The Sermon On The MountExemple

There is one special “god” that competes with God, and Jesus names it – Mammon. 

Jesus warns against two things, both related to wealth, that can come in the way of seeking true righteousness: our wants (vv.19-24) and our needs (vv.25-34). 

Jesus’s warning with regard to our wants is that we should not serve money. Jesus’ point here must not be misunderstood. Jesus is not against us possessing wealth, but against wealth possessing us; he is not against wealth in the hand, but against wealth in the heart; he is not against wealth as our servant, but against wealth as our master; he is not against our earning or saving wealth, but against our yearning for or serving wealth.

With regard to our needs, Jesus tells us not to worry. Again, we must be careful that we do not misunderstand Jesus. Notice what Jesus does not say: he does not say, “Do not earn,” “Do not save,” “Do not plan,” “Do not think,” or “Do not work.” He says, “Do not worry.”

Jesus also tells us to look at the birds of the air, how God feeds them; and at the lilies of the fields, how God clothes them. So how does God do it? Well, God does it, not by stretching forth his hand literally and they – the birds and the flowers – receiving everything passively and lazily. No. God provides food – fruits, nuts, fish, etc. – in nature, and it is for the birds to seek them out. Similarly, God provides sun, soil, and supplements in nature which the flowers of the field draw upon. In the same manner, God normally provides the resources for our needs in the resources around us, which we extend ourselves to draw upon to meet our needs.