o Not worry Matthew 6:34 | 1517
Treasures in Heaven 6:22,23pp // Lk 11:34 – 36
19 “ Do not store up for your selves treasures on earth , r where moths and ver min de stroy , s and where thieves break in and steal . 20 But store up for your selves treasures in heav en , t where moths and vermin do not de stroy , and where thieves do not break in and steal . u 21 For where your trea sure is , there your heart will be also . v
22 “ The eye is the lamp of the body . If your eyes are healthy , a your whole body will be full of light . 23 But if your eyes are un healthy , b your whole body will be full of dark ness . If then the light with in you is dark ness , how great is that dark ness !
24 “ No one can serve two mas ters . Either you will hate the one and love the oth er , or you will be de vot ed to the one and de spise the oth er . You can not serve both God and mon ey . w
Do Not Worry 6:25 – 33pp // Lk 12:22 – 31
25 “ There fore I tell you , do not worry x about your life , what you will eat or drink ; or about your body , what you will wear . Is not life more than food , and the body more than clothes ? 26 Look at the birds of the air ; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns , and yet your
which produces change on the outside as we discipline ourselves to be more Christlike . That includes keeping our good works toward others secret , so that we check our motivations . We do not do God ’ s work in the world to be praised by others . The same is true with prayer , fasting , and all the other spiritual disciplines .
6:19 – 21 Moth , rust , and thieves represent those forces that cause earthly treasures to diminish in value and finally be destroyed . Such things do not provide ultimate security . The contrast of “ treasures on earth ” with “ treasures in heaven ” implies a contrast of values . Whatever the disciple has placed as his or her highest value is a gauge of the condition of the heart . The righteous value must be God himself for security and direction in life . 6:22 – 23 The eye becomes the conduit that fills the heart with what each person focuses on . If a disciple ’ s eyes are fixed on earthly treasure and earthly security , then the heart will likewise be full of darkness . 6:24 The term for “ serve ” indicates the work of a slave , not an employee . A slave is the property of one master , which implies exclusive service . One must completely reject anything that hinders attachment to Jesus and give oneself completely to him . 6:25 The principle about worry is expressed in the simple statement , “ Do not worry about your life .” Sometimes “ worry ” can be translated as “ concern .”
6:19 r Pr 23:4 ; Heb 13:5 s Jas 5:2 , 3
6:20 t Mt 19:21 ; Lk 12:33 ; 18:22 ; 1Ti 6:19 u Lk 12:33
6:21 v Lk 12:34 6:24 w Lk 16:13
6:25 x ver 27 , 28 , 31 , 34 ; Lk 10:41 ; 12:11 , 22 ; Php 4:6 ; 1Pe 5:7
6:26 y Job 38:41 ;
Ps 147:9 z Mt 10:29-31
6:27 a Ps 39:5 6:29 b 1Ki 10:4-7
6:30 c Mt 8:26 ; 14:31 ; 16:8
6:32 d ver 8
6:33 e Mt 19:29 ; Mk 10:29-30
UNCORRECTED PROOF
Mt 6:21 ❖ Would someone looking at our lives conclude that our hearts are set on God ? Why or why not ?
heav en ly Fa ther feeds them . y Are you not much more valu able than they ? z 27 Can any one of you by wor ry ing add a sin gle hour to your life 3 ? a
28 “ And why do you wor ry about clothes ? See how the flow ers of the field grow . They do not la bor or spin . 29 Yet I tell you that not even Sol o mon in all his splen dor b was dressed like one of these . 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field , which is here to day and to morrow is thrown into the fire , will he not much more clothe you — you of lit tle faith ? c 31 So do not wor ry , say ing , ‘ What shall we eat ?’ or ‘ What shall we drink ?’ or ‘ What shall we wear ?’ 32 For the pagans run af ter all these things , and your heav en ly Fa ther knows that you need them . d 33 But seek first his king dom and his righ teous ness , and all these things will be giv en to you as well . e 34 There fore do not wor ry about to mor row , for to morrow will wor ry about it self . Each day has enough trou ble of its own .
a
22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous . b
23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy . c
27 Or single cubit to your height
Concern is inappropriate when it is misdirected , indicating a lack of trust in God . 6:26 – 27 Jesus ’ disciples should not worry because the Father cares for his creatures . When Jesus ’ disciples are responsible for carrying out the proper ways of life as ordained by God , God is faithful to carry out his end of the order . 6:28 – 30 “ Little faith ” is a favorite expression of Jesus , found mainly in this Gospel . It indicates not absence of faith but deficiency of faith . 6:31 – 32 Those with faith in God ’ s provision will not worry and will reject the pursuits and values of unbelievers . 6:33 The use of the imperative “ seek ” does not mean to look for something not present . Jesus has already announced the arrival of the kingdom . In this context , it means that his disciples are to make the kingdom of heaven the center of their priorities . 6:34 All the worry in the world today can do nothing about the cares and problems of tomorrow . As disciples learn to let God care for them today , they will become increasingly secure in his care for them tomorrow .
6:19 – 34 If we put Jesus at the center of our lives , we will avoid the modern idolatry of materialism . We probably do not think of worry as a form of idolatry , but it is when we