Perspectives and Priorities on Possessions (Matthew 6:19-34)

In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus continues his sermon by challenging his listeners to evaluate their heart priorities for their possessions with an eternal perspective.  In vss. 19-24 the priorities being examined involve the proper use of our saving for future needs while vss. 25-34 the priorities being examined involve trusting God for our current needs.

Investing with Eternity in View (Matthew 6:19-24)

Vss. 19-21 gives us an eternal perspective on two vividly contrasting investments. Investment in heaven is a sure winner and investment on earth is a sure loser.  The eternal perspective looks at all investments with a view to their advancement of the kingdom of heaven.  Earthly investments have a limited lifetime and ultimately are lost to the wear and tear of time and the possibility of theft.  Notice that Jesus says, “Lay up for yourselves . . .”  There is a personal benefit to be had in heaven (or on earth) for investing.  Would you rather have an eternally guaranteed return or a limited risky return?  Your investment strategy reveals where your heart is—in heaven or on earth.  Note this is a spiritual investment strategy.  It is looking on the motive and perspective of the heart as discretionary possessions are placed in your hands for investing.  Is your goal to become wealthy so you don’t need to rely on God?  Is it to not be a burden to your children so they can make their own investment decisions?  Or possibly combining that with maximizing your sharing in the financial needs of kingdom ministries as God enables?
Momentarily skipping down to vs. 24 we are given a keen point of perspective about this whole issue:  Who is my God?  Are money and possessions an idol?  If God and money are both important to you, you have to choose which one is your top priority.  If money wins, it is an idol having replaced God!  It is your master.  You are its slave.
So now we are ready to examine vss. 22-23 in light of the surrounding verses and Matthew’s mention of the “evil eye.”

Jumping ahead to Matthew 20:15 helps us to understand Jesus’ saying about the “bad (or evil) eye.”  Unfortunately, many translations don’t give the literal translation but rather the gist of the meaning.  This may help us understand the parable in Matthew 20 but not the fact that this is the same idiom in Matthew 6 as well as Matthew 20.  Literally, Jesus says to the grumbling dayworkers who all received the same wages despite the disparity in their toil that their “eye is evil.”  Most translations render this as “begrudge.”  The idea in both passages is ill-will toward God because they feel cheated in their labor. 

So, putting this together, we see that in 6:19-21, the worker labors hard and then is told to invest it in heaven when perhaps he’d rather spend it on something now.  Vss. 22-23 tell us that we need an eternal perspective instead of a begrudging temporal one.  It is all too easy to look at God with an “evil eye” when we hear that He wants us to invest it in advancing the kingdom.  All too often an unhealthy attachment to money leads to “the evil eye.”  Jesus compares these two perspectives with light and darkness.

Trusting God for Our Current Needs (Matthew 6:25-34)

Now in vss. 25-34, Jesus leaves the discussion of what to do with our discretionary spending to take up our current needs.  Some people may not have discretionary funds beyond what they need for their daily necessities, but we all must trust God for the things we need.  And God promises to supply them!

Notice that Jesus is giving a command here.  “Don’t be anxious.”  Here it is in reference to your daily needs of life.  Anxiety over daily needs betrays a lack of trust in God.  It may cause us to set aside more money than we need because we are unsure whether God will take care of us. 

But note that saving for future necessities is not at all wrong with the proper perspective.  Joseph saved up for seven years in light of a coming famine.  So how much is “enough?”  If we are saving because of anxiety, we are not trusting God.  If we are saving more than we need or to acquire things we do not need, then our perspective is warped.  Our “eye is evil.”

Notice also that this section is built on the previous with the opening word “therefore.”  If God is your master (vs. 24)—not money—you do not need to worry.

Food, drink, and clothing are the kind of things listed as necessities that we shouldn’t ‘worry’ about.  Jesus’ illustration from nature points out that the rest of God’s creation have all these things provided for them and you are more valuable than the animals God takes care of!

Jesus’ second point is to notice that worry never helps the situation anyway.  This is common sense!

Notice His comment about worry being a sign of a lack of faith in vs. 30.  If He is truly our God, we will trust in Him.

Notice that Gentiles are used as a foil in the argument.  A Gentile was a godless person and an idolater in the Jewish perception and was largely true at this point in history.  Godless people lack faith because they don’t know God Who created them and cares for them!

Then notice in vs. 32 that God knows our needs for all of these things.  Our anxiety and worry over our real needs is actually a disbelief in the goodness of God.  But, unlike birds, neither do we presume on God but we ask Him for our needs as Jesus demonstrated in our model prayer (give us this day our daily bread).  Asking God for our needs is an expression of trust in Him!

Now, Jesus returns to the previous discussion on eternal perspectives which not only govern our investments but they also govern our dependence on God to provide our daily necessities.

Vs. 33 does not say ‘Seek only the kingdom of God’ as if every last cent we earn ought to be given to the poor.  It says it ought to be the priority.  Seek it first!   The first question to ask concerning the proper use of resources entrusted to us by God is “To what extent does this expenditure advance the kingdom of God?”

There is something else we are to seek first?  His righteousness!  This goes back to the beatitudes in 5:6. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’  So a second question to ask is “To what extent does this expenditure reflect God’s righteousness?”

Jesus summarizes this eternal perspective with another connecting word in vs. 34: “therefore.”  So, based on this discussion regarding an eternal perspective about tomorrow’s needs, Jesus says, “Don’t be anxious.”  The idea is not that we just sit in Mom’s basement waiting for her to call us up for dinner but that we do not allow ourselves to doubt that God really will provide.  There will be evil days, but even then, God will take care of us.  How is your eternal perspective?

© 2018 Eric Thimell