Matthew 6:19-34
6:20 a treasures in heaven: This was a common image for Jews of Jesus’ day; doing God’s commands became virtually equivalent to accumulating treasures with God. The context (6:19 b; Luke 12:33 c) suggests that Jesus primarily had acts of charity in mind.6:22 d Your eye is like a lamp: It gives light to the body and so enlightens the entire person.
• Healthy means morally healthy, with simple, wholehearted devotion to God (6:24 e). Here it connotes generosity.
6:24 f The term for money (traditionally mammon) is an Aramaic term for profits or material possessions. Since God tolerates no rivals, Jesus repeatedly warns of the danger of accumulating riches (13:22 g; 19:16-30 h; 26:14-16 i; 27:3-10 j; 28:11-15 k), which can be an idol (see Eph 5:5 l; Col 3:5 m). We must trust God to meet our needs (Matt 4:3-4 n; 6:8 o, 11 p, 25-34 q; 7:7-11 r; 10:9-14 s; 14:15-21 t; 15:32-38 u), and the community of disciples is to be mutually supportive (6:2-4 v; 10:40-42 w; 19:21 x; 23:23-24 y; 25:31-46 z; 26:6-13 aa; 27:57-61 ab).
Summary for Matt 6:25-34: 6:25-34 ac Jesus taught an anxiety-free existence of simple trust in God for provisions. Jesus’ disciples had abandoned all (4:18-22 ad; 9:9 ae; 10:5-14 af); Jesus gave them comforting reassurance that God would provide for their needs.
6:26 ag Jesus’ logic progresses from lesser to greater: If the Father tends to birds (the lesser), and the disciple is far more valuable to him (the greater), then he will certainly tend to the disciples’ needs (see also 10:29-31 ah).
6:30 ai Little faith results from the failure to understand one’s value to God and the extent of God’s providential protection.
6:32 aj unbelievers (literally Gentiles): Those who fail to know God and follow his will (see also 20:19 ak).
• your heavenly Father already knows: Prayer does not inform God about needs; it expresses trust in his provision.
6:33 al Here Jesus gives the positive alternative to worrying. Single-minded commitment to God and seeking his reign through Christ (see 6:19-24 am) must be the primary concern of Jesus’ disciples.
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