clearly that to serve both God and Mammon is impossible. Certainly many have tried. Many have done their best to keep up certain religious obligations while they were busy making money. But Jesus warned that these two rivals for human allegiance—God and Mammon—are so at odds that they will not allow any fence-sitters. A man must love one or the other, and whichever fails to gain his love will instead become the object of his hatred. Jesus was making it clear that to love God involves and produces nothing other than hatred of Mammon. Thus, any fondness for Mammon is a sign of no loyalty to God.

Do not fool yourself that you love God rather than Mammon just because you occasionally make a contribution to a charity or to the church. That is like giving God a tip. No, if you love God, the desire to glorify Him will control the use of every penny you have.

Why did Jesus give wealth a name like the name of a person? One reason is that He was trying to bring conviction of sin to the hearts of Jewish religious leaders, including the Pharisees. He told them,

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Luke 16:13–15

The Pharisees had perfect confidence that they kept the Second Commandment, forbidding worship of idols, but they were extremely covetous. To show them that their love of riches was a form of idolatry, Jesus personified riches by giving them the name Mammon and treating them as a false god competing with the real God for man’s allegiance. Yet He wanted not only the Pharisees, but all of us to understand that wealth can be an idol. It can be worshipped as a god even though it is only a mindless heap of things material and man-made. As Paul said,

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.

Colossians 3:5–6

Seeking first the Kingdom

Next, Jesus anticipated the question that men with practical minds would be sure to raise. "It is well and good to tell us to turn away from love of riches. But to tell us that we cannot serve Mammon overlooks the pressing need to make a living. If we do not pursue money through gainful employment, how will we supply ourselves with food and other necessities?" In reply, Jesus yielded no ground.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matthew 6:25–34

But we dare not misconstrue what Jesus was saying. He was not teaching that life is for laziness. He was not denying the need to work hard at making a living. Here, as elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount, He expected our interpretation to be disciplined by our knowledge of Scripture in its entirety, and it is a clear teaching of Scripture that we should support ourselves by honest labor.

10 And . . . we beseech you, brethren, . . .

11 . . . that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

1 Thessalonians 4:10-12

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Timothy 5:8

What then did Jesus mean? The thread uniting the whole passage in Matthew 6 is the single word "thought" (vv. 25, 27, 28, 31, 34). He was not questioning the value of work, but giving counsel on what should occupy our minds and hearts. That counsel was simple. We should not spend our lives thinking about how we will provide for ourselves. In particular, we should not worry about where we will obtain such necessities as food and raiment.

We must understand that He has shifted ground. He has just been teaching that it is wrong to make a god out of material things. Now He is warning those who want to serve God wholeheartedly about another pitfall, the pitfall of worry. It is possible to reject the idolatry of Mammon and still submit to his control by letting him continually stir up fretful thoughts about tomorrow's needs.

Jesus gave several compelling reasons not to worry:

Worry is wasteful. Why? Because life is short. It is a shame to throw away the precious moments of life on negative thoughts. As Jesus said, there is more to life than the acquisition of food and clothing (v. 25). Life even in a sinful world is full of moment-by-moment possibilities for contentment and gladness. Anyone who is a slave to worry will miss the important things in life, such as love and laughter, good fellowship and good deeds. Moreover, as Jesus said, the body is more than raiment. In other words, we should enjoy exercising our bodies for the good purposes that God intended while we give only secondary attention to how we dress them.
Worry is needless. Why? Because we can depend on God to take care of us. After all, He feeds the birds, who merely gather what He has provided (v. 26). They have no organized economies with industrial means of production. They do not even sow or reap. Again, Jesus did not mean that we should shun labor of this kind. He meant that we need not be in bondage to labor. Many have known little else in life except backbreaking work from dawn to dusk. Jesus' primary intent here is to show that incessant all-consuming labor driven by fear of want is contrary to God's will.
Not only does God feed the birds, but He clothes the grass of the field with beautiful lilies (vv. 28–30). The lilies do no work to attain an excellence comparable even to the finery of Solomon.
Then Jesus posed a question. He asked us to compare our own value with the value of birds and flowers. These things are not worthless, and so we should not wantonly destroy them, but they are worth far less than a man.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Mathew 10:29–31
If God provides for lesser creatures, will He not provide for us?
Worry is useless. Here Jesus offered one of His inimitable arguments blending poetry and logic. He astutely observed that by mere thinking, we cannot achieve even so slight a benefit as to make ourselves a little taller (v. 27). Every short person self-conscious about his height must feel the force of this argument. Just as thought cannot alter stature, so it cannot manage any other aspect of our lives that is under the ultimate control of God. God designed our physical makeup. Likewise, He is the ultimate source of all food and raiment. Because our Heavenly Father loves us, we may trust Him to be a good provider.
Worry is premature. The closing verse of the section advises us that if we really want to worry, we should wait until there is something to worry about (v. 34). The evil that is bound to come will come regardless, and to think about it then will be enough of a burden. We should not add to the burden by thinking about it now. Besides, for all we know the evil we expect may bypass us altogether. When I am honest with myself, I realize that much of the distress I have suffered in my life has not been in response to real adversities, but in anticipation of adversities that never happened.

Jesus has now demonstrated all the wrong ways of thinking about material things. We are not to worship them. We are not to afflict ourselves with grievous toil to acquire them. We are not to worry about whether we will have enough of them. What then is the right way of thinking? The answer is the famous verse, verse 33, which most Christians have committed to memory. The answer is that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will give us "all these things."

Seeking first the kingdom of God means that we should spend as much of our lives as possible in assisting the spread of the gospel by witnessing to those around us, in doing the work of the church, in generously giving from our own wealth to help the poor and needy, in caring for others, and in preaching and teaching the truths of the Bible. Seeking God's righteousness means that we should make ourselves good citizens of the kingdom by striving for Christlikeness in our own character.

The result of seeking the right things first will be that we will never suffer poverty. "All these things" that God will provide for His faithful children are a full supply of food and clothing (vv. 31–33). Yet from His hand they will receive not only provision of basic needs, but also many other delightful gifts.

Application

Perhaps as much as any other passage in Scripture, this section of the Sermon on the Mount leaves a very strong impression that God wants us to be happy. The happiness He offers is not what the people of this world are seeking, for they wrongly define it as the attainment of every desire. They think that to be happy requires a full bag of wealth and popularity and pleasure. But to seek this kind of happiness leads to bitterness, for we have limited power over our circumstances. Life has a way of cheating us out of our dreams. Even if we gain the things we want, we find that they are less satisfying than we expected.

God's recipe for happiness is very simple. In submission to the teaching in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, the man who wants to be happy must accept two obligations. He must seek the kingdom of God, and He must seek to possess true righteousness (Matt. 6:33). If he fulfills these obligations, he will then be receptive to the influence of the Holy Spirit, who can bring to any believer a bounty of love, joy, and peace.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Addendum on Joy

Although God will hedge you about with protection from many kinds of Satanic attack, He will not altogether prevent Satan from seeking to rob your joy by afflicting you with aggravating people and circumstances. One reason is that God wants you to learn the right way to respond. He does not want your mental energy to be wasted on preoccupation with physical pain or with the mental pain of rage, complaining, resentment, envy, regret, dissatisfaction, or worry. Rather, He wants you to bring your spirit under such control that your reaction to every kind of trouble will exhibit faith rather than despair, forbearance rather than anger, patience rather than frustration, kindness rather than disgust.

How can we guard ourselves from missing the inner peace that God wants us to have even in this sinful world? How can we transform our minds into tranquil seas radiant with divine joy? We need to maintain the filling of the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? By disciplining our thoughts. We must cast aside negative thoughts and put positive thoughts in their place. We must reject thoughts dwelling on bodily discomforts and replace them with thoughts meditating on God's promises. We must deny pessimistic thoughts based on fear and replace them with hopeful thoughts based on faith in God’s power and love. We must shun angry thoughts welling up from frustration and replace them with forgiving thoughts expressing gratitude for God's forgiveness of our sins. We must renounce all thoughts of self-seeking and replace them with thoughts of seeking first the kingdom of God.

In summary, disciplining our thoughts requires us to center them upon God rather than self. A simple measure of spirituality is how far we have progressed toward this goal. So long as my mental universe revolves about self, I cannot be happy or hold on to real joy. Joy comes from thinking about God.

Sermon on the Mount

Lesson 4: The First Table of the Law