§ 6. The Sermon on the Mount (According to Matthew)

Anxiety here (μεριμνάω) is a constant care or concern, the meditation of the heart. Concern in and of itself is neither good nor bad—the question is: What are we concerned about? The Lord wants the mind to be free from concern for food or clothing so that the mind can instead be concerned for God's kingdom and righteousness.

Paul expands on the Lord's teaching by providing a way to deal with our concerns: Make your requests known to God.

Philippians 4:6–7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In Paul's instruction, we make our requests known in three ways:

• prayer,
• supplication, and
• thanksgiving.

My own translation of verse 7 makes clear how God puts our minds at ease: "And the peace of God which overcomes any mindset will place your hearts and your thoughts under guard inside Christ Jesus."

The peace of God should be highly prized and not overlooked. One of the greatest blessings in Christ is the ability to have a real peace through God.

Solomon drew the same conclusion in Ecclesiastes. Having considered the potential outcomes of work under the sun and the guaranteed outcome of a godly life, he admonishes us all to obedience first and foremost:

Ecclesiastes 3:9, 12–13

What gain has the worker from his toil…?
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

Ecclesiastes 12:12–14

My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Paul also acknowledges right living may not mean earthly gain when he calls us to contentment:

1 Timothy 6:6–8

Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

The Christian life especially is more than food and clothing. Real faith according to James means we gladly share our food and clothing with others in need; in so doing we serve the higher purposes of a godly life.

James 2:14–17

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

God makes a clear distinction between humankind and the animals of His creation. Jesus refers to this fact in at least two other places in Matthew, confirming our understanding here:

Matthew 10:29–31

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Matthew 12:9–13

[Jesus] went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.

Scripture makes us understand the relationship between man and animals. Although we have many earthly troubles in common with the animals, God's concern for us is higher and certain. We have dominion over the animals and yet treat them with kindness; God in His dominion shows us His great kindness in Christ.

Ecclesiastes 3:18–21

I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

Proverbs 12:10

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

Psalm 8:4–8

What is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Jesus here questions the effectiveness of worry.

The word here rendered "span of life" (ἡλικία) can refer also to a person's physical stature. Since the original text here (πῆχυς) shows we are measuring not an "hour" but a "cubit", a better translation would be: "Which of you...can add a single cubit to his height?"

The focus on a person's physical stature means we must draw the comparison to the tax collector Zacchaeus:

Luke 19:3

He was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.

If anyone could have used an additional cubit in height, it was apparently Zacchaeus. But he nevertheless did succeed in his quest to see Jesus. How did he overcome the limitation of his height? Not by being anxious, but by repenting of extortion—seeking first the righteousness of God.

Luke 19:8–9

Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham…."

A connection emerges in this passage between the examples Jesus uses and the conclusion that we have a small faith when we worry.

In the examples above, we must accept that we are more important to God than the birds are, and we must acknowledge our inability to make ourselves taller by worrying. These are conclusions drawn from what we can observe. And drawing conclusions is very much an act of faith, because faith is rational. Jesus, therefore, joins with the rest of Scripture in calling on us to reason with God, as Isaiah famously says:

Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD….

By contrast to the little faith in this passage, there is a place in the gospels where Jesus speaks of the greatest faith He had found. The Jews asked Jesus to heal the servant of a Roman who had shown the nation of Israel kindness. What made this Gentile's faith great was the fact he concluded from his own circumstances that God had enough power to save merely by saying a word:

Luke 7:6–9

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

Another example of drawing reasonable conclusions by faith is found in the Judges. After the Lord appeared to Samson's parents to announce his birth and purpose, the faith of Samson's mother quelled the fears of Samson's father. Her reasoning is compelling and remains relevant today:

Judges 13:22–23

And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."

Among the greatest examples of faith is Abraham. Abraham knew God had promised him heirs by Isaac, and he also knew God had commanded him to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). Where others might have accused God of inconsistency, Abraham saw a simple solution: resurrection from the dead. This conclusion enabled Abraham's obedience, and it is termed "faith" in Hebrews:

Hebrews 11:17–19

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

We must also consider a negative example and warning: Jesus's teaching about the servant who refused to take any risk with his master's money. The lesson is this: We must trust God's judgment when He entrusts something to us!

Matthew 25:24–27

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest….'"

The nations ("Gentiles") are made of unbelieving people who often do not realize that there is more to life than material goods. Disciples of Jesus by contrast are told, "…But [you] seek first the kingdom of God."

Distinctions between the mindset of Christians and that of unbelievers are many, but perhaps one of the starkest differences is seen in our attitude when someone passes away. The loss of a loved one is certainly a stressful event—even when that one was a Christian. But we are consoled in some part by the knowledge that our beloved Christian sleeps in Jesus. If a loved one's focus in life was only on the here and now, we have no basis for hope in life after death.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [i.e., have passed away], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

There is also consolation in the knowledge that God is aware of our needs in the flesh, as Paul says:

Hebrews 4:15–16

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus here calls to mind a test proposed in the prophet Malachi. The people were said to be robbing God by not giving as they should. They were not giving as they should because they were worried about the dry climate and parasites in their fields and vineyards. If the people would give the full tenth of their produce to feed God's priests as commanded, then God would change their worry into bounty:

Malachi 3:8–11

"Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear," says the LORD of hosts.

The evidence of worry in ancient Israel was their failure to give as commanded. The same is true for us when we don't give as we should, or we don't attend as we should, or we otherwise allow worries or fears to prevent us from serving Him.

Just as Malachi had said before, Jesus here tells us when we seek God's concerns first, we will see God's blessings follow.

As God fed the Israelites with manna day by day, we also pray for bread day by day in Jesus's teaching.

Matthew 6:11

Give us this day our daily bread….

It can be great comfort to know we don't have to make it through life, through this year, or even through this week. We only have to get to bed tonight!

Besides this, today has something greater in store. God has appointed a day of salvation: Today!

Hebrews 3:7–8, 11

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness….
As I swore in my wrath,
'They shall not enter my rest.'"

Hebrews 3:13–14

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Hebrews 4:6–7

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

The original text literally says, "the smallest thing." When we consider how God made great nations from the smallest of clans throughout Scripture, we see the answer to every concern is to trust in Him.

Isaiah 60:1, 3, 21–22

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
…
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
…
Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.
The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the LORD;
in its time I will hasten it.

In this sermon, Jesus calls God not only His Father but ours, and He invites us to see God as favorably disposed toward us the way any father would be toward his own children.

Matthew 7:9…11

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Jesus here continues to teach that His kingdom differs from human kingdoms in that it belongs not to those possessed of strength or wealth but to the humble, the poor, and the child-like in spirit. This teaching will persist through the rest of the gospel.

Luke 6:20

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

Luke 10:21

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."

Luke 18:16–17

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

The Old Testament also bears witness to this teaching, as in this example from Psalm 147:

Psalm 147:1–3, 10–14

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
…
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Again, the key characteristic of the person who receives the kingdom is a humble faith. The disciples following Jesus during His time on earth were granted access to the interpretation of the parables while the crowds had to understand them on their own—if they would understand them at all. But some of these disciples would become the Lord's apostles, and He knew we would all gain access through their writings. Still, spiritual truths are spiritually discerned and will remain hidden to those who are earthly minded.

Matthew 13:10–14, 16–17

Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled….
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."