Matthew 6:19-34 "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness"

[김스데반]

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well."(33)

    Today's passage is his teaching about material life. If we live a holy, spiritual life and live for gospel work, do we become more and more unrelated to material? I really hope so, but in fact material has a great influence on our life of faith. Some neglect their life of faith because of their greed of material, and others mess up their life of faith because of their serious worry about material. In short, only those who deal with material life well can succeed in their life of faith. We should succeed in our material life if we also want to have mature character and live a successful life. Through today's study I pray that we may become mature by having a right attitude toward material.

1. Store up treasures in heaven (19-24)

   In verses 19-20 Jesus says that we should not store up for ourselves treasures on earth but in heaven. Here 'treasures' refer to money or property. Broadly speaking, our body, talent or time also becomes treasures. 'Storing up treasures on earth' means to save them for ourselves or to use them to gain worldly things. What then does it mean to 'store up treasures in heaven'? Of course, it does not mean to prepare our traveling expenses for the kingdom of heaven or to save money to use in heaven. It means to use our treasures for God and his work. Our money or talent does not go away if we use it for God. Rather, it is stored up in the kingdom of heaven.

   So what Jesus wanted to teach here was for what we should use our money. Regarding making money and gaining profit, people study a lot and struggle a lot. In college, the department of business administration and the department of economics are becoming very popular. Dongguk University has a plan to get rid of a few departments of basic science such as math or physics, but the departments of business administration and of economics are not affected at all. These days all kinds of financial products are being introduced and there are several kinds of financial technology to increase one's property. College students are getting crazy about stock investment. In order to check stock fluctuations, they do not let go of their lap top computers even while walking on campus. Some parents teach their children about how to increase their property even from their elementary school days.

   But in regards to how to use money after getting it, they do not study or struggle that much. As a result, there are many who have lots of money and mess up their life as they do wrong with it or use it recklessly. Then what did Jesus say about how to use money? He said that we should store up treasures in heaven, not on earth. In other words, he said that we should use money not for ourselves or to gain worldly things but for the things to please God. Why?

   First of all, it is not safe to store up money on earth. Why do people try to store up money on earth? Of course, if we have lots of money and use it as we want, the pleasure will be great. But in reality even if they want to use money, people try to endure and save it because they want to have something to guarantee their future against possible hardships. In short, the reason people try to store up treasures on earth is for their security.

   However, Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." I am not sure if you know what moth and rust are. Moth is an insect which usually gnaws wood, paper and something like that. Rust is a bluish poison that forms on copper. Once the poison spreads all over, coins made of copper become unusable. Nowadays moth and rust are prevented thanks to the development of storing methods and means. There are also we--developed burglarproof facilities. Most of all, financial institutes such as banks are safe and if we deposit our money there, it bears interest and mounts up. But I have seen a lay shepherd who went bankrupt overnight. Before that, he made much money and had to suppress his broad smile. But when he failed to pay a bill once, his bank accounts became empty overnight and he was put in jail. No place is safe in the world. Furthermore, what is the point if the owner of the money becomes sick or dead?

   Therefore, what is wise is not to store up treasures on earth but to store up them in heaven, that is, to use them for God and his work. I don't mean to object to saving money or encourage overconsumption. Saving is necessary and overconsumption should be removed. But the thought itself that money can keep us safe is foolish. True safety lies in the hands of God, the creator of life and the manager of all creatures. What we should do is just to use our treasures in a valuable way for the sake of God and store them up in heaven.

   In 1Tim 6:17-19, apostle Paul said, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

   Second, where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. In verse 21, Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Let me tell you an interesting story. A noble in Scotland recruited soldiers and engaged in the crusade war. But his soldiers would not fight at all because they were frightened. After consideration, the noble took a box of gold which he had brought from his home and threw it into the enemy's camp. Then his soldiers rushed at the enemy and fought fiercely. Why did they suddenly become courageous? It was because they wanted to take the gold box. This real story tells us well that where material is, there our hearts will be also. For what we use our money is important because where we spend money, our hearts will be also. So material problem comes down to our hearts' problem.

   One's heart is the place where his thinking and direction to go are decided. So if we use money only for ourselves and to gain worldly things, then our thinking naturally becomes self-centered and worldly. As a result, we become evil out of greed and also waver in faith along with the decaying world. On the other hand, if we use money for God, then our heart naturally goes toward the Lord and we come to put our hope in the Lord. As a result, we receive happiness which comes from the Lord and also resemble him in character.

   For better explanation, Jesus compared our hearts to our eyes. Look at verses 22-23. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" One day an American sheep asked Missionary Sarah Jung, my sister in Chicago, a question with a worried look. "Your eyes are so small. What can you see?" Asians' eyes are very small. In particular, our President's eyes are really small. But he said, "Though my eyes are small, I see all I gotta see." There is a saying, "If our body is rated as ten, our eyes will be nine." Though our eyes are very small, their role is more important than any other organ of our body. If our eyes are not good, our whole body will wander in darkness like a blind. Our hearts are like these eyes. If our hearts are dark, our whole life will wander in darkness. In other words, if our spiritual eyes are covered up with material, we lose our discernment and our values become muddy. We become spiritually blind. Then our life is supposed to fall into darkness. Therefore, we should not store up our treasures on earth but in heaven.

   Third, we cannot serve both God and money because if we do so we become a slave to money. Jesus said in verse 24, "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money."

   Some say, "Isn't it better if we have lots of money and also serve God well?" But the problem is that man is supposed to be devoted to the one, money or God. We are supposed to spend more money for the one, money or God. Only after acknowledging this fact can we have a right attitude toward money. Even if some who are very cool-headed and strong on the inside can serve both God and money, God does not want that kind of serving. God is the absolute being. God wants us to serve only him absolutely. We cannot serve anything along with him. A minute ago we learned that our material problem comes down to our hearts' problem. Now here we can learn that our material problem comes down to our faith problem about what to serve and worship.

   Serving money as one's Lord is called 'Mammonism.' We despise Mammonism but we could easily become Mammonists. I heard that nowadays more and more Christians say, "God blessed our family and gave us this fridge of the newest type. What don't you also pray that God may bless you?" If the rumor is true, then those Christians who judge God's blessing according to how up-to-date their fridge is are Mammonists who serve Mammon even though they appear to serve God on the outside. I pray that we may use our material for God with the heart of worshiping God, not worshiping material.

   Up to now we have studied the importance of for what we use money. Possessing material is not a bad thing but we should not allow material to possess our hearts and become our Lord. I pray that we may be saved from material by using it for God and his work, rather than trying to store it up in the world or to use it to gain things in the world. When we make an offering, I pray that we may not just give money but correct our attitude toward material and renew the heart of loving God, rather than money.

2. Do not worry (25-34)

   The above-studied passage is basically for those who are rich enough to store up money. But actually those who listen to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount were mostly the poor. Thanks to the Lake of Galilee the province of Galilee was relatively more fertile than the other provinces in Israel but most of the land was owned by landowners who lived in the land of Judah. So the people of Galilee had to farm the land as a tenant or just fish in the Lake of Galilee for a living. Furthermore, Jesus' disciples left their boat and parents to follow Jesus. What about Jesus whom they followed? One day a man said that he would follow Jesus. Then Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."(Mt 8:20) Jesus was that poor. Jesus' disciples might not have wanted to be rich but at least their livelihood problem itself was desperate. Jesus said to them, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear."(25a)

   Jesus said, "Do not worry." Why did his disciples not have to worry? Jesus continued, "Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Food is necessary to keep our life and maintain our health. Here what matters is our life and food is just necessary for our life. Clothes are also necessary to cover our body and keep off the cold. Here what matters is our body and clothes are just necessary for our body. Therefore, we need food and clothes just as much as we need. But in reality people regard food as more important than their life. They agonize and worry as they try to eat what is more delicious and what is more special on the better plates in the better atmosphere. They also regard clothes as more important than their body. They worry as they try to wear what is more gorgeous, what is better in quality and what is more famous in brand name in order to keep up with the fashion. They also worry to make a good figure for the clothes.

   There is a term 'relative poverty.' It refers to worries which arise not because we do not have what is necessary but because we feel some lack, compared to others. I think there are not many among us who want to live luxurious. But there are many who worry, 'If I am lower in quality than others as college graduates, how shameful it will be! How can I bear the shame?' But what if we know that our life is more important than food and our body is more important than our clothes? What if we can be thankful and satisfied that we can live a healthy life and at least wear enough not to feel cold? Most of our worries will be gone. All in all, our worries come from greed that we want to live well and wear gorgeously, regarding food and clothes as more important than our life and body.

   Now in verse 26 Jesus said pointing to the birds in the sky, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Birds do not worry. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. As a result, do they startve? No! God himself feeds them. Jesus asked his disciples again, " Are you not much more valuable than they?"(26b)

   In verses 28-30 Jesus said pointing to the lilies of the field. Lilies do not labor or spin. But not even Solomon in Splendor is dressed like one of the lilies. Therefore, Jesus said, "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"(30)

   We need food for our life. We need clothes for our body. But we do not have to worry because of them. God himself gives us all. In verse 30, Jesus rebuked, "O you of little faith!" In the end, we worry because we do not have faith that God himself feeds us and dresses us. People think it is natural to worry. They think it is strange not to worry. But in light of Jesus' word, worry comes from greed and unbelief. Worry is a spiritual sin. Therefore, Jesus ordered his disciples, "Do not worry!"(25) He rebuked them, "O you of little faith!"(30).

   In verse 27 Jesus asked, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" If we became taller by worrying, then I would not be small like this. Actually, if we worry, we do not become taller but rather smaller. Worrying gives us nothing good. Its effect is only harmful. The original Greek word for 'Worry' means 'Split.' Indeed, worrying splits man's heart. It makes us look back at the world again and again even if we are following God. It makes our hearts complicated so we cannot serve God with all our hearts.

   Not only that, if our worries go far, our life becomes disgraceful. Abraham obeyed God's calling but began to worry when there was a famine in Canaan. So he left the promised land and went down to Egypt. When he got there, he also worried that the Egyptians might kill him because of his beautiful wife. So he said that his wife was his sister. Pharaoh had a good feeling toward her and thanks to this Abraham lived well. Because of his worry he became shameful and disgraceful. However, one day he went to war to rescue his nephew Lot and brought back not only Lot but also all the other people of Sodom and their possessions. The king of Sodom welcomed and said, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." But Abraham replied, "I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'"(Gn 14:23) He believed that God would give him everything. He did not want to have even a thread unless it was given by God. As a result, he became the source of blessing and enjoyed God's blessing.

   Some follow God but worry too much not believing God. They are troubled day and night and eventually forsake God, mumbling, "Nonetheless, money is the best." Without faith worrying becomes a habit. Just as Shepherd Choi Young said, the more we worry the more our worries grow. But Jesus said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."(34) We should make a habit not of worrying but of giving thanks and being satisfied and have faith to entrust tomorrow to God.

   Then do we have to just lie down doing nothing or play all the time, rather than worry? No! Christians have the things to do instead of worrying. Look at verse 33. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Christians should seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness while the pagans who do not know God worry. Here seeking God's kingdom is to serve gospel work. Seeing his righteousness means to learn God's word and struggle to put the truth into practice. In particular, Jesus said that we should 'first' seek God's kingdom and his righteousness. He teaches that we should first serve God's work, learn God's word and obey it. Of course, we want to do so but as long as we live in the world we have to make a living and educate our children. If only this problem is solved to some degree, we want to serve gospel work all day long and study God's word and obey it all day long. What then should we do with the matter of making a living and educating our children? Jesus continued to say in verse 33, "and all these things will be given to you as well." Jesus promised that if we first seek God's kingdom and his righteousness, he will give us all necessary things for our daily life.

   We have worries, whether small or big. Right now students worry about their finals. But if they begin to consider their future, their worries will be endless. Once they think of the matter of getting a job after graduation, they cannot sleep. Their parents think that they are the most capable men in the world so they have great expectation about them which is beyond their reach. Though they don't show their agony since they don't want to disappoint them, they are worrying deeply. They worry if they should go out as a missionary or not. Even if they decide to go, they worry if they can bear the missionary life. Also, though they don't talk about that, they are worrying about who they will marry. Students might think 'If only I become a lay shepherd, so if I get a job and my future direction is decided and I get married, then a lot of my worries will be gone. But lay shepherds have more of the things to worry because of their company problem, housing problem, children education problem, marriage fund-making problem and the problem of security for their old age. Shepherd Shin Joseph is a public servant who is the most stable job. The other day as he shared his testimony, however, he said that he was worrying about what to do in 20 years. Now that I think of myself, I also have many worries. Of course, I don't worry much about how to make a living. But I am often overwhelmed by worries when I think of our lay shepherds, missionaries and how to raise up their children. Worries are limitless and endless. Therefore, Jesus says to us, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."

I  n history, those who made great achievements have all entrusted their livelihood problem to God; rather, they first sought God's kingdom and his righteousness and had no time to worry about it. Noticeably, none of them were starved to death or poorly clothed. I worried a lot about Shepherd Lee Concentration because he often lost his job. But he himself did not appear to worry much perhaps because they were disciplined a lot for such problems. He just prayed every early morning and first wrote daily bread first of all every morning. His coworker took care of CBF kids with her bright face. Then God granted him the fairly solid job this time. He even bought a house. Indeed, God gave them 'all these things.'

   We often hear the mission report from the missionaries who visited home in Korea. Somehow, they all say the same thing that they could have the foundation of faith as a missionary as they experienced the word, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." People want to serve God's work only after solving their problems to worry and being relieved. But in reality these kinds of people come to waste their life out of greed and worry rather than serve God's work. Only after having faith that God will give us all these things can we manage great works by faith.

   Conclusion:

   We, Koreans, elected so called 'Economy President.' He always shouts for 'Pragmatism.' What is pragmatism? Isn't it the thought of first seeking our livelihood rather than seek God's kingdom and his righteousness? We, Koreans, are all sick with materialism. People are all interested in how to increase their money and our parents persecute us, saying with sighs, "Why are you not trying to increase your money?" Through all these things, our greed and worry arise and grow.

   But when God created man in the beginning, he gave him mission and promised that he himself would feed them(Gn 1:28-30). In other words, a true life is to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. The secret of living a successful life is also to believe that God will give us all these things and to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. When we are young, before we are too worn with worry and too enslaved by greed to be free from them, I pray that we may have this faith. Whether we are rich or poor, I pray that we may succeed in our material life so that we can live a life worthy of being Jesus' disciples.