On Giving
The Sermon on the Mount continues in chapter 6. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus comments on how we should give. Here, He declares that our giving should be in secret. We should, to the greatest extent possible, give in ways that nobody knows that we give.
Jesus provides the illustration that many in that culture were giving, but were making a huge show out of their generosity. He declares that the reward that they receive in man's eyes is all they should expect. They won't rack up any points in heaven from God once they get there.
In that era, I know that when Roman generals and leaders came back from battle, they would frequently make a production of bringing prisoners and bounty back and would host a triumphal parade. According to tradition, there was usually a slave whispering in the ear of the general to not think of himself too highly. Whether true or not, I don't know.
Jesus' illustration paints people having trumpets blown in the streets and the synagogues as they were doing their alms giving. I don't know what to think of such a display in the streets, similar to a Roman conqueror. But to extend that to having a similar production in the synagogue is something that is hard to imagine.
And yet, today, even though they don't go to that extreme in church, usually, some big givers make sure to point out how much they have helped the local church or their denomination in giving.
When it comes to public works which can also be included in the concept of alms, many well to do give with the glory they will get out of it in mind. How many public structures, hospital wings, sports stadiums, college buildings, airports, roadways, and other things have been or are being named after someone due to their financial gifts? There are too many for me to count. Even legislation that founds some works can be named after some politician to give them glory. It's one thing to name something in honor of someone long dead. To do so for the living seems crass. According to Christ, they have their reward.
As Jesus addresses giving, He really breaks it down to the attitude of the heart. Give without thinking overtly about what you're doing. It's the opposite, if you will, of playing a stringed instrument. One hand is on the neck of the instrument, with or without frets, and the other is handling a pick, plucking the strings, or handling the bow. Both must be in synchronization for the right music to play. Jesus says give without such forced thought. He says to not only not let the world or people near you know what you're doing, but to not even process it in your own body. Give freely. Paul will continue this thought in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where he comments that God loves a cheerful giver.
The practicality of this last becomes difficult in modern times. In Jesus day, there were some who were wealthy, just as there are today. If the wealthy gave offerings then, I suspect it couldn't be hidden as easily as it would be today. Today, you can give with a check or a credit card transaction that looks the same whether it is for a few cents or millions of dollars.
But it is much more difficult to give anonymously today than it was then. Most probably wouldn't be comfortable routinely carrying hundreds or thousands of dollars to church periodically. The church would also probably prefer not to receive large amounts of cash every week. They'd like something that couldn't be easily stolen. The downside is that some in the church will know what you are giving. So will your bank or credit card company. And from thence, so will the government, even if you don't itemize deductions.
I'm not sure how to do secret giving today and have it be truly secret for our tithe or gifts beyond that. But the attitude of the heart is something we can all work on. While gifts beyond the tithe would be good for all, even getting people to tithe is a struggle for most churches today. The nice thing about a tithe is that is based on a percentage. If you have given your tithe and are a rich businessman, you are no better or worse in God's eyes than someone on Social Security who also gives their tithe. Remember this and don't get puffed up by the dollar amounts. If you are rich and aren't tithing, shame on you. Do better.
You can ask to be kept anonymous with your offerings. You can make sure no buildings or building wings are named after you. You can make a difference in people's lives, regardless of your wealth. And if you do as much as you can to hide your generosity, you'll have the advantage of rewards in heaven, if you make it there, and you won't get on every charity in the world's mailing list either!
On Praying
In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus criticizes typical prayers that God was hearing every day (and is still hearing every day). Just as with giving gifts, there were evidently some who stood where they would get attention (in church or on a street corner) where they could be seen as being pious and talking to God - not with God - but to God. Jesus says they have their reward, just as He did with giving.
Jesus commands us to go into a private place, in this case a closet, where nobody can see us, and shut the door so we won't be disturbed, and pray in secret. He declares that God, who doesn't typically make public appearances, will hear you and reward you openly for taking time to communicate with Him. Whether this reward will be answers to prayer or just the sweet presence of God near you for a time isn't stated.
He does warn against vain repetitions such as were common with the various idol worshipers around them. He says that God knows the things you need, even before you ask Him. I'll admit that this is a hard one for me to handle. There are prayer requests which weigh on my heart from time to time, and it is easy to get in the habit of mentioning the same needs over and over, every time we come to God in prayer. When you feel the need is heavy, it is a hard habit to break.
But Jesus says we shouldn't just repeat the same prayer over and over. He calls it a vain repetition. Then there is also the story He tells later of the widow and the judge who she kept pushing for relief or redress of her problems, day after day. He says that the judge eventually gave in and granted her supplications due to her persistence.
I'm not sure what the dividing line is between praying about urgent needs frequently and having that turn into a vain repetition. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer life if you feel you are drifting into vain repetition country. It is easy to do.
Think of yourself as a father or mother. How many times did you get tired of hearing one of your children ask for something they wanted if they were doing it over and over. Of course, human mental frailty being what it is, if they had only asked once, we might have forgotten. But God not only never forgets, He knows what we need before we pray. So we definitely need the balance of the Holy Spirit in our side of the conversation with God. Just not talking and listening is awesome as well.
But remember also that this promise about God is about the things that we need and not the things that we want. Too many times we are praying for things we want and not things we need. Do we really need a new car every year? Do we really need to win the lottery? We may well need better transportation or financial help. But are we praying repeatedly for just the basics or are we praying for an extreme answer? All too often, many pray for the extreme answer.
A Model Prayer
In Matthew 6:9-15, Jesus gives a sample prayer to give the disciples an idea of the appropriate things to consider. I'm not sure how accurate the characterization of the Catholic church that literature and videos present with respect to penance is. Do this sin, say x number of Hail Mary's and y number of Our Father's for example. But I can say that if it is accurate, it is a disservice to the Lord's Prayer. Jesus wanted to show us how to communicate with the Father. The prayer was never meant to be a punishment.
It is broken down into various parts, each verse mostly a different aspect of the prayer. Many Bible scholars have delved into the meanings of each part of the prayer, so I'll just give you my basic overview.
Jesus leads with acknowledging God, recognizing that He has a place commanding the universe in heaven (and perhaps other alternate universes if you're into that sort of thing). His name is Holy and not to be profaned.
Next, He tells us to pray for both His church to expand, pray for Jesus return and the setting up of His kingdom in the millennial period to happen soon, and finally that God's will will be performed on earth, just like it is in heaven. That His will should be done is a key aspect of the prayer. It isn't for our will to be done, but for His will to be done.
Next, Jesus tells us to pray for our necessities. He doesn't tell us to pray for extreme desires, but simply for what we need for today. This chapter ends with the phrase "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof". We are called to ask only for help for what we need today. God will still be there tomorrow, and we are certainly able to call on Him them for help tomorrow.
The concept of being satisfied with today is something that we have lost track of over the centuries when the disciples walked with Jesus around the countryside. They couldn't carry a year's provisions with them... all they could deal with and keep were provisions for the day. Maybe we might like to have a greater buffer than that, especially if you don't have stores within walking distance, but the principle is the same. Ask for help for today if you pray in the morning or the next day if you pray at night.
The next verse, and the last two verses in the section [Matthew 6:12,14-15] deal with forgiveness. Just as with the previous chapter, Jesus emphasizes our forgiveness of everyone who has hurt us in any way. The last two verses really put this into strong terms. There he warns that if we don't forgive people who hurt us, God won't forgive our trespasses against Him. We definitely don't want to chance that, but just like in Matthew 5, the concept of turning the other cheek and forgiving those who hurt you is tough for many people to grasp.
The last verse of the prayer asks for God to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil. Whether the evil comes from man or from the supernatural forces battling for control against God isn't stated. But praying for both these things is very important.
Finally, Jesus ends with a verse of praise which is omitted in another version of the prayer in the gospels.
That's the basics of the prayer as it pertains to us. There is also intercessory prayer which isn't addressed here where you are praying for some other person or groups problems. You are coming alongside them in prayer when being an intercessor. Even there, the format of the prayer can stay mostly the same. Acknowledge God and pray for His will in the situation. The pray the other sections as if for the other person or group.
But I would encourage you to not just pray the rote words every day or a couple of times a day. Jesus laid out the concepts to cover, but the words He used weren't meant to be repeated over and over and over day after day. You can certainly pray them sometimes, and if you really think about the words and mean each phrase, then praying the exact words might be fine for you. Too often, I worry that it turns into just rote repetition that flows out of our mind or mouth without it ever turning on the thought process. In those cases, it is no different than the vain repetition of the heathen. It may be addressing God instead of an idol, but its effectiveness will be diminished.
On Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18 makes a similar warning about fasting as that given to prayer and giving. If you are fasting to make a show of your piety, Jesus says you already have your reward. He again urges His followers to not let on that they are fasting when doing so. Try to look normal, as if you weren't fasting. Don't make a big show of it to anyone. He says that the Father will notice and will reward you openly.
While about fasting, the precepts can be extended to any work or activity we are doing for God. Don't make it look like work. Do what you do with joy and thanksgiving. Whatever your ministry is, do it so. If you can't do it with a good attitude, then you probably need to pray about changing what you're doing for Him.
For a personal example, when I write these pages, if I'm doing it because I have to get a chapter out today and not because I'm enjoying doing it, the writing suffers. Sometimes I need to do extensive editing. No matter what your calling is, do it with joy and with the right heart attitude. The more public your work is, the more you have to examine your heart to ensure you are doing things for the right reasons. There's too much forced cheer-leading and preaching that is uninspired today. Do better - otherwise you have your reward.
On What is Important
Matthew 6:19-24 deals with what is truly important. Here, Jesus tells us that all of the things that most consider important are only temporal. All the stuff that we have or seek to obtain will all pass to someone else at death, if it doesn't decay around us or get stolen first. The only things that are ultimately important are what we are producing for eternal rewards.
Other scriptures in the Old and New Testaments do require that we take care of our families, provide for ourselves to not be a burden on society, and other industrious quotes. But this is a warning to not seek great riches as ultimately they aren't important and can even lead to a person's downfall.
Elon Musk just became the first trillionaire on paper. That word is so new that it is being flagged as a spelling error. Yet he is now one. Of course, he couldn't liquidate his stock and actually end up with a trillion in cash. But these verses should give him pause, along with all the simple billionaires and millionaires in the world.
What a person sees as treasure causes the heart to follow. What you are looking at and desiring with your eye and your mind's eye will ultimately draw you to it or at least consume you in seeking it. Nobody can serve two masters. In this case, Jesus is commenting on one master being God and the other being the world or riches. You will either go after one or the other. But Jesus says you can't go after both. In Timothy 6:10 it is noted that the love of money is the root issue. The money itself is just a piece of paper or a coin. It is no different than a rock as far as damning the soul. But the love and pursuit of it is the danger.
Later in the gospel's there are parables about being good stewards of what God has entrusted us. Again, handling finances wisely and in a God fearing way isn't the issue. But focusing on wealth accrual instead of God is a problem for everyone, regardless of how much your net worth is.
On Worry
Matthew 6:25-30 and to an extent to the end of the chapter deal with our worries about life. After just saying that His disciples shouldn't worry about earthly treasure but should worry instead about laying up rewards in heaven, Jesus addressed the elephant in the room - worry.
He declares that we shouldn't worry about our life and the things we need to survive. God will provide food, drink, and raiment or clothing. He encourages them to look around them and see that no matter how simple something was like grass that was routinely gathered up and burned, that God took care of the creation while it was in its place.
The pretty flowers do what they do naturally. They don't have to do anything to be beautiful. He says that even Solomon in all his glory wasn't as pretty as God's creation in nature.
It is hard not to worry. It is especially hard for those called to work for God not to worry. They see others getting ahead in life and their wealth increasing to take care of retirement and life. It is easy to fall into a trap of worry and wondering if you are really doing the right thing.
God says, don't worry... I've got you. I know what you need and I am able to provide. I've heard many testimonies over the years that I have attended church from Christians who have been called on to do something, they've done it, knowing it would put them in a financial bind. Later, God comes through in some way to provide just what they needed from some unexpected source.
We can't change our physical characteristics. We can't create food, drink, or clothing out of thin air on our own. But God can do anything He chooses, and can even work through us to do a miracle for some of the other things we worry about. All we need to develop is a trust in Him.
The last verse in this section condemns people for having little faith in God. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks whether He will find faith when He returns. That's a good question. We don't, in America at least, tend to ask God for help with little things. So we don't end up asking God for help until something really big happens to us or someone we love.
We haven't built up our faith by degrees in the little things, so it is sometimes hard to have faith all of a sudden for a big thing - especially against expert opinions of doctors for example. For many of us, myself included, faith is not at the level it should be. Let us all work to increase our faith in God's promises and try our best to live out our lives to fulfill the conditions on the promises.
God's Provisions
The last four verses [Matthew 6:31-34] sum up the worry section above. Jesus reminds us that the Gentiles (or non church attenders in modern parlance) continually worry about everything. He tells us not to worry because God understands and knows the things that we need. He tells us to try to expand the kingdom of God by any righteous means that we can and God will take care of the things that we would be wasting our time worrying about.
When Covid hit, and churches had to shut down, the pastor was worried about whether they would survive or not. During that time, someone stepped up to pay off the churches debt and we started a video channel on YouTube. We came out of Covid stronger than we went in. Never doubt that God cares about you and your ministry. But the conditional part of that is to put His kingdom first.
The chapter ends with the encouragement to not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will come soon enough and you can deal with the problems of tomorrow then. Worry about His kingdom today and try to spread the light as far and as wide as you can. The more light you put in place today, the harder it will be for darkness to win tomorrow. Trust in God and have faith.