Matthew 6:19-34 is a passage that contains some of Jesus’ most remembered words about wealth and the worries that it creates. However, in a world that is far more wealthy than Jesus’, we sometimes miss the thrust of the passage. In the modern United States (and the “West” in general), we associate wealth with “stuff”; more money means more toys and entertainment. When we think about people serving wealth (Mammon, 6:24) we picture modern consumerism. And indeed, modern consumerism and materialism are powerful idols that pull people away from following Jesus. I have no doubt in my mind that Jesus would absolutely reject our culture of consumerism. But He goes further than that in this passage. In Jesus’ time wealth first and foremost meant security. Frankly, there just weren’t as many goods to be consumed and for all but a select few consumer goods did not motivate the acquisition of wealth. Wealth was found in cattle, and fields and homes and the like, and not tv’s or fancy trips. But if you had wealth you were set apart from the other 90% of the world which lived at the subsistence level, always hoping and praying that the next crop would come in, or the next ship with goods to sell would make it and that famine or destitution would be averted.
The ultimate point then that Jesus is making is about security and trust. People wanted wealth because it meant security. In fact Jesus says the Gentile world sought material security over everything else (6:32). The questions Jesus puts on the lips of the Gentiles point to fears about survival: “Where will we find food, water and clothes?” (6:31). Jesus however claims that to seek security first is to live a life of worries, because the world is out of our control (6:27). And it is impossible to seek God and security at the same time, because they demand vastly different things (6:24). Rather, God’s children should trust in Him to provide what they need. He is, after all, our Heavenly Father (the Lord’s Prayer, 6:9), and as a good father He knows how to care for His people. Interestingly, the three items Jesus brings up (food, water and clothes) are exactly what God provided to Israel while they wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus. In the Exodus story, the Israelites main task was to be obedient, and allow God to make a way forward for them. Jesus is suggesting here that it will be no different for His disciples. They must place their focus on the goal: God’s Kingdom and righteousness (compare to the Promise Land of the Exodus) and trust God to provide them the resources they need to sustain them along the way.
It should be noted that Jesus is not saying that all thought for future planning or wise provision should be rejected. Jesus expected (as we’ll see later) His disciples to be good stewards of all that God gave them and to use their wealth for good. The point is that His disciples do not make future provision and security their goal, nor will they put their trust in material security. Their trust is to be in God alone, and their goal to obey Him without fail, and to allow Him to provide the means to sustain them.
This passage should raise a few questions for us:
What sorts of worries do we carry? Do any of our worries display a lack of trust in God’s provision or character as a good Father and provider?
In what places has God given us the opportunity to step outside of our security or comfort zone? Are we taking Him up on those opportunities?
How have we seen God provide in our lives? Do we allow His provision for us to take away our fears for the future?
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