Therefore: Anxious Questions about Life

Matthew 6:25-34

Clear Water in Haiti

             “Therefore I tell you, 

                              do not be anxious about your life, 

                                                 what you will eat or

                                                 what you will drink,

                                   nor                   about your body,

                                                 what you will put on.

                                      Is not life    more than food,

                                   and the body more than clothing?

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air:

                 they neither sow

                              nor reap

                              nor gather into barns,

                    and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

                  Are you not of more value than they? 

²⁷ And which of you by being anxious

                 can add a single hour to his span of life? 

²⁸ And why are you                anxious     about clothing?

Day Lilies at Multnomah University

  Consider the lilies of the field,

                 how they grow:

                        they neither toil

                               nor spin, ²⁹ 

                  yet I tell you, 

                        even Solomon in all his glory

            was not arrayed like one of these. 

³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field,

              which today is alive and

                  tomorrow is thrown into the oven,

       will he not much more

                         clothe you, 

                                O you of little faith? 

³¹                Therefore do not be anxious, saying,

                                                  ‘What shall we eat?’ or

                                                  ‘What shall we drink?’ or

                                                  ‘What shall we wear?’ 

³² For the Gentiles seek after all these  things,

                     and your heavenly Father knows

               that you need them all. 

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God

                                     and his righteousness, 

                                     and    all these things

                                                    will be added to you.

If I was to ask you to tell me the theme of the passage you just read, what would you say? Pretty simple right? Do not be anxious! Jesus uses the word anxiety (Greek, merimnao) four times; two times showing its futility and twice commanding his disciples not to allow it to control their lives. However, giving a command to not be anxious is something like telling a little boy not to run, or a Gen-Z not to check their phone. While there are some people who don’t worry about much, for the rest of us, ever since the fall of mankind, it seems to be our very nature when faced with stressful circumstances. So how should we understand this section? Are we supposed to gut it out, willing ourselves not to worry about the pink elephant in the room? No. The context helps us immensely. Remember that this section is part of a larger discourse. Not only is it part of a larger message, but it begins with that wonderful word, “therefore”.

As all expositors will tell you, when you see the word “Therefore” in the text you need to ask the question, “What is it there for?”

Therefore serves as a logical and literary connection to the previous section 6:19-24 (See my previous post “Don’t you Be Hound-dogging!”) and to all of this great sermon up to this point.

I love D. A. Carson’s summary of the connection between this section on “do not be anxious” and the previous one about serving only one master.

Because transient earthly treasures do not satisfy and do not last (6:19-21),

Because moral and spiritual vision is easily distorted and darkened (6:22-23),

Because a choice must be made between God and Money (6:24),

Because the kingdom of God demands unswerving allegiance to its values (6:19-24),

Therefore do not worry, and in particular do not worry about mere things. (D.A. Carson,  Sermon on the Mount, 87)

Do Not Be Anxious about your life…

What is it we value most? What captures our attention? The previous paragraph warns us that we can only serve one master—so who will it be?

In his teaching Jesus began to ask a number of rhetorical questions that if not rhetorical might ironically produce some test anxiety! But this teaching by asking questions was normal within the rabbinic tradition. Let’s walk through his question-and-answer argument against anxiety.

Jesus asks some “anxious questions”, not because he was worried, but because we tend to be. These questions are quite philosophical, theological, and practical.

1) Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (v.25)

Jesus is teaching his disciples that we are more than what we consume. We are not merely creatures of consumption. Likewise, Our body is more than our appearance in the eyes of others. If as Carson pointed out, we belong to the kingdom of heaven then we must not allow worldly things to control or enslave our lives.

2) Are you not of more value than they? (v.26)

Do we realize that we are more valuable than birds? The value is in the price that God in Christ was willing to pay for us. Do we live as though we believe what Jesus and the kingdom of heaven say about us?

3) And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (v.27)

The word translated “life” in this verse can refer to the length of one’s life or to their physical height. Carson translates it in light of both meanings like this, “Who of you by worrying can add to the pathway of his life a single cubit?” (Carson, Sermon on the Mount, 97).

4)  And why are you anxious about clothing? (v.28)

While clothing was counted in your net worth in the time of Christ, it had been so since at least the time of the conquest under Joshua when Achan stole the Babylonian garment that resulted in the defeat at Ai (Joshua 7). Jesus is the true source of our covering and our attractiveness. He covers our nakedness and cleanses our impurities. Jesus uses the wildflowers of Israel as an example. After a rain the valleys bloom quickly with color but soon they are burned by the heat of the sun. So…

5) But if God so clothes the grass… will he not much more clothe you? 

Flowers are beautiful…but only for a moment. This is a literary device arguing from the lesser to the greater. Flowers are clothed in splendor beyond any way we might try to “array” ourselves. But God will clothe us more gloriously if we will trust him to do so. Is this not applied meekness? We like to look good in front of our peers, but will we allow God to clothe us? It is appropriate that Jesus addresses this passage to, “O you of little faith.” I think that means it is for us!

Two Conclusions: Therefore…

Do not be anxious in your attitude or your speech … [“for out of the heart the mouth speaks” Luke 6:45] Do we sound like fearful people who are always in a panic at the latest news, chattering rapid-fire, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ or are we people of peace—not because of ideal circumstances but because of an ideal Lord? The beatitudes point us in the direction of the kingdom of heaven and here Jesus gives two reasons why we should be filled with peace rather than anxiety.

1. The Gentiles seek these things. In other words, the people without knowledge that they have a heavenly Father chase around focused on these things. You are to be different.
2. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. And we can trust Him to take care of us. We are to work and be responsible to steward wisely our money and our lives, all the while trusting in a Heavenly Father who loves us and calls us to peace in the midst of an anxious world. We are people who are to be known for our hope.

Ultimately, the “therefore” gives us the key to living free from anxiety. The key to avoiding anxiety is to put our first love first. (v.33)

                                                                                                  But seek first the kingdom of God [present imperative= command, unceasing quest]

                          and his righteousness, [committed to finding & doing God’s will]

                           and all these things     [material needs]

                             will be added to you.

Do not be anxious about your outlook for tomorrow

Why? Tomorrow will be anxious for itself. You can only be faithful in the moment. You only need to overcome the "right now". Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (v.34). Hope for tomorrow, trust for today…

³⁴              “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,

                                                                for tomorrow

                                      will be anxious for itself.

                         Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

“Don’t You be Hound-dogging!”

This week we spent time thinking through Matthew 6:19-24,

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

          where             moth and rust destroy and

          where thieves            break in and steal,

²⁰        but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

          where neither moth nor rust destroys and

          where thieves do not break in and steal.

²¹ For where             your           treasure is,

           there             your           heart will be also.

²²      “The eye is the lamp of the body.

So, if your eye is healthy,

         your whole body will be full of light, ²³ but

      if your eye is bad,

         your whole body will be full of darkness.

      If then the light in you             is darkness,

                              how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters,

             for either he will hate                the one       and love the other,

              or           he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

       You cannot serve God and money.

“Don’t you be hound-dogging here this summer!” the folksy mechanic exhorted me. I had just turned 20 and was working on the summer staff for a large Christian conference center in the mountains of California. The staff mechanic took the opportunity early on to warn me of the pitfalls of hound-dogging. Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about.

Squirrel Squeak Toys

“I see you young guys coming up here to serve the Lord in the camps and pretty soon you start thinking more about finding a girlfriend than about why you’re supposed to be here. You can’t chase after two things at the same time” he explained. If the “hound dog” is chasing two squirrels he can do it as long as they are going in the same direction, but when they split up he has to make a decision…which one does he want to follow more. His concern for me was that I be fully available to listen to the Lord and to do my work wholeheartedly and not allow my focus and my fervor to wander during those weeks of summer. It was really good advice that I might not have followed as carefully as he would have liked.

This week’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-24) is really talking about the same thing. It is filled with twos: two treasures, two storehouses, two eyes, two masters, two loves, and two destinies—all to make one point. No literally the point is “One.” We can only have one treasure so pick the kind that lasts forever. There is nothing wrong with having storehouses (Joseph built lots of them in Genesis 41) the problem is the purpose for our storehouse (See Luke 12:13-21). Is it for ourselves or a part of God’s plan to bless and preserve others?

Our two eyes only work correctly when they have a single focus. The metaphor of the good/healthy eye most likely refers not to generosity but to having one true focus or source of light so we should pick the one filled with the light of heaven to dispel the dark around us. If we are full of light that means that we not only have light within ourselves but become a source of light for others.

Jesus says that we can only serve one master, so whom will we love? One of my first jobs was working in a buffet restaurant had two managers—a father and a son—who wanted things done very differently. So whom do you please? Usually neither.

Those of us in Western Christianity are good at compartmentalizing our lives. We are addicted to multi-tasking…and we think that it makes us get more done when studies show that it doesn’t. We do the same thing when it comes to our devotion. We think we can hound-dog after the world’s values with this part of our lives while we follow after Jesus with that other part of our life that we too often put on autopilot (to mix a dangerous metaphor). Jesus talked instead about our “whole body” and how it will either be either “full” of light or darkness.

Lots of twos, to make one point. What is our treasure? To whom do we look? Who will we love and serve?

Forks in the road will force the choice if we haven’t made it already. The pressure points of alluring opportunities and of tragic circumstances will reveal what is in us as a result of that choice. It may be shocking to us when we see our devotion for what it is.

 Colossians 3:1-2 points us in the right direction,

        If then you have been raised with Christ,

               seek the things that are above,

                                                   where Christ is,

                    seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above,

                   not on things that are on earth

In Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus had an encounter with someone claiming full devotion to God, but who was holding something back. Jesus addresses the area of his life that was not surrendered.

v. 20-22 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Do we find ourselves trying to justify ourselves before the Lord and others? If so then perhaps the Spirit asks us the same question today that Jesus asked that young man on the road, “If you would be perfect…”. This “perfect” didn’t mean perfection in a divine way, or even an O/C perfectionistic kind of life, but perfect in the holistic sense of completeness, maturity, and an “all-in” kind of relational commitment. Jesus was testing his righteousness for the “greater than” that we have seen to be indicative of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20). Would he love money and what it brings, or Jesus and what he brings? He could only follow one. He “went away sorrowful.” Let us not continue to make the same mistake, but rather accept Jesus’ invitation.

When we examine ourselves as we collectively come before the Lord to partake of Holy Communion, let us consider the focus of our devotion and repent together.

“Intellectual belief is one thing, devotion is another. Love is an attitude at the core of being. To love and not be willing to sacrifice for those one loves is a contradiction in terms. Love is always a willing surrender of autonomy. As Christ observed: “Greater love has no one than this, than he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).”[1] 

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[1] Jim Forest, The Ladder of the Beatitudes, 147, emphasis mine.

Rethinking “Don’t Talk to Strangers!”

In my recent post, Love…Kick It Up a Notch, on Matthew 5:43-48 I don’t think that I gave adequate attention to v. 47, and so I will attempt to do it justice in a post of its own.

            And if you greet only your brothers, 

                         what more are you doing than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

                      You therefore                must be perfect,

                               as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Cardinal Rules

Let's take a moment to think about all the "cardinal rules" that we try to instill in our children for their safety and success. How many can you list? Here are a few I remember: “Look both ways before you cross the street”, “Use your manners”, “Wash your hands after going to the bathroom”, “Don’t play with fire” [“Stop, Drop, and Roll” when fire plays with you], “Cover your mouth when you sneeze” are a few. Then there is the dire warning “Don’t talk to strangers!” It is the medieval bogeyman warning clothed in our post-modern fears. While this protective advice is well intended, studies have shown that it is not usually strangers that are the predatory child abusers, but those who groom children and families from within their circle of trust. So what about our not talking to strangers? Kids should probably not talk to adult strangers without their parents present, but they should feel free to speak to other kids their age freely.

I wonder if our deeply ingrained childhood mores of “stranger danger” carry over into our adult lives and work against the declared mission of God? I think it might be part of the problem.

Gracious, If Not Gregarious Greetings

I don’t want to skip over passages like Matthew 5:47, even though they may be uncomfortable for introverts like myself. The Apostle Paul’s normal greeting involved the customary Jewish blessing of “Peace” with the addition of “Grace” from God through Jesus Christ. How do we greet others? Do we speak encouragingly to strangers or just to those in our circle? Do we deem some as not worthy of our greeting?

I often wonder how many people I see during the day have no one actually speak to them beyond taking their coffee order. Likewise, how many human tragedies could be prevented simply by taking time to sincerely greet people and to listen to their stories? Jesus says that his kingdom of heaven kind of love reaches beyond our comfortably narrow cultural circles to touch those in the margins. Do we have that kind of love? Jesus when he healed the leper touched him…the thing that he would have been longing for.

Sociologically, we are predisposed to associate with those most like us. However, Jesus challenges our preferred circle of connections. His challenge to perfection implies that we relate to people as he does. Does God talk to strangers? I think so…

• Jesus had a conversation with a “relationally-challenged” Samaritan woman at a well outside of Sychar (John 4:1-43). He broke all social and cultural barriers of his day in doing so. How did it turn out? Messy, it cost him 48 hours, but cool in that “many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony… And many more believed because of his word.” (v.39-42)
• Jesus sent a large group of his disciples out into all the towns and villages to proclaim the good news of the kingdom to people (Matthew 10:5-14; Luke 9:1-6). They were to greet those they met with a greeting of peace, and if that person was a man of peace or if peace was in that household then their greeting of peace would remain upon them like a blessing.
• Philip had a conversation with an Ethiopian eunuch who was driving by on a dusty road (Acts 8:26-40). How did that turn out? He helped to answer the deep spiritual questions the man was wrestling with and saw an immediate transformation as evidenced by his baptism and rejoicing
• Paul spoke to a crippled stranger at Lystra and healed him (Acts 14:8-18). How did that turn out? The man was healed and the whole city thought they must be gods come to earth and wanted to offer sacrifices to them. This response by the people resulted in much more frantic “talking to strangers” on the part of Paul and Barnabas, to clear up the misunderstanding.
• On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), Jesus spoke to two disciples while in the disguise of a stranger. Even though he really knew who they were, he asked, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” (v.17) His question gently broke into their moment of grief and despair. They were stunned and didn’t know how to answer at first because of their sadness. They couldn’t imagine that their pain was not common knowledge to all. Jesus teased out a further explanation with the simple question, “What things?” before confronting their error and explaining how the whole Old Testament spoke about him (v.27).

So what are the lessons that we can learn from examples like these?

• Sometimes talking to strangers is fruitfully counter-cultural.
• Sometimes talking to strangers prepares their heart to hear Jesus.
• Sometimes our conversation is a divine appointment.
• Sometimes talking to strangers has unforeseen consequences.
• Sometimes talking to strangers can answer deep concerns they have been carrying and restore their hope.

Sometimes, in fact, often, talking to strangers opens up a can of worms that we would just as soon avoid. Yet, it can be worth it. If we take Jesus’ words seriously, he not only tells us to “talk to strangers” but commissions and sends us out to do so (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 2:47-48; Acts 7:8).

So, how wide is our love? How big is our circle? Where do we draw the line about who we talk to? Do we draw the line at our front door? Or do our “greetings” stop at the church door, the socio-economic door, or maybe at the ethnicity, language, and citizenship doors? Jesus doesn’t draw such lines. Sure, he came first to the sheep of the house of Israel—but only to fulfill the prophetic plan to bring the blessing of God to the whole world. 

We live in a world that is self-focused and task-oriented enough that we might walk past many people in the course of a day without noticing the image of God in them. So honestly, as followers of Christ, how different are we from those who don’t know the gospel of the kingdom? If the answer is, “Not very,” then have we really heard and obeyed the message Jesus spoke? Not hardly!

Bloggers talk to strangers all the time…but from behind the safety glass and avatars of the internet. Most of us don’t know who, if anyone is reading our work. There are a few people who comment, but only a small percentage. Ironically, as I was writing this article I greeted a stranger sitting at another table at Starbucks and ended up having a divine appointment with the man, who turned out to be a children’s pastor visiting America from West Africa. It didn’t help me finish this post, but it helped me to believe it!

Seven simple suggestions for our conversations:

1. Ask engaging questions without interrogating (Acts 8:30 and other examples above).
2. Listen carefully and prayerfully (James 1:19-20).
3. Let our speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt (John 1:14; Col. 4:5-6).
4. Be humble, not proud (Luke 14:11; Matt 23:12; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
5. Don’t argue about foolish things (2 Timothy 2:23-26).
6. Proclaim the good news (talk about Jesus) through your testimony (Mark 1:38; Acts 4:13-20 ).
7. Be prepared to give a winsome answer for our hope (1 Peter 3:8-16).

So when was the last time we started a conversation with a stranger? Try asking God who you should talk to on his behalf today…and then do it.

Back To School

Each year when autumn approaches while some mourn the passing of summer, I feel a mental and emotional quickening. I can sense that it's Back-to-School time. I like the fun and the freedom of summer, but there is something invigorating about heading into autumn. The signs that the casual, laid-back, easygoing days of summer are drawing to a close are obvious...

• People scrambling to take last minute vacations.
• Young men gathering on football fields for conditioning and two-a-day practices.
• Parents taking their children to the mall for new school clothes.
• Stores sculpting mountains of school supplies into prominent displays.
• School bus drivers practicing their new routes swirling crispy leaves in their wake.

The transition from summer to school is, for many, quite an adjustment. One of the hardest things for me was that it meant that my days were no longer my own—I had to live my life by the schedule the school district set for me. Ironically, that was also one of the most rewarding aspects about going back to school. By the end of August, I was usually pretty bored and (though I wouldn't have admitted it) really looked forward to the challenging and purposeful pattern of the fall. I think that the same is true in the spiritual realm. Living unto ourselves is not fulfilling. It's hard to rearrange our days and live according to someone else's timetable, but, when it's God's schedule to which we conform our lives it's the most fulfilling thing we can do. 

There is a less pleasant option and that is to stop learning, stop growing, and stop participating in the great mission of God. That would be a waste for each and every one of us that make up the church.

It seems to me as though the signs of the times and the Word of God corroborate that the easy days of our long spiritual summer are drawing to a close. The Lord is calling His children Back-to-School. Is your heart beginning to sense that we are entering a new season in Christ? There are new things he wants us to learn; a new schedule he is calling us to follow; and new spiritual skills he is suggesting that we begin to practice more diligently! 

According to His Word, He is calling us to gather together relationally (Hebrews 10:25), to begin to condition ourselves in the Word and in prayer (2 Timothy 2:15), to put on our new school clothes (2 Corinthians 5:1-4; 1 Peter 5:5) and gather the supplies we will need (Philippians 4:19) to participate in his plan.

It is to my benefit that I enthusiastically submit my life to the Lord's back-to-school schedule, even if it means some early mornings and some late nights. I am reminded that:

• I have wasted enough time living for myself the way the ungodly do (1 Peter 4:3-4).
• I have been redeemed with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
• I am no longer my own (Romans 14:7-8).
• I have been given a great and purposeful commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
• I need to be redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-17), bear good fruit (John 15:8), and be alert, ready, and dressed for my Lord's return (Luke 12:46; Romans 13:11-12).
                                            

Waiting expectantly for the school bus,

Pastor Greg