Day 6: The Sermon on the Mount, Part 2

6:1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.6:2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 6:4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 6:5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 6:7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 6:8 Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. 6:9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. 6:10 Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 6:11 Give us today our daily bread. 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 6:16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 6:18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 6:19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. 6:25 Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 6:26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? 6:27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? 6:28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, 6:29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith? 6:31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 6:32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 6:33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 6:34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

The Sermon on the Mount, which began in chapter five, continues here in chapter six. It is full of advice, set before us in a very straightforward and understandable presentation. Perhaps we could sum it up in a few phrases:

1. Giving and Hypocrisy


2. Praying and Hypocrisy


3. Simplicity in Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer


4. Fasting and Hypocrisy


5. Earthly versus Heavenly Treasure


6. Light versus Darkness


7. God and Mammon


8. Important versus Unimportant Needs

Each one of these phrases would be a profitable study. The amount of time required to do that in for daily blog entry makes that extremely impractical! But two points intrigue me; so, with your indulgence, I will explore them a bit more. Before that, a quick observation about verse 19ff. It says, “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal…” Notice the action of the thieves. It’s not “break in,” as we would say today. It’s “break through.” (Well, OK, in some versions, it is, “break in”; but the point remains the same.) The Greek text uses a word which, translated, actually says, where thieves dig through and steal. When you consider that many of the dwelling places in which people live at that time had walls made of earth, to “dig through” and steal wasn’t that hard – all you needed was a lookout and a little bit of time!

How is the eye the lamp of the body? How does a eye that is sound fill you with light, while an eye that is evil fill you with darkness?

St. John Chrysostom tells us that our Lord is teaching us concepts that we would not ordinarily comprehend if He immediately went to the main point. Instead, we learn from the analogy, talking about the health or disease of the body, in order to then comprehend the health or disease of our mind, and then the health or disease of our soul – for these are all connected. When the eyes are blinded, he says, most of the energy of the other parts of the body is quenched as well. The same is true when the mind is depraved; the rest of life is filled with countless evils. As the eye is to the body, so is the mind to the soul. If the organ by which we see light is put out or clouded over, then we cannot see clearly, and so are at risk. When we take the ability to reason and understand, given to us by God to drive away ignorance, and to make correct decisions, so as to avoid what might cause us injury, and neglect or misuse this gift to try to obtain what is unnecessary and useless (in terms of life, not in this world, but rather in the kingdom of heaven), then the light in us is darkness – that is, no light at all. The mind has the power to control the passions; but when we misuse our minds, we rob them of this power; and then, how great is the darkness within us then? We are blinded by our wicked desires; and only our Lord Jesus can restore our sight to us.

The other phrase that particularly draws my attention right now would actually be a subset of the “Important vs. Unimportant” category; specifically, verse 33: “But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We need to see that, in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord is building upon earlier ideas to bring us to the core of what needs to be done. He began this part of the teaching by calling us to turn aside from the treasures of this world and to devote ourselves to setting aside for ourselves treasures in heaven. After all, the wealth of this world will not endure; nor can anyone take anything of material value with them when they depart from this life. What good, then, is wealth? We want to be rich, He says, so that we can obtain whatever it is that we desire: food, drink, clothing, and so on. He connects with the discourse about the eye and light, and warns us about allowing our spiritual and moral vision to become clouded, or even lost, by pursuing what is unnecessary, even harmful. We were not born to eat, or to drink, or to wear fine clothing; we were born to worship and glorify God. When we grasp this, and learn to set our souls to labor for that purpose, rather than a worldly one, we are set free from anxiety about such things. The Lord knows what we need, better than we know ourselves; and He will provide what we need to do our part in bringing about our salvation. Our attention, our energy, even our prayers, are to be to the end of coming to dwell in the kingdom of God, and helping others to do the same; and when we do this, whatever else we need will be given to us, as well. (And if we didn’t get it, it’s because we didn’t need it – but you have to learn to put aside the anxiety of, “what will I do if I don’t?” – and then you will find peace in the midst of the worst of circumstances.) May God grant that this will be so for us all!

Scripture texts are taken from the World English Bible.