Matthew 6
Progressive Relationship Required Donations Matthew 6:1-4 1 | Repeat | Matthew 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. 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. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:1-4). If we were to picture the Sermon on the Mount as a sandwich, there would be three sections. The first (Matthew 5) and last (Matthew 7) chapters form the sandwich’s bread. The middle part (Matthew 6) is the meat, the nutrition, and the taste sensation of the sandwich. The middle is where you find the Kingdom person, whose strength and stability come from God and man’s merger. The bread at the beginning and end of the Sermon on the Mount holds the new creation in place. The start and end of the sermon give truth and stability to the sandwich’s meat and dressings. Jesus began His proposition with His premise, which will echo throughout His ministry. It is not a fad or fading emphasis for the moment. It is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom, which is the cross style. God created us to be dependent, not independent. We are helpless at the core of our existence. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). If we embrace our helplessness in complete honesty (“mourn”), we will be “comforted” (Matthew 5:4). A merger between who we are and who He is will take place. Everything we desire will become ours in Jesus (Matthew 5:5-12). Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount on this same note (Matthew 7). He closes with a call to hear and do what He has instructed in this sermon. He illustrates the discourse by pointing to a house secure on the foundation of rock compared to a house built on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). The storm cannot disturb the house on the rock, but destruction for the house on the sand is inevitable. The house’s foundation determines its strength and security, a description of “being” not “doing.” Something other than the house provides its strength. The Greek word “poieo” is translated “does” (Matthew 7:24, 26). This illustration is a picture of God’s nature, permeating the man who rests in His nature. Man’s link with God determines his activities! The Sermon on the Mount is not a new list of rules. The Kingdom person is one who enters into a new relationship with God, allowing a merger of the two into a new creature. Chapter six’s opening verse sets the stage for the chapter’s content, acting as a bold title page. It is the proposition of the message. A proposition is a message reduced to a single statement, determining the perimeters of the message. Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 6:1). The Greek word translated “charitable deeds” is “dikaiosyne.” In the following verses, Jesus used the Greek word “eleemosynen” for “a charitable deed.” However, Jesus included “charitable deeds” in His opening statement. Then He added the discipline of prayer (Matthew 6:5-14), the discipline of fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), and the discipline of commitment (Matthew 6:19-34). In the opening proposition, the Greek word “dikaiosyne,” translated “charitable deeds,” should be translated “righteousness. “Dikaiosyne” comes from the feminine noun “dikaios,” which is “just” or “of him who is just or righteous.” The ending “syne” makes it an abstraction. Righteousness is a term referring to the claims of God for the believer, conforms to the claims of Jesus as Lord, and stands in opposition to “lawlessness.” Jesus introduced us to “righteousness” as the necessity for entering this new relationship or merger with God. However, it is not just righteousness in general but a “righteousness that exceeds.” “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). It is crucial to see this verse in the Greek language. The Greek word “perisseuse’ means “abound” but is not translated. “Perisseuse” appears before the Greek word “dikaiosyne,” which is “righteousness.” After “perisseuse” comes the Greek word “polys,” which means “exceeds.” Jesus proposed a required righteousness that abounds and exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees with double emphasis. While the Old Testament proposed the righteousness of the law as valid and given by God, the New Covenant righteousness far abounds and exceeds. Jesus suggested this again as He compared John the Baptist with the Kingdom person. He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). In Matthew 5, Jesus gave six illustrations to highlight this difference (Matthew 5:21-48), covering every area of life. He gave a new level of living. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with His premise of merging with God (Matthew 5:3-12). He expounded on this premise by using the imagery of “salt” and “light” (Matthew 5:13-16). This premise is about “being” not “doing.” He climaxed His premise by calling us to “an exceeding righteousness” (Matthew 5:17-20), using six illustrations to clarify this righteousness (Matthew 5:21-48). In our present study (Matthew 6), Jesus continued to describe this new righteousness, presenting his proposition. He suggested four areas that are the heart of every world religion. The first one is “Required Donation” (Matthew 6:2-4), the area of “charitable deeds.” In the Israelite approach, they did not care for the poor through a welfare system. Every Israelite was accountable for making generous contributions to and for the poor. Jesus was not questioning the requirement of generosity, but the method or motive involved in its accomplishment. True righteousness is not in the act of generosity but the motive. The second area is “Requesting Desires” (Matthew 6:5-15), which is prayer. Indeed, prayer is a vital part of every religious movement. We define religion as “man’s attempt to communicate with God,” the heart of all religions. How does “an exceeding righteousness” affect the interaction between God and man? The premise of the merger Jesus presented in the sermon demands a new and expanded involvement between them. “Religious Disciplines” is the third area (Matthew 6:16-18), highlighting the fasting discipline. However, we can include all areas involving physical appetites. How does “exceeding righteousness” influence the stewardship of time, finances, relationships, or service? How does the discipline of the physical body interact with the discipline of the spiritual life? What about the discipline of the physical regarding sleeping, eating, recreation, or emotional expression? The fourth and most significant of the sections is “Reigning Dominion” (Matthew 6:19-34). What will be the dominant factor in my life? What will be the one thing above all other things? What will control and influence every aspect of my life? Equal in importance is security. What will produce the unshakable, unchangeable security of my life? If “exceeding righteousness” is a merger between my nature and God’s nature, will He become the focus of my seeking? As we begin our journey through this chapter, there is a consistent theme proposed in every suggestion. It may not startle you as new or different because it is present in the preceding chapter (Matthew 5). Therefore, the theme highlights the consistent content of “exceeding righteousness.” The consistency of its presence promotes its importance. Jesus brings everything back to this theme. We want to investigate three aspects of the one theme. Internal Versus External Our investigation must begin with internal versus external. The “exceeding righteousness” moves from the outward display of physical action to the said action’s desire and motive. The six illustrations given by Jesus in the previous chapter screams this reality. He began with “murder” (Matthew 5:21-26). The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees focused on abstaining from the external act of murder. The merger with God’s nature eliminates anger, the source of murder. “Morality” is sexuality, and for the scribes and Pharisees, sexuality meant you do not commit the act of adultery (Matthew 5:27-30). Merging with the Spirit of Jesus alters the heart and changes how we view sexuality. “Marriage” for the scribes and Pharisees was a convenience that they could set aside with divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). Kingdom righteousness concerns influencing (causing) the inner being of one’s spouse. “Morality” in integrity for the scribes and Pharisees was total honesty when they involved God (Matthew 5:33-37). Merging with the nature of God meant God is always involved. “Malice” focused only on “fairness” (Matthew 5:38-42). Kingdom righteousness goes beyond fairness to redemption. The “motive” of righteousness for the scribes and Pharisees meant you loved those who were within the boundaries of self-benefit (Matthew 5:43-48). The external determined the internal. God’s nature caused every external act to express His love. Jesus maintained the emphasis of the internal determining the external when He described religious activities. When we do charitable deeds to impress men, we limit ourselves to physical benefits (Matthew 6:2-4). Although our gifts have value to their receivers and our reputation profits, we destroy the redemptive element of God’s presence flowing within the charity. Prayer is an expression of man’s merger with God’s mind and heart (Matthew 6:5-14). When we pray outwardly to build our spiritual reputation, we destroy the oneness from which it flows. “Fasting” is a focus on our inward spiritual relationship (Matthew 5:16-18). However, when we focus on the external, God does not reward us. It seems we only have two possibilities to align our lives. We cannot merge with the Spirit of Jesus and concentrate on the external (Matthew 6:19-34). We cannot serve the external and the internal at the same time. We can only do one thing. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Incomplete Versus Entire It was never the intent of Jesus’ teachings that we ignore life’s physical aspect of life as unimportant. The physical is not about important or unimportant, right or wrong, good or bad. Completeness comes when our priority is on inner spiritual reality. The Kingdom we seek first is not a location such as heaven, but a relationship with God. The core commitment of our lives must be entirely His. I must love God with my whole heart, mind, and soul! Although physical expression is not my goal, I demonstrate my completeness in God through my activities. Jesus is the complete concentration of my being, the inner love of my heart. The Kingdom calls us to an “exceeding righteousness,” which must be entire and complete. Jesus presented this completeness as the entrance into the Kingdom. If your righteousness is not absolute, “you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). We grow and mature in our relationship with Jesus, but the heart’s intensity must always be the same. Knowledge may expand, and physical expression may increase, but the heart’s commitment must remain whole. If the core of Christian experience is physical actions, we could increase those activities. We could dedicate more time and energy to our Christian projects, keep some of the commandments now, and later increase that number. But Kingdom people embrace their helplessness and allow Jesus to merge with them completely and internally. Jesus permeates His illustrations’ tone with the truth of being entire and complete (Matthew 5:21-48). However, His last example ignores the physical. The first five instances begin with the physical act of murder and continue with adultery, divorce, swearing an oath, and getting revenge. The final illustration is about love (Matthew 4:43-48), the new level of loving neighbor and enemy. God’s heart is so complete in His love that He expresses the physical aspects of life the same to both groups. The sun shines on the evil and on the good, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Jesus calls us to be like Him in this regard, a total commitment, all in, complete, and the total giving of one’s self! There is no room for partial or half attempts. Innumerable Versus Exclusive Now we come to our conclusion. It is a singularity! The single focus of the Kingdom person, according to Jesus, is the Father! The moment we slightly deviate from the focus, every act becomes destructive. Christianity only proposes one thing. Jesus must fill me completely. I must know Him and experience all He is in my life. I am helpless! I cannot make it unless He fills me with His resource. My concentration has to be Jesus! My physical activities must express my single-mindedness for Him. Every life’s necessity shows my concentration on Jesus; everything I accomplish comes from my focus on Him. The six illustrations Jesus gives at the close of chapter 5 bring us to the singularity of chapter 6. “Exceeding righteousness” is my goal. This righteousness is Jesus! I want to think as He thinks and feel as He feels. I cannot do this without merging with Him. The goal is not righteousness in itself but intimacy with Him. I want to please Him! His heart must be my heart! The illustrations’ climactic statement points to a complete merger with God that completes (perfects) me in His nature (Matthew 5:48). I am one with Jesus! Charitable deeds motivated by pride is ridiculous. Charitable deeds are necessary, but it is about the Father’s heart that cares for the needy. Am I one with God and feel like He does? If so, why would I care who applauds my giving outside of Him? Prayer is essential to intimacy, encompassing the reality of communication with God. No one would insist we pray less, but more. However, when Jesus is not the focus of the communication, to whom are we speaking? Fasting can be essential to spiritual discipline, but if Jesus is not our reason for fasting, are we not wasting our time? Jesus used words that concentrate on the exclusive element of our focus. He speaks of the “treasure of the heart” (Matthew 6:21). The eye determines the center of my life (Matthew 6:22). I cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). We must not assume the responsibility of our lives as if we are in charge; it will only create worry. We must seek His righteousness alone (Matthew 6:33). These are words that push us to Jesus, the exclusive focus of our lives. All else is destructive and ends in chaos!