Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part IV (con’t)

Verse 24: “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will turn you back to one in order to love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Wealth at the same time.”

Now that Jesus established we have a choice of either investing in God’s kingdom or the world’s kingdom, and that our hearts will gravitate to where our treasure is because our vision of reality is either focused on this world or the world to come, we might find ourselves being torn between the two. The two masters identified here are God and Mammon. Jewish scholars point to this contrast between the treasures of unrighteous Mammon as outlined by Solomon: “Wealth gained by doing wrong will not really help you, but doing right will save you from death,”¹ and, the treasures of righteousness laid up for the world to come is explained by Isaiah: “They shall be delivered up to the law: our salvation is our treasure: they are wisdom and knowledge and piety toward the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness.”² The NIV renders it, “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” We also read where one Rabbi asked: “What is meant by the verse, ‘and there will be faith in your times, strength, salvation, wisdom and knowledge?’³ ‘Faith’ refers to the Order of Seeds; ‘Your times’ to the Order of Festivals; ‘strength’ to the Order of Women; ‘salvation’ to the Order of Nezikin; ‘wisdom’ to the Order of Sacrifices; and ‘knowledge’ to the Order of Purity. Yet even so the fear of the Lord is his treasure⁴.”⁵

At this point we can see that God and Mammon are both treasures. One is divine and the other is earthly. Jewish writers compare this to the words of Jesus, in Luke, 12:33, 34, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and here in Matthew 6:19-24. They point out that Matthew 6:22-23 about the sincere eye and the evil eye was somehow misplaced in Luke 11:34-36. However, when we read Matthew 6:19-21 and then skip over to 6:24 it seems to go together. Therefore, it may be the scribe who translated Matthew’s Hebrew notes into Greek, who misplaced this portion on the eye. Regardless, there are several rabbinical sayings that also speak to this idea of how the eye perceives giving. One Jewish Rabbi stated, “He that gives a free offering should give with an ungrudging eye,” whereas the rich man who shows an evil grudging eye to the collectors of Alms, will lose his riches⁶.”⁷ They also point to wisdom literature as evidence that God lavishes His bounty in the same measure as men give.⁸ In one document we find where it says: “We have not found that any man is fit for two tables. He will have less affection and regard for the one, than for the other; since the service or orders of the one, are less agreeable to him than the others.”⁹

It was the general consensus in Jesus’ day that while there was nothing wrong with having riches. In fact, we read where one Rabbi says: “It is the religious requirement that the high priest be greater than his brethren in beauty, strength, wealth, wisdom, and appearance.”¹⁰ But for anyone who was greedy, flaunted what they possessed, and wanted more than they needed, the love of mammon best described that attitude. One early Church Father says: “For mammon is, according to the Jewish language, which the Samaritans also use, a covetous man, and one who wishes to have more than he really needs. In the Hebrew text, it is the addition of a syllable called ‘Mamuel’ that signifies someone whose stomach is insatiable. Therefore, according to both these things which are indicated, we cannot serve God and mammon.”¹¹ The English word “mammon,” is a transliteration of the Aramaic word “mamona.” a term which had come to mean “riches” but originally was derived from a root word which signified “trust and reliance.” As such, it referred to that in which one puts their trust, other than God.

While Jesus does not call mammon a god, nor does He equate mammon with God, there is little doubt that for some they have turned mammon into a god. One that they serve and worship as though it can make them free and save them in the end. We read an enlightening story about Rabbi Yohanan ben Torta who was asking why Shiloh and the Temple were destroyed. He agreed that the Jews were devoted to the Torah and were very meticulous about tithing. Nevertheless, they ended up in exile. Why? “Because they loved mammon and hated one another without cause.”¹² It is quite possible that Jesus was inspired in this teaching by what His Father said to Israel: “Adonai will make you the head and not the tail; and you will only be above, never below — if you will listen to, observe and obey the laws of Adonai your God and not turn away from any of the words I am ordering you today, neither to the right nor to the left, to follow after other gods and serve them.”¹³ So Jesus was using mammon in a way that most all of His listeners clearly understood as putting what they wanted from God before what God wanted from them.

Verse 25: “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it.”

Common sense would tell us that Jesus was not discouraging people from planning for the future, especially when scheduled events are on the calendar. The key word here is “worry.” The Greek word used means to be overly anxious and troubled by caring about what has not yet happened. My Psychology Dictionary defines anxiety this way, “A mood state characterized by worry, apprehension, and somatic symptoms. Similar to the tension caused when an individual anticipates impending danger, catastrophe, or misfortune. The threat the person is responding to may be real or imagined or internal or external. It may be an identifiable situation or a more vague fear of the unknown. The body often mobilizes itself to meet the threat, whether this is real or imagined: Muscles become tense, breathing becomes faster, and the heart beats more rapidly. Anxiety may be distinguished from real fear both conceptually and physiologically, although the two terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably in everyday language.” The Psalmist had an answer for this, “Give your worries to the Lord, and He will care for you. He will never let those who are good become rattled.”¹⁴

Well-known Christian lady Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered through the Nazi occupation of her home country, Holland, had this to say about it: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” I’ve often used the expression, that worry is like loading down your vehicle with everything you’ll need to build a bridge for rivers you will never have to cross. Sometime we get so caught up by the 12 hour cycle of night and day we forget that with God there are no days and night. Time with Him does not exist. That’s why He never sleeps or naps. No wonder Jesus said to leave each day as though it will never end. That way you won’t have to worry about tomorrow.

I once read about a farmer who discovered that a number of geese migrating to the south had landed by one of his ponds to refresh themselves. His kids were so excited they went out to feed them. Soon all of the geese but one took off for their destination. It wasn’t long before the lone geese was getting so fat from the free food that when it tried to fly it couldn’t. In the end, it became a nice dinner for the family. There are many things this world wants to feed us, but we are on a migration to a city whose builder and maker is God, and He will supply us with what we need just like He does the birds. Job stated, “He is the one who makes us smarter than any animal on earth and wiser than any bird.”¹⁵ And as David sang: “All living things look to You for their food, and You give them their food at the right time. You open your hands and give every living thing all that it needs.”¹⁶

Verses 26-27: Now Jesus continues with this subject of trust. “Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.”

This care for the animals He created was expressed by the Psalmist: “He gives food to the animals. He feeds the young birds that cry out.”¹⁷ Of course we know that this does not indicate that God actually hand-feeds the animals, but that He provided through creation the nutrition they needed. So far, science has not discovered an animal, fish or bird for which God did not also create their needed food. They even call it the “food chain.” As one Rabbi notes: “The Holy One, blessed be He, sits and sustains [all creatures], from the horns of while oxen to the eggs of vermin.”¹⁸ In other words, the horns of the oxen could not grow and the vermin could not produce offspring if God did not provide for them to live and grow.

Also, another Rabbi speaks of the Holy One as: “feeding the whole world, from the horned buffalo to the brood of vermin,”¹⁹ while another asks: “Have you ever seen…a deer engaged in gathering fruit, a lion carrying burdens, or a fox as a shopkeeper, yet they are sustained without trouble, as though they were created only to serve me, whereas I was created to serve my Maker.”²⁰ In addition, one Rabbi goes to great length to show that neither birds or animals are worth as much to God as man, so if He takes care of them, how much more will He take care of His highest creation.²¹ And a Rabbi adds to this that it is animals that are sacrificed during Passover for man, not man for the animals.²² This clearly shows who God finds more valuable to Him.

In looking at these illustrations of God’s care, even for the smallest of creatures, Augustine states: “These examples are not to be treated as allegories, so that we should inquire what the fowls of heaven or the lilies of the field mean: for they stand here, in order that we may be persuaded not to show so much concern for the small things in life but concentrate on the larger ones; just as is the case in regard to the judge who neither feared God nor regarded man, and yet yielded to the widow who often implored him to consider her case, not by properly dealing with it or just to getting rid of it, but that he might be saved from being annoyed by her. For that unjust judge does not in any way allegorically represent the person of God; but yet as to how far God, who is good and just, cares for those who petition Him, our Lord wished the reasoning to be drawn from this circumstance, that not even an unjust man can despise those who contend with him with unceasing petitions, even were his motive to do so was merely to avoid being annoyed²³.”²⁴

There is no evidence that God sent His Son to the cross in order to redeem birds, animals and flowers from any eternal damnation or punishment. Therefore, if His Son tells us that God cares enough for all His creatures that in His wisdom He provided for them as part of their environment, how much more will He supply those He did redeem by having His Son pay such a high price. But one thing we must never get infatuated by is just how much care our heavenly Father will provide down here for all those who love Him. After all, staying here is only our temporal goal until we have finished the course and done His will for our lives. Going there to be with Him should be every believer’s aim, and they have His blessed assurance that He will provide all that is needed to reach that point where they can say, “It is finished,” and He can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter in to the joys of eternal life.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part IV

Now Jesus segues from keeping our fasting and prayers a confidential matter between us and God, to referring to them as an investment in heaven. If we do all these things to impress our fellow believer, then it would be like putting money in a piggy bank. It’s always there for us to use but it is not gaining any interest. Such things are vulnerable to being misused and losing value. But when we use them as opportunities to invest in God’s kingdom, then they are safe to be used and depended on in times of need.

Jesus uses the moth as an example of how things can be destroyed. Even today we associate moths with eating clothes. The truth is, they don’t. It’s the baby moths we should be wary of. These hatched worms derive the proteins they need from keratin. In other words, virtually any organic fiber derived from an animal. And these worms have a big appetite. The full list of things clothes moth larvae can eat is extremely long. Basically they can eat and survive on virtually any natural fiber. They’ve been known to eat wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, linen, fur, feathers, hair, lint, carpets, the bristles of brushes, pet fur and even dust. On top of this, the larvae will also, if no food is present, cut through non-natural fibers like polyester. The fibers these larva eat eventually also ends up becoming a part of the cocoon it spins for itself so it can become a moth. This would suggest that by using a moth, Jesus was pointing to those who latch onto what anything they can find in this world and more or less become parasites. As one winner of a lottery put it about the moths in his family, “I had relatives I never knew or met coming out of the woodwork asking for money.”

It is also noteworthy to focus on the fact that Jesus does not describe these treasures, but He gives obvious clues for us to follow. Moths are insects that destroy cloth, and rust destroys metal. In Jesus’ day a king would fill his treasury with gold, silver and garments made of the best silk and other costly materials. In one Jewish commentary in the Book of Esther, we read that Haman was told: “Make ready, and go into the royal treasury and take from the wardrobe a purple covering, an apparel of fine silk, adorned with fringes and costly stones and pearls, having bells of gold on its four corners, and pomegranates on every side. Bring also from there the great golden Macedonian crown.”¹ So the metaphor of where treasures were kept was something Jesus’ Jewish listeners could relate to, especially the need to safeguard them from being destroyed by parasites and decay.

But Jesus used this to point to another treasury where they could deposit those things they considered precious and irreplaceable, and that was in heaven. We find that Rabbi Levi talks about how: “The Lord will open to you His precious treasure.” He then goes on to say: “And why do we infer that it is in heaven? For it is written: You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place.² Heaven is the place were there is Equality and Judgment and Righteousness,³ As Jewish scholars explain: “This implies righteous actions and is often used in the sense of charity, the treasures of life and the treasures of peace and the treasures of blessings”.⁴ We also see this in a Jewish paraphrase: “And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, you will lie down in the dust with your fathers, and your soul shall be treasured in the treasury of eternal life with your fathers”.⁵

Also, another Rabbi said: “He who fulfills the Law while being poor, will in the end fulfill it in riches; and he who neglects the Law in wealth will end up neglecting it in poverty”.⁶ In other words, if a person, while they are poor, keeps the law by doing what is right, they will continue to do so after they become rich. However, a person who finds no time to keep the Law by doing what’s right when they are rich, won’t change their behavior even after they become poor. And another Rabbi taught: “A man should always teach his son a simple craft and let him offer it to those to whom riches and possessions belong; for poverty comes not from a man’s craft, nor riches from a man’s craft, but all is according to his merit”.⁷

Jesus seems to be saying the same thing. Give God what you have in talent and abilities to help and bless others for His honor, praise and glory, not for your own, and although what you may have is small, you will end up giving Him even more once He rewards you with more. But regardless of what you have, the return on your investment in the Kingdom of God will depend on how much you are willing to invest so God can increase your dividends. There is an interesting section one of Judaism’s Apocryphal writings that reads: “For behold! the day will come when the books will be opened in which are written the sins of all those who have sinned, as well as the treasuries opened in which the righteousness of all those who have been righteous is gathered”.⁸ So our Lord was not introducing some novel story to His listeners about being charitable so that God takes notice.

There is another interesting story in Jewish verbal tradition told by the supervisor of the charity fund: “One day a woman came to him in a year of scarcity, and said to him: ‘Sir, assist me.’ He replied, ‘I swear, there is not a penny in the charity fund.’ She said, ‘Sir, if you do not assist me, a woman and her seven children will perish.’ He accordingly assisted her out of his own pocket. Sometime afterwards he became dangerously ill. The angels addressed the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of the Universe, You have said that he who preserves one soul of Israel is considered as if he had preserved the whole world; shall then Benjamin the Righteous who has preserved a woman and her seven children die at so early an age? Immediately his death order was torn up. It has been taught that twenty-two years were added to his life.”⁹ And in an earlier version of the verbal traditions we read: “These are the things a person benefits from and enjoys in this world, while the principal remains for him in the world-to-come: deeds done in honor of father and mother,[performance of righteous deeds, and acts that bring peace between one person and another. But the study of Torah is equivalent to all of them together.”¹⁰

So again we see that Jesus was not preaching some other worldly philosophy with which the Jews had no inkling or familiarity. He was emphasizing that what they already knew, but somehow they let it slip through their fingers. So He had been sent from the Father in heaven to tell them that knowledge of the Scriptures is not enough, it is carrying out those scriptures that helps one find the will of God. Therefore our Lord did not have to create some new realm of knowledge and insight, but to instruct His followers to comprehend what they saw and heard, instead of walking away and say it is a waste of time. So our Lord becomes a divine psychologist and points out how we become aware of both the need and the options we have to respond.

Verses 22-23: The only source of light for the body is the eye. If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light. But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, you have the worst kind of darkness.

Here Jesus uses the physical eye to teach a spiritual truth. The physical eye can see an object and allow the mind to appreciate its beauty or usefulness. But that same eye can provide the heart and mind with an object that might become a source of wanting to steal it or destroy it. Here our Lord connects light with spiritual insight, just as the prophet said: “No longer will your sun go down; your moon will no longer wane; for Adonai will be your light forever; your days of mourning will end”.¹¹ And the Psalmist contributed his salvation to the sane light: “For you rescued me from death, you kept my feet from stumbling, so that I can walk in God’s presence, in the light of life.”¹²

I once had the opportunity of watching a debate sponsored by the British Institute of Arts and Ideas, chaired by Roger Rowland Smith, in which Hilary Lawson, a Post-postmodernist Philosopher and author of Closure; Joanna Kavenna, author and writer of Inglorious, and Roger Penrose, physicist and mathematician, author of The Emperor’s New Mind, discuss the subject of “Reality.” The question was, “Is what we see real, or is it just what we imagine it to be?” This is what the writers of fiction depend upon for the reader to do in order to enter their world of make-believe. Consequently, people often use this same concept to view the world around them, trying to make things out to be what they want it to be. The panel all tried to deal with the possibility that there is no single reality, but that we all have our own reality. This is why when we see someone do something that makes no sense in our world, we assume it must make sense in their world.

In this teaching of Jesus, He is trying to tell His followers that no matter what the world looks like to them, there is a reality over which no human has any control, and that is God’s reality. That’s why He came to reveal to us the truth. This allows for people from every part of the world, representing every race, culture and tradition to see the Word of God and have a faith in God and Jesus Christ that is based on that reality. There are so many imagined ideas, philosophies, concepts and beliefs about religion, spirituality, and our eternal destiny in the world today, without the teachings of Christ there would be no clear way to God and salvation. That’s why if we are enlightened to see that our heavenly treasure allows us to give without diminishing our heavenly wealth, then God is please and we are verifying that God has opened our minds to the truth. However, if we see this world and the people in it only as a resource for what we can get, then not only are we walking in the dark, but a darkness for which the world has no light to show us our error and meaningless way of living.

We find this looking at things in a selfless way, a selfish way, and a small way of giving, by seeing what Rabbis had to say about “gifts” or “offerings” for which they instituted the following categories of givers: “A generous person gives one fourth. A medium person gives one fifth, and the miserly person, gives one sixth.”¹³ In a book called, “Tree of life,” they talk about how Adam and Eve viewed the Tree of Life then the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, which represents a person with a “good eye” and one with an “evil eye.”¹⁴ In other words, it’s all according to how you look at it. There is an interesting illustration in Jewish tradition of a man who sells a tree, and the question is: does he just sell the tree, or does the ground it is planted in go with it? If the seller insists on keeping ownership of the ground, he might then claim his part of the harvest. For this, he is to be viewed as stingy. But if he makes no claim to the land or harvest, then he is viewed as a liberal person.¹⁵

So what our Lord is pointing out is not so much the action, but the attitude. He likens this to keeping one’s eyes open looking for the good in everything to the benefit of others. This will let the person live in the light of life. But by peering only for that which benefits oneself, then one will live in darkness, and it’s the worse kind of darkness. It’s a matter of not only deciding which way to go, but once the decision is made, committing to it. However, one should always keep in mind those around them and how that decision will affect others. It’s like something I’m sure most of us have seen on city streets or highways, where people will change direction or turn out of one lane into another without bothering to see where other drivers are. They know where they want to go, but they act as though they are the only ones on the road. Some people live their lives that way. Jesus is telling us to keep our eyes on those around us whenever we make any decision. This will reveal our true attitude in life, that we care about others as much as we care about ourselves.

One very early church Christian writer and Bishop named Gregory Thaumaturgus (AD 213-270), also known as Gregory the Miracle Worker, from Pontus, which borders on the Black Sea, had this to say about our Lord’s words here: “The single eye is sincere love; for when the body is enlightened by it, it emits through the medium of the outer members only things which are perfectly correspondent with the inner thoughts. But the evil eye is pretended love, which is also called hypocrisy, by which the whole body of the man is made dark. We have to consider that deeds meant only for darkness may be within the man, while through the outer members he may produce words that seem to be of the light: for there are those who are in reality wolves, though they may be covered with sheep’s clothing. Such are they who wash only the outside of the cup and platter, and do not understand that, unless the inside of these things is cleansed, the outside itself cannot be made pure. Wherefore, in manifest refutation of such persons, the Savior says: If the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness! That is to say, if the love which seems to you to be light is really a work meet for darkness, by reason of some hypocrisy concealed in you, what must be your patent transgressions!”¹⁶

I like the metaphor offered here by the Bishop that conforms to what our Lord Jesus told these people with attitudes made dark with evil who try to pretend that it is an attitude illuminated by good. In that case it is like taking a dirty glass, washing it on the outside and think that by doing so the inside of the glass is then also clean. Jesus put it another way, that they were like graves full of dead bones that they whitewashed on the outside thinking that made the decaying flesh on the inside pure and pristine. There are people like that in our world today. They pretend that by giving their time and talent to help others they will be seen as goodhearted and generous, while all the time they seethe on the inside with disgust and make-believe that they want to help. Believe it, some even advertise for others to help out while that not only are paid to do so, but give nothing themselves for the cause. God help us when a church is advertised as having a heart of compassion for the lost, but do nothing to reach out to them.

1 Explanatory Commentary on the Book of Esther, Paulus Cassel points this out in Chapter 6:10-11 (Appendix I, The Second Targum, pp. 238-239).

2 I Kings 8:39

3 Babylonian Talmud, op. cit., Seder Mo’ed, Masekhet Hagigah, folio 12b

4 Ibid., Footnote (58)

5 Targum on Pentateuch by Jonathan ben Uzziel, Section LII Vaiyelek, Deuteronomy 31:16, pp. 655-659

6 Rabbi Jonathan in the Mishnah, op. cit., Fourth Division: Nezikin Tractate Aboth, Ch. 4:9

7 Rabbi Meir in the Mishnah, ibid., Third Division: Nashim, Tractate Kiddushin, Ch. 4:14

8 2 Baruch 24:1

9 Benjamin the Righteous in the Babylonian Talmud, Seder Nezikin, Masekhet Baba Bathra, folio 11a

10 Jerusalem Talmud, op. cit., First Division: Tractate Pe’ah, Ch. 1:1 [B-C]

11 Isaiah 60:20 – Complete Jewish Bible

12 Ibid. Psalm 56:14 (v.13 in NIV)

13 Jewish Mishnah, op. cit., First Division: Zeraim, Tractate Terumot, Ch. 4:3

14 Etz Hayim

15 Babylonian Talmud, op. cit., Seder Nezikin, Masekhet Baba Bathra, folio 37b; (See also folios 71a and 72a).

16 Gregory Thaumaturgus: On Matthew 6:22-23

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part III (Con’t)

Verse 16: When you fast, don’t make yourselves look sad like the hypocrites. They put a look of suffering on their faces so that people will see they are fasting. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get.

Jewish scholars tell us that in olden days fasting was instituted as a sign of mourning,¹ or when danger threatened,² or when a prophet was preparing himself for a divine revelation.³ One Jewish scholar remarks on Moses’ fasting: “During those forty days and nights Moses was under the immediate supervision of God and did not even feel the absence of food and drink, as the nearness of God compensated for such mundane necessities without which he could not have done without while here on earth.”⁴ Individuals fasting was common among the early Jews for personal reasons, as seen by the provision made that a vow made by a woman “to afflict the soul” may under certain conditions be canceled by the husband.⁵ More frequent, however, were the occasional fasts instituted for the whole community, especially when the nation believed itself to be under divine displeasure,⁶ where it is coupled with the pouring out of water before the Lord;⁷ or when a great calamity befell the land,⁸ as when plagues raged or when drought set in; and sometimes also when an important act was about to be carried out by the officials of the land.⁹ It may also be seen with what rigor an official fast was observed,¹⁰ while at the same time it remained a common fast-day among the Jews.¹¹

By the time Jesus came it had become a symbol of religious devotion and a mark of one who was righteously superior to others. In the Aramaic Version of Matthew, verse 16 is rendered as follows: “And when you fast you should not be sad like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their expression so that they may be seen by men that they are fasting.” Jewish tradition sources tell us that while fasting, the Jews neglected to wash their faces, they put ashes on their heads, and used charcoal to discolor their faces and make them look black. This is told in story form:¹² “And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.¹³ Ashhur is Caleb’s other name; and why did they call him Ashhur? Because his face became blackened through many fasts.¹⁴ And we are also told that: “He who emaciates [blackens] his face for the sake of the study of the Torah in this world,¹⁵ the Holy One, blessed be He, will make his luster shine in the next world.”¹⁶ It goes without saying that for some, fasting was a way to please God, but for others it was a way to impress fellow believers.

In Jesus’ rebuke of the religious leaders for their arrogance when fasting, it may be that our Lord recalled the words of Isaiah, “They say, ‘We fast to show honor to You O LORD. Why don’t You see us? We starve our bodies to show honor to You. Why don’t You notice us?’ But God says, ‘You do things to please yourselves on those special days of fasting. And you punish your servants, not your own bodies. You are starving, but not for food. You are hungry for arguing and fighting, not for bread. You are hungry to hit people with your evil hands. This is not the way to fast if you want your prayers to be heard in heaven! Do you think I want to see people punish their bodies on those days of fasting? Do you think I want people to look sad and bow their heads like dead plants? Do you think I want people to wear mourning clothes and sit in ashes to show their sadness? That is what you do on your days of fasting. Do you think that is what the Lord wants?’”¹⁷ We could say, they were doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons. So many Christians today do the same with worship, prayer and self-denial. When God looks in the heart and sees the real reason we do such things, if He is not impressed with our honesty and humility, then nothing other people may think will count one iota in God’s eyes. That’s why Jesus wanted His disciples to know the truth, so that when they did fast it was pleasing to their Father in heaven.

Early church apologist Chrysostom address what he saw in his day on how believers were responding to what Jesus said here about fasting. He writes: “Here it would be well to sigh out loud, and to wail bitterly: for not only do we imitate the hypocrites, but we have even surpassed them. For I know, yes I know many, not merely fasting and making a display of it, but neglecting to fast, and yet wearing the garments of them that fast, and cloaking themselves with an excuse worse than their sin. For ‘I do this,’ they say, ‘that I may not offend the many.’ What are you saying? There is a law of God which commands these things be done, and you talk about offending someone by doing them? What can be worse than such folly? Will you not stop becoming worse than the very hypocrites, and making your hypocrisy double? And when you consider how many times this evil is committed, will you not be embarrassed at the force of the expression in the passage before us? In that Jesus did not say, ‘they act a part,’ merely, but willing also to touch them more deeply, He said, ‘For they disfigure their faces;’ that is, they corrupt, they mar them.”¹⁸ Chrysostom wrote this between AD 350-400, so it must have been like a scourge in the church to him.

In other words, in these instructions by our Lord, He was warning against anyone pretending or acting the part instead of truly being a part of what was expected of them. Since we no longer put on old clothes and fast for days on end, nor refrain from washing ourselves and combing our hair while we are fasting, it might be harder to spot the hypocrite today than back in AD 350. But the signs are still there. For instance, people who carry their Bibles but never read them; people who wear crosses around their necks but have never been there to confess and receive forgiveness for their sins; those who are proud of how much they pray, but in fact are only reciting and repeating words written by others; or those who sing songs of praise and worship inside the sanctuary but do not live and follow the message of the lyrics outside after they leave the church building.

Verse 17: Now Jesus continues by giving His instructions on how those who fast should go about their day in a normal fashion. He says: “So when you fast, wash your face and make yourself look natural.”

Here our Lord follows up His complaint about how the self-righteous Jewish Pharisees fast and pray, with instructions on how God wants us to do it. It is not uncommon to see most couples who are very affectionate toward each other, walk hand-in-hand in public. But there are certain forms of expressions with a kiss or embrace that are kept for private times together. The same here with God. There are things we say and do in public to show our affection and love for Him. But Jesus says that there are occasions when we embrace our God in prayer and show our fondness in fasting that should be kept just between Him and us.

We find an interesting story along this line in the Book of Ruth. Naomi wanted her daughter-in-law to find a good husband, and when Boaz came on the scene she gave these instructions to Ruth, “Boaz is our close relative. You’ve worked with his women servants. Tonight he will be working at the threshing floor. Go wash yourself and get dressed. Put on a nice dress, and go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating his dinner. After he eats, he will lie down to rest. Watch him so that you will know where he lies down. Go there and lift the blanket off his feet. Then lie down there with Boaz. He will tell you what you should do about marriage.”¹⁹ In a spiritual sense, this illustrates how we can keep our special relationship with God close to the heart instead of wearing it like an ornament for others to admire.

There were many times when I walked up to the pulpit after spending as much as 6-9 hours in study and prayer. But I did not drag my feet or drop my shoulders like one who just carried a big load up a hill, just to impress the audience with how hard I prepared for this moment. Rather, I walked up with confidence and a deep urging to deliver the message the Holy Spirit helped me discover. The time I spent searching and researching, praying and petitioning was between me and God. There was no temptation in letting the congregation know how long I labored to prepare for my sermon. What I wanted to impress them with was the power and insight contained in God’s Word. I wanted them to concentrate on the message, not the messenger.

Jesus is saying the same thing here when it comes to how we portray ourselves to others after spending hours and days fasting and praying in order to find and do His will. This, of course, was in direct contradiction to Jewish verbal tradition where it says: “On Yom Kippur it is prohibited to eat and drink, to wash or anoint with oil, or to wear shoes.”²⁰ While they may have done this originally to impress God with their humility and repentance, it had become nothing more than a way to impress fellow Jews with their piety and righteousness. That’s why Jesus had the courage to confront them with their hypocrisy and to warn His disciples not to imitate them.

Verse 18: Now Jesus gives His reasons for telling the disciples to act normal when they fasted. “Then no one will know you are fasting, except your Father, who is with you even in private. He can see what is done in private, and He will reward you.”

As we can see in Jewish writings, the holy days and sacred feasts were often used to openly display one’s fasting in humility, rather than the joy one has in serving such an awesome God.²¹ The whole crux of what our Lord is saying here lies in the difference between living one’s faith on the inside and displaying it on the outside. Too often those who are the loudest and gaudiest with their outward exhibition of holiness, religiosity, and spirituality are often the most shabby on the inside when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit and the virtues that Jesus talks about in this discourse on the mountain side. While on the other hand, those who carry a deep, sincere and genuine love and devotion to God and His Word in their hearts and minds, need no added external grooming because what is on the inside beams outward into the darkness around them. To our Lord Jesus, doing it the right way was a form of laying up treasures in God’s kingdom that would pay dividends in both this world and the next. So the Master then says:

Verse 19: Don’t save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy them. And thieves can break into your house and steal them.

At first glance it may appear as though our Lord has changed subjects and moved onto another theme. But quite the contrary is true. He is adding one more layer of wisdom to what He has already revealed about how His disciples are to conduct themselves as ambassadors of God’s kingdom here on earth. His instructions on being generous to those in need and the believer’s prayer life as they dedicate and consecrate themselves out of love to Him in service, is now shown for what it really accomplishes, and that is our future reward as good and faithful servants. So after telling His disciples what not to do, He now tells them what to do.

Verses 20-21: Instead, store your treasures in heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.

There’s every reason to believe that the scribes and Pharisees thought that Jesus may be quoting from what the Rabbis taught related to a story about safeguarding one’s treasures so that they can be a blessing later. For instance, in Jewish literature we read where Monobaz the King of Adiabene, took all the treasures from his treasury and gave it to the poor during a time of famine. So his brothers sent him a message that read: “Your ancestors stored up treasures and increased the wealth left for them by their ancestors. But you went and gave away all of these treasures, both your own and those of your ancestors!” To this Monobaz replies: “My ancestors stored up treasure for this world, but I, through charitable giving, have stored up treasures in heaven above, as it is stated in Scripture: ‘Faithfulness will spring up from the ground below, and righteousness will look down from the sky.’²²”²³ The same story is told in a later version with this added: King Monobaz said: “My fathers stored something which produces no fruit, but I have stored something which does produce fruit, as it is written, ‘You say of the righteous that it will be well with them, for they will eat of the fruit of their labors.’²⁴ My father gathered treasures of money, but I have gathered treasures of souls, as it is written, ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who winds souls is wise.²⁵”²⁶ The fact that this king Monobaz lived during the time of Jesus, would make this story even more relevant.

The great theologian Augustine gives his exposition on this part of our Lord’s instructions by saying: “Rightly, therefore, does He who is intent on cleansing our heart, now follow up what He is saying with this principle.” In other words, Jesus had given warnings against outward formalism, but now He moves on to the complete dedication of one’s heart to the Lord. Augustine goes on to say: “If, therefore, the heart be on earth, i.e. if one performs anything with a heart bent on obtaining earthly advantage, how will that heart be clean which wallows on earth? But if it be in heaven, it will be clean, because whatever things are heavenly are clean. For anything becomes polluted when it is mixed with a nature that is inferior, although not polluted of its kind; for gold is polluted even by pure silver, if it be mixed with it: so also our mind becomes polluted by the desire after earthly things, although the earth itself be pure of its kind and order. But we would not understand heaven in this passage as anything corporeal, because everything corporeal is to be reckoned as earth. For he who lays up treasure for himself in heaven ought to despise the whole world. Hence it is in that heaven of which it is said, The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s,²⁷ i.e. in the spiritual firmament: for it is not in that which is to pass away that we ought to fix and place our treasure and our heart, but in that which ever abides; but heaven and earth shall pass away²⁸.”²⁹

Well-known English churchman Robert South in his sermon on this text, Sunday, October 15, 1699 titled: “On the commitment of one’s heart,” made the following remark: “No man ever went to heaven whose heart was not there before.”³⁰ But our hearts should not be so set on heaven that we forget our mission here on earth. God did not redeem us and give us wisdom, strength, and the power of the Holy Spirit in order for us to spend all our time thinking of heaven and do nothing for Him here in the world. But we should keep our eyes on Jesus and our minds on heaven whenever we think of any blessing or reward that may await us when being faithful in carrying out His will down here.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part III (con’t)

Verse 13a: So the Master told His disciples to also ask their heavenly Father: Don’t let us be tempted, thereby saving us from the disaster that would follow.

The idea of appealing to God that He keep temptation away from one’s ears and eyes, was not new to His Jewish audience. We are told that every time Rabbi Hiyya ben Abba fell prostrate on his face to pray he cried out, “O Merciful One, save us from the Tempter.”¹ Then the phrase, “lead us not into temptation” (KJV) has given many readers cause to wonder why God would do so. Since Matthew wrote his original notes in Hebrew, no doubt that is why one Hebrew Bible renders it this way: “And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One.”² The Aramaic Version reads: “And bring us not into trial, but deliver us from the evil one.” The Peschito Syriac version reads: “from the evil.” And the oldest Hebrew version of Matthew has it: “…and do not lead us into the power of temptation but keep us from all evil.”³ Jesus knew full well about the Tempter and how he deceived Eve, tried to destroy Job; got Jonah on a boat to nowhere; and after spending 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness the Tempter came and tried to derail our Lord’s mission.

The Greek word used here, peirasmos, has several factors that are tied to the idea of “experimenting with, attempting, trying, or proving.” In light of the context on owning up to what we owe to God and others, Jesus didn’t want His followers to try, prove or experiment with the idea that they could get by with first going to God for forgiveness before they forgave those who were indebted to them. Such an attempt to prove that there was a way around such a commandment would certainly lead to hardships and disasters. As I’ve mentioned many times before, context is very important in interpreting the text. So when Jesus told His disciples to ask God not to hold it against them when they came up short, it is dependent on their having dismissed any punishment against those who did the same to them. What could come out of this that would be considered a “temptation” to somehow get around forgiving others for not coming through with their promises or pledges and deal only with God. This line of the verse does not imply that God could or would lead us into sinful temptation or that this prayer might dissuade Him from doing so. Rather, it is rather a way of saying: “Lead us so that we will have no opportunity to take the path of temptation, thereby delivering us from any possible evil consequences.”

When we tie this to what was just said about owing and being owed, there are several possibilities. Let’s look at the word translated as “lead.” In the Greek word eispherō also conveys the idea of “being brought into.” Some scholars believe that this understanding is contained in what Moses told the Israelites about what God was doing: “And you must keep in mind that the entire trip the Lord your God has led you through these 40 years in the desert, was His way of testing you. He wanted to keep you humble. He wanted to find out what was in your heart. He wanted to discover if you would obey His commands.”⁴ We then read how this played out: “Don’t ever say to yourself, ‘I got all this wealth by my own power and ability.’ Remember the Lord your God is the One who gives you power to do these things. He does this because He wants to keep the agreement that He made with your ancestors, as He is doing today!”⁵

Jewish teachers knew about the dangers of being led astray. So Jews were encouraged to pray this way: “…do not let me become an habitual transgressor; and keep me from wandering into sin, or into iniquity, or into temptation, or into contempt. And may I keep a good attitude all the time, not a bad attitude all the time.”⁶ In the same location we find a list of Rabbis and how many of them would end their prayers. One of them finished his prayers by saying: “May it be Your will, O Lord our God, and God of our fathers, to deliver us from those who are disrespectful and from disrespect, from atrocious people and from atrocious disasters, from the immoral impulses and from an immoral companions, from grievous neighbors, and from the destructive Accuser, from a problematic lawsuit and from a problematic opponent, whether he is a son of the covenant or not a son of the covenant!”⁷ In the Jewish Prayer Book, under the Morning Blessings called “Vihi Ratzon,” this line is included: “Do not bring us close to sin, transgression or iniquity, nor close to a challenge. Make us cleave to the good inclination and to good deeds.” It then goes on to say: “May it be Your will, God, my Lord, and God of my fathers, to deliver me today and every day from insulting men and disrespect.” We are also told that the Jews were taught: “A man should always train himself to say: ‘Whatever the All-Merciful does is for good.”⁸ So it was clear to the audience that Jesus had a full grasp of the prayers they often heard their Rabbis say in the synagogue. That’s why they did not raise any objection on what He was teaching at this point.

Early Christian apologist Tertullian gives us a thought to consider on this subject of not being tempted to do evil. He says that “God did not order the sacrifice of His Son in order to tempt His faith, but to prove it.” This was done so that later on Jesus was able to illustrate what He was teaching, that no one holds their loved ones any dearer than God. The disciples were so tempted to desert their Lord that they indulged in sleep instead of prayer. That’s why the phrase, ‘lead us not into temptation,’ is balanced by the phrase, ‘but deliver us from evil.’”⁹ I think this is more spiritual conjecture than the discovery of some hidden truth. However, there is little doubt that the disciples did fall asleep while Jesus was praying because the temptation to get a little nap was greater than the desire to stay away and keep watch. In that vein, all of us can petition God not to allow us to be tempted into complacency, but to remain as vigilant as the five wise virgins who were awaiting the call to the wedding with arrival of the groom. As John say at the end of his revelation, even come Lord Jesus!

Then Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage offered this commentary: “After all these things, in the conclusion of the prayer comes a brief clause, which shortly and comprehensively sums up all our petitions and our prayers. For we conclude by saying, But deliver us from evil, comprehending all adverse things which the enemy attempts against us in this world, from which there may be a faithful and sure protection if God delivers us, if He affords His help to us who pray for and implore it. And when we say, Deliver us from evil, there remains nothing further which ought to be asked. When we have once asked for God’s protection against evil, and have obtained it, then against everything which the devil and the world do against us we stand safe and secure. For what fear is there in this life, to the man whose guardian in this life is God?”¹⁰

And Augustine, the bishop of Hippo, adds his insight into how this daily bread may be seen from a spiritual perspective. He writes: “But the other four things which we ask seem to me to belong to this temporal life. And the first of them is, Give us this day our daily bread. For whether by this same thing which is called daily bread be meant spiritual bread, or that which is visible in the sacrament or in this sustenance of ours, it belongs to the present time, which He has called today, not because spiritual food is not everlasting, but because that which is called daily food in the Scriptures is represented to the soul…. For perhaps for this reason also it is called bread, not drink, because bread is converted into nutrition by breaking and chewing it, just as the Scriptures feed the soul by being opened up and made the subject of discourse.”¹¹

Here we have the reverse of what happens when Jesus speaks in parables or allegories. In those cases our Lord takes a literal object or person and uses it in a metaphorical sense to illustrate a spiritual truth. But here the Master uses a literal phrase called “daily bread” and some Christian scholars see it in a figurative spiritual sense as referring to the Scriptures or the Eucharist. In my mind, while that is permitted to do so as a comparison, it should not be employed as an interpretation of what a scholar thinks Jesus was really saying.

Verse 13b: From this point on there is disagreement among the various translations of this text, as to whether or not this benediction, included in the King James Version: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen,” was part of the original.

As we have seen, this was required in all Jewish prayers. Thus, in the most recent Jewish version it reads: “For kingship, power and glory are yours forever. Amen.”¹² This conforms to what we find where Rabbi Yishmael said that when the Name YaHWeH was heard in a prayer, they responded: “Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever.”¹³ Also we find that after the scapegoat was sent away into the desert and those standing in the courtyard heard the High Priest pronounce the Name YaHWeH, they would kneel, prostate themselves, fall on their faces, and call out: “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.”¹⁴ We also read that whenever the Shema was quoted: “Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is One,”¹⁵ they immediately added without any pause: “Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever.”¹⁶ Then when the reader in the synagogue steps down from before the Ark of the Covenant and recites the benedictions, when he gets to: “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed art Thou who redeems Israel;” the congregation responds: “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.”¹⁷ One Jewish morning prayer ends this way: “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever, Amen.”¹⁸

With Matthew being a genuine Jewish person there is no reason to believe that he left this out. But it does leads us to believe that the final “Amen” was added by some scribe or copier because this was only said after readings: “Who redeems Israel? He who answered Abraham on Mt. Moriah, He will answer you and listen this day to the sound of your cry. Blessed are You who redeems Israel.” Then the congregation responds, “Amen.”¹⁹ But after giving His disciples this prayer formula, our Lord wants to continue in order to emphasize an important point.

Verse 14: Yes, if you forgive others when they cannot follow through with their commitments, then your Father in heaven will also forgive you when you cannot follow through with yours.

Now Matthew records Jesus using a different word for what was noted as “trespasses” or “debts” in the prayer. The Greek word here, paraptōma, means either to fall next to or near by, or to have a lapse or deviate from the intended goal. Most scholars take it to mean a lapse or deviation. So in a sense, it means a failure in completing a task or keeping a promise. However, it appears to be taken in the sense that such a failure is not intentional or due to neglect. Solomon warns of the same consequences: “Those who refuse to help the poor will not receive help when they need it themselves.”²⁰ For the Jew, any person who caused serious harm needed to give a sincere apology. When they do so, then the wronged person is religiously bound to accept the apology and forgive them. But even without receiving an apology, forgiveness was considered a very pious act.

One Jewish theologian had much to say on this subject, and offers this observation: “It is pious behavior if a person who was wronged by a colleague would rather not admonish him or mention the matter at all because the person who wronged him was very boorish or because he was mentally disturbed, provided he forgives him totally without bearing any feelings of hate or admonishing him. The Torah is concerned only with those who carry feelings of hate.”²¹ Then He continues: “It is forbidden for a person to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather, he should be easily pacified, but hard to anger. When the person who wronged him asks for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit. Even if he aggravated and wronged him severely, he should not seek revenge or bear a grudge.”²² Also, another Rabbi addresses the subject of revenge²³ by giving this practical illustration: “If one was cutting meat, and cut his hand with the knife, would he go ahead and cut the other hand with which he was holding the knife? Not hardly! By the same token, taking vengeance means you end up injuring yourself yet again.”²⁴ Now our Lord takes this opportunity to also point out the difference between the way the hypocrites do things and the way He wanted His disciples to do them.

Verse 15: But if you do not forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive you of your failures either.

Here our Lord offers the consequences of not following through with the first part of this proposition. The orator Chrysostom is not hesitant to point out the obvious in such cases. He says: “What great punishment then must people deserve, who after all this, so far from themselves forgiving, do even entreat God for vengeance on their enemies, and diametrically as it were transgress this law; and this while He is doing and contriving all, to hinder our being at variance one with another? For since love is the root of all that is good, His removing from all sides whatever mars it, will bring us together, and cements us to each other. For there is none, not even one, be he father, or mother, or friend, or what you will, who so loved us as the God who created us. And this, above all things, both His daily benefits and His precepts make this very clear. But if you recount for me all the pains, and sorrows, and atrocities in your life; just consider how many times you offend Him every day, and you will no longer be surprised, if even more bad times come your way. And if you end up enjoying anything good, that should be what makes you marvel and be amazed. But as it is, we keep track of all the calamities that come upon us, but of the offenses, whereby we offend others daily, we give no consideration: therefore we become perplexed. Because if we were to count with precision the errors we make in just one day, it should alert us to all the repercussions we would be liable for as a result.”²⁵

Another way we might put this, is to think of all the times Jesus was left to eat and sleep out in the cold countryside; how many times He was shouted down, laughed at, made fun of, ridiculed, called names, and plotted against; how many wounds He received between the Garden of Gethsemane and His arrival before Pilate, including slaps in the face, lies told about Him, a staged hearing without allowing Him to call any witnesses; then the deep lacerations on His back from shards of pottery tied to the ends of the leather strings that wrapped around His torso 39 times; the punctures on His forehead from the crown of thorns pushed down on his brow; the exhaustion and torment of having to carry His own cross, and the nails in His hands and feet. Then compare that to anything you may have suffered for Him, and I’m sure you’ll see how weak your complaints are sometimes when you object to the way people may be treating you for His namesake.

Did you know that in British Columbia, Canada, you cannot take a picture of a woman with a wooden leg. And do you know why? Most people who live there know why, but, believe it or not, they don’t know that they know why. Maybe you’re not sure right now, but the more you think about it I’m sure you’ll know why.

Sometimes we experience such mental pauses when we try to figure something out that looks as if it could have many answers. But once we learn the truth, it all boils down to the one we should have immediately thought of.

Life is like that sometimes, especially when we keep getting things wrong, and no matter what we say or do, it doesn’t seem to provide the correct answer, and we feel like we are always ending back at square one in the puzzle. That means when we’ve tried all the options we know and it still doesn’t work out, we start all over again from the beginning. As a matter of fact, someone even invented a puzzle called “Back to Square One” that is similar to Rubik’s Cube.

This same thinking has made its way into our spiritual thinking, and often when a believer gets mixed up and gets lost along the way to the destiny God has chosen for them, and they just don’t seem to know where they are at with God and their relationship with Christ, they are often told to start all over. Go back to square one. Try and see if they can get it right this time, or this 3^rd time, or for some the 5^th time.

But this is not Biblical. Because you see, if every Christian who made mistakes and fell back into their old sinful ways were required to start all over again, then Jesus would have to die all over again. And that isn’t going to happen. John put it best when he said that if we make a mistake and thereby become disobedient to God’s will in our lives and the purpose for which He has called us, don’t go back to square one but get things straightened out, right where you are. Charlotte Elliot penned it this way in verse three of her poem: Just as I am. It goes this way: “Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

In fact, if you are reading this right now and you know this posting was meant for you, just get a hymn book or look up the lyrics on the internet and read all six verses. Here’s how John put it: “If we confess our mistakes, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” No going back to square one, but do so right where we are. Reconcile with Him and continue on toward your appointed day when you’ll meet Him face to face.

Because you see, all that you accomplished for Him up to the point where you went astray is not lost. God kept that safe in His vault of grace and mercy. So when you do arrive before Him after getting right again, here is the wonderful thing: all that you did wrong, for which you were forgiven, will not be on the record. But all that you did for His honor, praise and glory from the day you were born again, will be listed and counted for the honor to receive a crown of righteous from His own hand. Can you say, Amen!

Perhaps you’ve heard a preacher, teacher or fellow Christian make this statement after they encountered some trouble, difficulty or inconvenience or after hearing that a friend experienced some critical miscalculation or setback, “Well, the Bible says ‘This too shall pass’.”

In fact, no such exact saying can be found in the Bible. There is a legend concerning this quote contained in the story of a Persian ruler around 1200 AD who called his wise men together, including the Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur, and asked them for one quote that would be appropriate at all times and in all situations. The wise men consulted with one another, and spent hours in deep contemplation, and finally came up with the answer … “this too, shall pass.” The ruler was so impressed by the quote that he had it inscribed on a ring.

It also became a proverb that people begin to apply to all material and physical conditions, whether they were good or bad, to show that all things are transient. Nevertheless, it is a curious thought if perhaps these Persian sages may have heard about or seen the writings of Paul of Tarsus, the articulate and very famous Christian scholar, where in one of his letters to the believers living in Corinth he had this to say: “We may have troubles, but only for a little while.”¹ In other words, the things we experience in this world last only a short time, and then they too shall pass.

When I lived in North and South Dakota, each time we received 3, 4 or 5 feet of snow, and I was shoveling out the driveway and the sidewalks around the parsonage and the church, this was a helpful thought: This too, shall pass. But here’s an interesting fact. According to the speculation of some evolution scientists, the earliest ancestor of modern humans came into being some 200,000 years ago, and the oldest known objects made by this branch of homo sapiens are arrowheads found in the South African Sibudu Cave, dug up from under layers of sediment up to 100,000 years old. The arrowheads contained glue traces made of a plant-based resin, and archaeologists believe the adhesive was used to fasten the arrowheads on to wooden shafts.

Meanwhile, much of God’s age old handiwork can be seen in the mountains, rivers and seas here on earth, and others that glitter in the universe of which our planet is a minuscule part. They continue to sparkle after billions and billions of years in existence. So when it comes to things made by man, they too shall pass. But when we think of God, those things are designed to last forever, or until He gets through with them after they have served their purpose.

But let’s look at what Paul says following this that really should catch our attention. He writes: “These troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.”² So when we compare our peccadilloes such as awful habits or faulty thinking; missed opportunities or bad timing; being wrong at the wrong time or coming up short at the worst moment; or even miscues and slip-ups to God’s faithfulness and everlasting promises, then it is not out of line to say: this too, shall pass.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part III

When it comes to this kingdom, let us look at what Daniel of the Old Testament saw: “During the time of the kings of the fourth kingdom, the God of heaven will set up another kingdom that will continue forever. It will never be destroyed. And it will be the kind of kingdom that cannot be passed on to another group of people. This kingdom will crush all the other kingdoms. It will bring them to an end, but that kingdom itself will continue forever.”¹ His vision concluded with this statement, “Then God’s holy people will rule over the kingdom and all the people from all the kingdoms of earth. This kingdom will last forever, and people from all the other kingdoms will respect and serve them.”² It is for this kingdom to take shape and begin to influence the world that Jesus encouraged His followers to pray. We know it could not be initiated until Jesus died and rose from the dead and ascended back to the father. So He wanted His followers to pray that nothing would prevent that from happening. And this would be facilitated if they continued to abide by His teachings and do His will. As Jesus’ royal ancestor, king David, said, “My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.”³

Just as Jesus came to do the will of His Father in heaven, and to declare the message His heavenly Father gave Him, so Jesus wanted His followers to do on earth what was conceived in heaven. David recognized this in his song, “The Lord set his throne up in heaven, and He rules over everything. Angels, praise the Lord! You angels are the powerful soldiers who obey His commands. You listen to Him and obey His commands. Praise the Lord, all His armies. You are His servants, and you do what He wants. Everything the Lord has made should praise Him throughout the world that He rules! My soul, praise the Lord!”⁴ This is what Daniel saw in his vision of the kingdom to come, “God rules forever! His kingdom continues for all generations. People on earth cannot compete with Him. God does what He wants with the powers of heaven and the people on earth. No one can stop His powerful hand or question what He does.”⁵

This then was not a new concept to the Jews, nor should it have been to the disciples. Even their Rabbis prayed: “Do Your will in heaven above, and grant relief to them that fear You below and do that which is good in Your eyes.”⁶ Once the acknowledgment of God’s kingdom in heaven, and the desire that as He rules there He should rule here on earth, then the petition for daily needs is addressed. And of course the reason for God’s rule on earth is that His will for mankind can function and bring honor and glory to His name. The Jews recognized that God was in control from heaven. For instance, we read where the people were told what one Rabbi did to show respect to his master, and then said: “May it be the will of God that you become leader of the whole city.”⁷

Verse: 11 Then Jesus goes on to say: “Give us the food we need for today.” It should be noted that the prayer points to the immediate need for today. In one Jewish prayer book we find this prayer: “O God, give for me my nourishment and daily bread – my Messiah will come to His City – O reveal soon your redemption to your people – bring the Savior to Zion, let the Branch shoot up, Elijah the prophet and Messiah the king.”⁸ So we can see that Jesus may have been repeating what was already part of a Jewish prayer before a meal.

When God sent manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness, He ordered: “Each of you should gather what you need”.⁹ One Jewish commentator noted that: “As the entire phenomenon was of supernatural character, a gift directly from God, it was logical that it should be distributed evenly among all the people”.¹⁰ This same Jewish Rabbi goes on to say that in the gathering of the manna, another miracle took place: “Both the ones who thought that they had collected more than the amount instructed and the ones who did not think they had collected that amount found that they had each collected the same amount”.¹¹ And we know what happened to those who tried to horde, “They saved their food for the next day. But worms got into the food and it began to stink”.¹² So in a way, our Lord was teaching that we should ask only for what is needed today because tomorrow may never come.

One Psalmist had a unique way of putting it: “God, I ask you to help me with two things for the rest of my life. Don’t let me tell lies. And don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day. If I have too much, I might deny that I need You, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.”¹³ Later on in verse 34 of this chapter, Jesus emphasizes this same point. But our Lord knows that none of us are perfect, we often come up short in meeting God’s standards. This concept of praying for one’s daily needs was not foreign to the Jewish people. One Rabbi taught: “May it be Your will, O Lord our God, to give to each one the sustenance they need, and make up for what they lack.”¹⁴ So Jesus tied God’s provisions for daily needs to His will as did the Jews in their prayer. John Gill tells us that Rabbi Jose in the Zohar says that all the children of faith seek “every day to ask their food” of the Lord, and to pray a prayer for it.¹⁵

We must also examine the linguistics of this verse as it relates to the use of the word “bread.” One Jewish commentary defines the words “my food” as literally “my bread.”¹⁶ He goes on to say: “All food is called “bread”, as when Belshatzar the king gave a great “banquet” (breads),¹⁷ and adds: “Let’s destroy the tree with its ‘fruit’, it literally says ‘bread’.”¹⁸ In the Jewish Prayer Book, the Morning Blessings prayer goes like this: “Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the universe, Who has provided me with my every need.”¹⁹ So Jesus is not advising that we only ask only for bread, but all of our daily needs for nutrition.

One of the earliest church scholars, Cyprian (AD 200-258), bishop of Carthage, had this to say about our Lord’s inclusion of bread in this prayer: “As the prayer goes forward, we ask and say, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ And this may be understood both spiritually and literally, because either way of understanding it is rich in divine usefulness to our salvation. For Christ is the bread of life; and this bread does not belong to all men, but it is ours. And according as we say, ‘Our Father,’ because He is the Father of those who understand and believe; so also we call it ‘our bread,’ because Christ is the bread of those who are in union with His body. And we ask that this bread should be given to us daily, that we who are in Christ, and daily receive the Eucharist for the food of salvation, may not, by the interposition of some heinous sin, by being prevented, as withheld and not communicating, from partaking of the heavenly bread, be separated from Christ’s body, as He Himself predicts, and warns, ‘I am the bread of life which came down from heaven. If any man eat of my bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’ When, therefore, He says, that whoever shall eat of His bread shall live for ever; as it is manifest that those who partake of His body and receive the Eucharist by the right of communion are living, so, on the other hand, we must fear and pray lest any one who, being withheld from communion, is separate from Christ’s body should remain at a distance from salvation; as He Himself threatens, and says, ‘Unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye shall have no life in you.’ And therefore we ask that our bread—that is, Christ—may be given to us daily, that we who abide and live in Christ may not depart from His sanctification and body.”²⁰

Here we can see where within just two hundred years after our Lord spoke these words, the church had already began to find some spiritual way of interpreting what Jesus said, especially about bread, which Cyprian tied to the Eucharist from this prayer. Most Protestant scholars do not see this connection, in that it would require having communion everyday. However, eventually the Roman Catholic church did institute this practice in the seventh century, especially in the monasteries and rural parishes in France, and we can see where the roots for this practice may have begun. This is only one example of how the words of Christ were detached from their intended meaning so that men could have more control over how His teachings were instituted in the church. We see this in the writing of Origen on this Lord’s Prayer where he speaks of “supersubstantial”²¹ bread, as well as Jerome in his commentary on Matthew.

However, Chrysostom seems to strike a different note when he says: “What is daily bread? That for one day. And because He said, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven, but was speaking to men clothed with flesh, and subject to the necessities of nature, and incapable of the same impassibility²² with the angels: – while He enjoins the commands to be practiced by us also, even as they perform them; He lowers expectations in what follows, due to the infirmity of human nature. Therefore, He says that He requires the holiest conduct, but not that which is free from emotions, because the laws of nature do not permit it: for it requires necessary food. But mark, I pray you, how even in things that are bodily, that which is spiritual abounds. For it is neither for riches, nor for exquisite living, nor for costly clothing, nor for any other such thing, but for bread only, that He has commanded us to make our prayer. And for daily bread, so as not to take thought for the morrow.²³ Because of this He added, daily bread, that is, bread for one day. And not even with this expression is He satisfied, but adds another saying afterwards, Give us this day; so that we may not, beyond this, wear ourselves out with the care of the following day. For that day, the interval before which you know not whether you will see, why should you submit to its cares? This, as He proceeded, He enjoined also more fully, saying, Take no thought for the morrow. He would have us be on every hand unburdened and winged for flight, yielding just so much to nature as the compulsion of necessity requires of us.”²⁴ So it appears that the great orator did not see this as anything more that asking God for bodily sustenance each day, whether it be provided as a result of our labors or by His generosity.

Verse 12: Then, as we are asking God to give to us for our physical needs, Jesus says we should ask Him for our spiritual needs. “Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us.”

The Greek word used here, opheilēma, is translated into English as “trespasses” and “debts,” and is only used twice in the N.T. Once here and again in Romans 4:4. It can either be used literally to indicate “indebtedness,” or figuratively as a metaphor for an “offense against.” We find this concept addressed when the people of Israel were instructed: “Here is how every seventh year release is to be done: every creditor is to give up what he has loaned to his fellow member of the community — he is not to force his neighbor or relative to repay it, because Adonai’s time of remission has been proclaimed.”²⁵ In other words, as you are forgiven your debt, you automatically forgive those who owe you a debt.

But there was more too it than a simple trade-off. One Rabbi makes this comparison: “If your neighbor entertains you first with soup and you subsequently entertains him with meat, you are still indebted to him; why? Because he showed you hospitality first”.²⁶ In this case, the debt is gratitude. Paul uses it this way: “Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.”²⁷ We have a saying in English: when a person finishes their jail sentence and is released back into the public we often remark that they should be accepted because, “they’ve paid their debt to society.” Since this request for forgiveness stems from not giving back to God what we owe Him, especially since we just asked Him for our daily bread, then we must look into the idea of what we owe God in this sense: because He gave us life, do we not owe Him the pleasure of living it to His glory? Whatever talent and abilities, intellect and ingenuity He granted us, do we not owe using it for Him in doing His will? By the same token, if we want Him to forgive us when we fail to do what is expected of us, Jesus added that we should be just as willing to extend that same forgiveness to others for any similar trespass.

But since Matthew wrote this first in Hebrew, Jewish scholars examining this prayer have suggested that the word “debts” is better understood with the broader term “wrongs.” This was part of what the Rabbi’s taught. In one passage we read: “The collectors go their round continually every day and exact payment of men with their consent or without their consent, for they have that on which they can rely.”²⁸ Jewish commentators say that what these collectors are relying on is God’s record of the man’s debts.²⁹ And debts in this case are the repayment for sins committed, because God does not need man’s money. However, even though Luke was a Gentile and wrote his Gospel in Greek, he also understood this metaphor of “debt” being tied to God’s record of our wrong doings. So he chose the Greek word hamartia, which means: “to be mistaken, miss the mark.” That is perhaps why the King James translators rendered it “sins” in Luke.³⁰ It was not until the Book of Common Prayer was published in England in 1549, that they copied this prayer from the Tyndale Bible of 1526 which reads in old English: “And forgeve vs oure treaspasses eve as we forgeve oure trespacers” and wrote: “And forgeve us our trespaces, as wee forgeve them that trespasse agaynst us.”³¹

In the Jewish Prayer Book, in the Morning Prayers – Yehi Ratzon, we have this line: “Forgive us for all our sins, grant us atonement for all our iniquities, and forgive and pardon us for all our transgressions.”This is all well and good, but Jesus had said earlier that He wanted them to be better than those who used their prayers for their own good. Before they ask God for forgiveness, they should do the same to those who’ve wronged them. In other words, how can you ask God to forgive you when you have not forgiven others? It would be like going to the banquet table of a rich man, ready to fill your plate to the rim so you could gorge yourself, but forgetting that earlier in the day a beggar showed up at your door and asked for food but you refused to give them one morsel. Such an attitude could be dangerous in other areas of life as well.

In his Opus Imperfectum, otherwise known as the Incomplete Work on Matthew from the early 7^th century, an anonymous author has this to say: “With what assurance does that person pray who harbors animosity toward someone who has offended him? Even as he lies when he prays and says, ‘I forgive’ and does not forgive, so too he seeks pardon from God, but he will not be pardoned. Therefore, if that person who has been offended prays to God without assurance unless he pardons the very person who offended him, how do you think that person prays who not only has been offended by another but himself offends and oppresses others through injustice? But may people who are unwilling to forgive those who sin against them avoid saying this prayer. They are ill-advised, first, because the one who does not pray as Christ taught is not Christ’s disciple; second, because the Father does not graciously hear a prayer that the Son has not recommended. For the Father knows the words and meaning of His Son, and He does not accept what the human mind has devised but what the wisdom of Christ has expressed. Therefore, you may indeed say a prayer, but you may not outsmart and deceive God. And you will not receive forgiveness unless you yourself have first forgiven.”³²

Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage, taught early on that if anyone is unwilling to pardon their fellow believer, they thereby forfeit what the Lord has already pardoned them for.³³ Also, Chrysostom notes that such a prayer for forgiveness as this belongs to the believer only. Sinners cannot pray such a prayer because this is the plea of a child of God, not a child of the world.³⁴ And Augustine explains: “That may indeed be construed in this way, that when we say, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive, then only are we convicted of having acted contrary to this rule, if we do not forgive them who ask pardon, because we also wish to be forgiven by our most gracious Father when we ask His pardon. But, on the other hand, by that precept whereby we are enjoined to pray for our enemies, it is not for those who ask pardon that we are enjoined to pray. For those who are already in such a state of mind are no longer enemies. By no possibility, however, could one truthfully say that he prays for one whom he has not pardoned. And therefore we must confess that all sins which are committed against us are to be forgiven, if we wish those to be forgiven by our Father which we commit against Him. For the subject of revenge has been sufficiently discussed already, as I think.”³⁵

Even though our Lord makes this so clear, and even astute scholars of the past and present join in their interpretation of this part of the prayer, for many believers this has become one of the most difficult parts of the prayer to abide by. But one thing I see here that has not yet been mentioned, is this, there is no demand that the offended party seek out the offender and offer forgiveness before they ask for such. It applies only when the offended party is approached and forgiveness is requested that this part of the prayer becomes mandatory. In the same way, God may have the heart and intent to pardon us for not repaying Him in love and service for all the talents and abilities He has given us, it will not be done until we approach Him and ask His forgiveness.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part II (con’t)

Verse 7: And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same thing over and over again. They think that if they say it enough times, their god will hear them.

Those in the crowd listening to Jesus no doubt understood who He was referring to. They had heard of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and how they chanted again and again from morning till noon but received no answer from Baal.¹ So we see that the Jews did not promote needless repetition of prayers. As a matter of fact, one respected Rabbi said: “Be heedful in the reciting of the Shema² in the prayer; and when you pray don’t make it a mere recitation, but let it be gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and being repentant of any evil deeds and do not be egotistical.”³ In his commentary on this teaching, Rabbi Huna, in quoting Rabbi Meir, says: “A man’s words should always be few in addressing the Holy One, blessed be He, since it says, ‘Do not speak rashly with your mouth and do not be hasty in your heart to say things to God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth, therefore let your words be few⁴.”⁵ Apparently the people Jesus was referring to were ignoring such advice from the Written Word and their verbal tradition. Rabbis were passing on the advice of their ancestors who ruled: “One must include all eighteen benedictions in his prayers because it is necessary to include a benediction at the conclusion of Sabbath and festival days, to the One who blesses man with knowledge.”⁶

Chromatius, who we quoted earlier, tells us that in his mind nonbelievers think they can obtain more of what they require from the Lord by using many words, but that the Lord does not expect this from us. Says Chromatius: “He wants us to send up our prayers not with wordy speech but with faith that comes from the heart. By doing so we commend the merits of justice to Him. He surely knows better all the things of which we have need and before we speak is aware of everything that we are going to request.”⁷ Put that way, it would be reasonable to add that since God already knows what is in our hearts and minds, and He is fully aware of our motives and intentions, by going to Him in prayer we can prove our honesty by saying exactly what we are thinking and wishing, and confess to Him why we are doing so. People often do not receive an answer to their prayers because God hears what they say and knows what they are really thinking, and they do not match.

Verse 8: Jesus didn’t want that type of monotonous prayer life for His followers. So He tells them: Don’t be like those people. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

After reading verse 8, the anonymous writer of the incomplete work on Matthew, we referenced before, says: “God is to be conciliated, not taught; a long prayer is not needful for Him but a genuine spirit.”⁸ He makes this statement based on the fact that if God knows what we want ahead of time, then we do not pray to demand from God what we want but that it may please Him to bestow what we need. Therefore, your Father knows what is necessary for you before you ask Him. So after you have told Him what you need, don’t tell Him what you want, but let Him know you are ready for what He wants you to have.

Verse 9: So this is how you should pray. ‘Our Father in heaven, blessed be Your name.

Jesus points out here that when the Jews prayed, apparently they didn’t believe that God knew what they wanted until they asked. God made this very clear to the prophet Isaiah: “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.”⁹ A great Jewish philosopher tell us that certainly God knows more than we do. He relates: “It happened one day that a man who had committed such an act of impiety was led away to prison; and Moses being at a loss as to what he should do to the man for committing a crime worthy of death, and did not know what was the most suitable way to inflict the proper punishment on him, went with his invisible soul to the invisible judgment seat, and asked the Judge who hears everything before He is even told, what sentence should be rendered.”¹⁰ In other words, people who address God improperly should be dealt with by God Himself.

As we have seen, many Jewish prayers begin with the phrase, “Blessed are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe.” Since our English translation was taken from the Greek, which was a rendering by the gospel writers of Jesus’ native language, Aramaic, there is a good possibility that this is the way Jesus started His prayer for the disciples to follow. In speaking of prayer, one Rabbi says: “Let us lift up our hearts with our hands towards God in Heaven.”¹¹ He then goes on to comment that: “Even a divider made of iron cannot separate Israel and their Father in heaven.”¹² But we find an even clearer reference when speaking of thanksgiving offerings. A respected Rabbi says: “This teaches us that it is the same whether one gives much or little, as long as he directs his heart to his Father who is in Heaven!”¹³ So we see that Jesus was using a phrase His disciples were already familiar with.

Therefore, referring to God in heaven was not a new concept. Hence, “Our Father which art in heaven” corresponds with “Adonoy our God, King of the Universe,” and “Hallowed be Thy name” is similar to “Blessed are You.” This is also how David instructed those who were seeking Adonai with joyful hearts, that they should give “Glory to His holy name.”¹⁴ As such, this opening phase of the Lord’s Prayer includes a salutation. There is a cultural factor in this prayer that we find prevalent in the Middle East to this day, even among Muslims, where any mention of the name of a prophet or deity, is followed by an acknowledgment of the holiness and great reverence for that name. For instance, in Jewish writings we find the following prayer: “The Holy One, blessed be He, causes the winds to blow….”¹⁵ We also read about the time when Nimrod the wicked had cast Father Abraham into the fiery furnace, and Gabriel stood forth in the presence of the Holy One – blessed be He! – and said… “Then the Holy One – blessed be He! – said unto him…”¹⁶

Early Church father Tertullian made this observation: “It begins with a proof of (our belief in) God and a meritorious act of faith when we say, ‘Father, who art in heaven.’ For we adore God and prove our faith, of which this form of address is the result. It is written: ‘To them that believe in God He gave the power to be called the sons of God.’¹⁷ Our Lord very frequently spoke to us of God as a Father; in fact, He even taught us to call none on earth ‘father,’ but only the one we have in heaven. Therefore, when we pray like this we are observing this precept, too. Happy are they who know the Father! This is the reproach made against Israel, when the Spirit calls heaven and earth to witness saying: ‘I have begotten sons and they have not known me.’ Moreover, when we say ‘Father,’ we also add a title to God’s name. This form of address is one of filial love and at the same time one of power.”¹⁸

Also, the renown Catholic scholar Origen in his treatise has this the say: “According to the apostle ‘the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.’¹⁹ But the fullness of time is in the sojourn of our Lord Jesus Christ, when they who desire receive adoption as sons, as Paul teaches in the words, ‘For you did not receive a spirit of slavery unto fear, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, wherein we cry “Abba Father;”’²⁰ and as it is in the Gospel according to John, ‘To as many as received Him He gave authority to become children of God if believers on His name;’²¹ and it is by reason of this Spirit of adoption as sons, we learn in the Catholic Epistle of John regarding the begotten of God, that ‘Everyone that is begotten of God should not sin because His seed abides in him, and he must not sin because he is begotten of God.’²²”²³ No one believes that Origen is teaching perpetual purity here for those who become believers, because John himself says that if we do sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. However, this promise of God’s willingness to forgive, is based on the fact that we are His children.

When Jesus included the salutation “Blessed be Your name” in this prayer, He knew that many of those listening to Him were aware of the Jewish teaching called the Kaddish prayer which says: “Magnified and sanctified be His great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will, and may He establish His kingdom in your lifetime.” Not only does this Kaddish prayer revere God’s holy name, but also expresses a yearning for the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. It is often called the “Mourners Prayer.” Jewish scholars explain: “As we can see, the ‘blessed be He’ is not a part of the prayer but a sign of reverence for the Holy One, just as hallowed be Thy name in the Lord’s Prayer is a sign of reverence to the Father in heaven. We find that Moses did not mention the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, until after he had spoken twenty-one words. From whom did he learn this? From the ministering angels, for the ministering angels mention the name of God only after the threefold Sanctification, as it is said, And one called unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.²⁴ Said Moses, ‘It is enough for me to be seven times as modest as the ministering angels. The matter lends itself to inference from the minor to the major: if Moses, the wisest of the wise, the greatest of the great, and the father of the prophets, mentioned God’s name only after twenty-one words, how much more must one be cautious not to mention God’s name in vain.”²⁵

Therefore, Jesus was following the custom of His day in the instructions He gave His disciples on prayer. Then our Lord’s recognition of God’s kingdom, was also very much in the mind of praying Jews. We read where Rabbi Johanan said: “Any benediction in which God’s Kingship is not mentioned is no benediction.”²⁶

Verse 10: So Jesus goes on: May Your kingdom will come—that Your will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven.

This becomes no small matter when we also consider His majesty and superiority. When King Jehoshaphat was facing his troubles, he prayed, “Lord God of our ancestors, You are the God in heaven. You rule over all the kingdoms in all the nations. You have power and strength. No one can stand against you. You are our God!”²⁷ Furthermore, the Psalmist acknowledged that when we pray, we do not pray for our answer, but His answer. “Lord, You should receive the honor, not us. The honor belongs to You because of Your faithful love and loyalty. Why should the nations wonder where our God is? Our God is in heaven, and He does whatever He wants.”²⁸ The prophet Isaiah adds another factor that should be acknowledged when we pray, and that is our respect for the One to whom we pray, “God is exalted on high. He lives forever. His name is holy. He says, ‘I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and sorry for their sins. I will give new life to those who are humble in spirit. I will give new life to those who are sorry for their sins.”²⁹ Then Isaiah adds this: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is where I rest my feet.”³⁰ So by directing the prayer to the Father in Heaven, Jesus was in harmony with how the Jews had been taught in times past. But He did so because many of the Pharisees and hypocrites were not thinking of the Father in heaven when they prayed, but those listening around them.

Origen in his treatise on prayer makes a point of explaining that when the disciples were to pray, “Thy kingdom come,” they were not to suppose a literal kingdom here on earth with a capital city such as Jerusalem, that would come much later. Rather, that the kingdom of God was to be within us. So says Origen: “The Kingdom of God does not come observably, nor should men say ‘Lo it is here’, or ‘Lo is it there’, but the Kingdom of God is within us; for the utterance is exceedingly near in our mouth and in our heart. It is therefore plain that he who prays for the coming of the kingdom of God prays with good reason for rising and fruit bearing and perfecting of God’s kingdom within him. For every believer is ruled over by God and obeys the Spiritual laws of God, and conducts himself like a well-ordered city; and the Father is present with him, and Christ rules together with the Father in the perfected Soul, according to the saying that I mentioned shortly before: We will go to Him and make abode with Him. By God’s kingdom I understand the blessed condition of the mind and the settled order of wise reflection; by Christ’s kingdom the issue of words of salvation to their hearers and the practice of acts of righteousness and the other excellencies; for the Son of God is Word and Righteousness.”³¹

King David had no doubts about God’s reputation. He always kept His promises and did not walk away without finishing what He started. That’s why David proclaimed, “Your name will be honored forever.”³² Solomon felt the same way, and wanted people far and wide to come and worship God in the Temple, “From Your home in heaven, please listen to their prayers. Please do everything the people from other places ask You. Then they will fear and respect You the same as Your people in Israel.”³³

I love that song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither that says, “There’s something about that name.” The Levites wrote a similar song, “People should praise Your glorious name. May your name be lifted above all blessing and praise. You are God. Lord, only you are God. You made the sky and the highest heavens and everything in them. You made the earth and everything on it. You made the seas and everything in them. You give life to everything. All the heavenly angels bow down and worship you.”³⁴ And David adds, “Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel! Only He can do such amazing things. Praise His glorious name forever! Let his glory fill the whole world. Amen and Amen!”³⁵

It is a shame that other names and not His name is being lifted up. It is necessary to direct our prayers to Him in order to access the blessings and joys that are His, and to open the door of our hearts and minds for His kingship to rule and reign in our lives. So many are waiting for His kingdom to come, when it is already available to those who recognize Him as king, and bow to Him in praise and worship, and honor Him by following His word and doing His will.

1 I Kings 18:26-29

2 “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One”

3 Rabbi Simeon Jewish Mishnah, (Tractate Aboth, Chap. 2:13).

4 Ecclesiastes 5:1

5 Babylonian Talmud., op. cit., Seder Zera’im, Masekhet Berachoth, folio 61a.

6 Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel in the Babylonian Talmud, op. cit., Seder Tohoroth, Masekhet Nidah, folio 8b

7 Tractate on Matthew 27.2.1-2

8 Homily 13

9 Isaiah 65:24

10 Philo of Alexandria, Bk. II, Ch. XL. (217).

11 Moses Maimonides, Mishnah Torah, op. cit., Sefer Ahavah, Tractate Tefilah and Birkat Kohanim, Ch. 5, Halacha 4.

12 Ibid. Ch 15, Halacha 8 .

13 Rabbi Hisda in Babylonian Talmud, Seder Nezikin, Masekhet Shevu’oth, folio 15a

14 I Chronicles 16:10 – Complete Jewish Bible

15 Babylonian Talmud, op. cit., Seder Nashim, Masekhet Kuddushin 32b

16 Babylonian Talmud, op. cit., Seder Mo’ed, Masekhet Pesahim, folio 118a

17 John 1:12

18 Prayer by Tertullian, Ch. 2:1

19 Galatians 4:2

20 Romans 8:15

21 John 1:12

22 1 John 5:18

23 Origen: On Prayer, Ch. 12:3

24 Isaiah 6:3.

25 Sifre on Deuteronomy we read this commentary on Chapter 32:3 (A Tannaiitic Commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, Trans. By Reuven Hammer, Yale University Press, 1986, Piska 306, p. 322).

26 Babylonian Talmud., op. cit., Seder Zera’im, Masekhet Berachoth, folio 40b.

27 II Chronicles 20:6

28 Psalm 115:1-3

29 Isaiah 57:15

30 Ibid., 66:1

31 Origen: On Prayer, Ch. 15:1-2

32 II Samuel 7:26

33 I Kings 8:43

34 Nehemiah 9:5-6

35 Psalm 72:18-19

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part II

There’s an interesting story in Jewish literature from the school of Rabbi Jannai. It refers to one who gives alms to a poor person publicly. As Rabbi Jannai tells it: “He once saw a man give a silver coin to a poor person publicly. So Rabbi Jannai said to him: It would have been better had you not given anything to him, because now that you have done so publicly, you put him to shame.”¹ While this may seem admirable on the surface, it also provides a good alibi to those who pass up poor people begging on the streets. One venerable Rabbi comments on this by saying: “Great sages would give to a poor person either in person on in the charity box before every prayer service and then they would pray,² It is said that a well-known Rabbi would conduct himself in this manner, to comply with the Scripture that says: “But my prayer, in righteousness, is to see your face³.”⁴ So it appears that among some Jewish scholars, giving to the poor in public was more embarrassing to the receiver than providing accolades for the giver.

But the interesting part is how such giving qualified as righteousness for the giver? One reason for this interpretation is that the Hebrew word for righteousness “Tzedek” and charity “Tzedakah” share the same root word. So they were being righteous by giving. All of this should help give you a better idea of what Jesus was talking about concerning the right way and wrong way to give. Then He comments on the same go-for-show among the pious when they prayed. We also have Jewish teachings on giving to the poor where it says: “Greater is he who performs charity than he who offers all the sacrifices, for it is said, ‘To do charity and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice⁵.”⁶ So when all is said and done, true righteousness has little to do with how you treat yourself, but in how you treat others with love and mercy.

Verse 5: When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get.

This teaching was so important to the early church that they included it in their teaching manual: “But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. Rather, fast on the fourth day and Preparation Day (Friday). Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this: ‘Our Father who art in heaven….’”⁷ It must be noted that seldom if ever were prayers by Pharisees said spontaneously. They were most often paraphrases from Scripture or prayers written by teachers and scholars over the centuries. The Rabbis taught Jewish men that there are three blessings to be said each day. They are: “’Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a Gentile’; ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a boor’; ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a woman.’”⁸ This can be found in the Jewish prayer book called siddur, which is thick with texts: blessings, thanksgivings, and petitions, instructions, theological traditions, and historical memories. Some traditional texts are particularly long. Others go on to thank God for opening one’s eyes, stepping on the ground, getting dressed, etc. They became so formal and rehearsed that the Jews were told when to pray, how long to pray, and what happens if they pray at the wrong time.⁹ On the other hand, the rabbis also taught: “If one prays a long prayer because that way he expects it to be fulfilled, he will only end up becoming very annoyed because the Scripture says: ‘Hope delayed makes the heart sick¹⁰.’”¹¹

Early church scholar Chrysostom, in one of his sermons on this topic, made this comment: “While they are pretending to pray to God, they are looking around for listeners; they are not wearing the cloak of a petitioner, but of ridiculous people. For he, who is to fill a petitioner’s office, letting go of all others, looks to Him alone, who has power to grant his request. But if you leave this One, and go about wandering and casting around your eyes everywhere, you will depart with empty hands. For this was your own will. Wherefore He said, such people will not receive a reward because they already have it: that is, they will indeed receive one, but from those of whom they themselves desire to have it. For this is not God’s will: He rather on His part was willing to bestow on men the recompense that comes from Himself; but they seeking that which is from men, can be no longer justly be entitled to receive from Him, for whom they have done nothing.”¹²

Perhaps you too, as I have, heard those in the congregation when called on to pray, pray more to those listening here on earth than the One listening in heaven. Most of it involves telling God what He already knows, but in the sense of letting those around them know that the one who is saying the prayer is also aware of they feel is needed. It is important that believers know the difference between praising God and praying to God. The word prayer carries with it the connotation of request. Even our own dictionary defines it as a solemn request for help. By telling God what we think or perceive to be our need, it helps us better understand the need ourselves. But just as important, never ask God for something you really don’t need or want. That does not make a fool out of God, but it makes a fool out of the petitioner.

What Jesus seems to be referring to are those prayers that contain all the good and righteous things that these Pharisees had done, so as to justify themselves before God to authenticate their rightful calling and dedication as Pharisees. I can only go by things as they were described in Jesus’ day, but having been at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem I can vouch for the fact that open prayers are still practiced daily in abundance. Rabbi Maimonides shares the Jewish approach to prayer: “A person who prays must be careful to tend to the following eight matters. However, if he is pressured, confronted by circumstances beyond his control, or transgresses and does not attend to one of them, they are not of absolute necessity. They are: 1) standing; 2) facing the Temple; 3) proper stance; 4) proper clothing; 5) proper place; 6) control of his voice; 7) bowing; and 8) prostration on the ground.”¹³ Maimonides then goes on to tell what each one of those implies.

Jesus pointed out that He was referring to those who stood on the street corners or in the open synagogues and prayed to be heard. To this, Maimonides states: “Control of one’s voice: What is implied? A person should not raise his voice during his Amidah, nor should he pray silently. Rather, he should pronounce the words with his lips, whispering in a tone that he can hear. He should not make his voice audible unless he is sick or cannot concentrate otherwise. In such a case, it is permitted except when in a congregation, lest the others be disturbed by his voice.”¹⁴ The term “Amidah” has a special meaning.¹⁵ While praying, concentrate on the meaning of the words, and remember that you stand before the divine presence. Before beginning the Amidah, take three steps backward, then three steps forward. Recite the Amidah quietly—but audibly to yourself—while standing with feet together.¹⁶

Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of Jewish rabbis praying, they rock back and forth, bowing and then straightening up until the prayer is finished. Here is that prayer with instructions: “My LORD, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.¹⁷ Blessed (bend your knees) are You (bow forward), LORD our God (straighten up) God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob, the great, mighty and awesome God, exalted God, who bestows bountiful kindness, who creates all things, who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and who, in love, brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name.”¹⁸ In Jewish tradition we find a possible answer for much of the public prayer that Jesus was so against. It says: “The Ark is taken out to the square of town as a way of saying: We shamed our usually discreet Holy vessel, the ark, by sinning and prayed discretely within the synagogue, but we were not answered. Perhaps by shaming ourselves and praying in the public square, our prayers will be answered].”¹⁹ To put this in the words of the Rabbi Simeon: “As a slinger slings and directs his stones to a certain mark or object, so should we while praying, direct and address our prayers to the Divine in a manner of which You are the target.”²⁰ As we can see, such prayers became more about the one praying than it did about the One being prayed to. It is not difficult to hear such prayers even today in houses of Christian worship.

Verse 6: But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and He will reward you.

Jesus refers here to Isaiah where the children of Israel were told what to do in order to guarantee their security, and do it in a way that would secure their guarantee: “Come, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while until the danger is past.”²¹ Jesus is not prohibiting prayer in public, because He applauded the sinner who prayed for forgiveness. But personal prayers in which thanks is given for those things that were accomplished with His help and guidance seem to be the object of His recommendation for privacy. Solomon has a bit of advice on prayer: “Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to Him. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to Him…If you make a promise to God, keep your promise. Don’t be slow to do what you promised. God is not happy with fools. Give God what you promised to give Him. It is better to promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it.”²² Of course, Jesus was not telling His disciples to hide when they prayed, nor was He suggesting that prayers said in private are better than those said in public. It’s the intent and purpose of the prayer that makes the difference.

Among the scholars of the early church there were varying opinions on what Jesus meant here about praying behind closed doors. Bishop Hilary of Poitiers notes that the prayers of martyrs have been poured out in the presence of wild animals loosed against them, in prisons where they were incarcerated, and in flames as they were being burned at the stake. Therefore, he suggests that we are not admonished to enter the recesses of our homes but the bedroom of our hearts.²³ For Augustine, outside the inner chamber of our consciousness are all the things that clamor to interrupt our prayers through bodily senses. That’s why we need to shut all of that out so we can concentrate on our prayers to the Father. He takes our Lord’s words as instruction on how to cleanse the heart. He says: “Nothing cleanses the heart but the undivided and single-minded striving after eternal life from the pure love of wisdom alone” in prayer.”²⁴ Then Chromatius, Bishop of Aquileia, offers Hannah and Jonah in the Old Testament, and Cornelius in the New Testament as examples of this type of solitary prayer.²⁵

But most scholars believe that the Master was using the illustration of shutting the door inside the house figuratively of being alone with God when we pray for those things we need in order to do for Him what we believe He is leading us to do so that He receives all the honor, praise and glory. It should also be remembered that He is offering this as a contrast to the hypocritical Pharisees who stood on street corners to pray and ask God for His blessings on all the good things they did for Him. As such, He is not forbidding our open prayers in worship, nor in groups, nor bowing our heads in prayer before eating in public. That’s why the content of the prayer will dictate the conditions in which the prayer is offered to God.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part I (con’t)

We find that in a school established by Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha it was taught: “Whoever dispenses part of his possessions and does so with kindness, is delivered from the punishment of the burning pit. Picture two sheep crossing a river, one shorn and the other not shorn; the shorn one gets across, the unshorn one does not.”¹ To put it another way, to more you share with others of what God has blessed you with, the less burden you will have to carry as you make your way toward eternal life. When applied to our aims and goals in life, it makes a lot of sense, but seems so hard to adopt as a way of sharing. One of the worst things any Christian can become known for is to be known as a hoarder and not a helper.

But here is the mindset that Jesus encountered, spoken by one Rabbi: “If a man says, I offer a few pennies for charity in order that my children may live and in order that though my giving I may merit the future world, may he still be considered as a righteous man? – There is no contradiction; this statement applies only to Israelites.”² Another Rabbi adds even more: “All the charity and kindness done by the heathen is counted to them as sin, because they only do it to magnify themselves.”³ This same Rabbi basis his assumption on the same concept as the previous one: “…in order that my son may live, or that I may merit the future world.” And anyone who does the same “is completely righteous.” ⁴ And in the footnotes it states that in respect to this person’s action, notwithstanding his selfish motives, he is completely righteous.⁵ No wonder Jesus was so upset at this display of self-righteousness by these givers at the expense of the receivers. He did not want His followers to practice such false humility. So He gives the following instructions:

Verse 2: “When you give to those who are poor, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t be like the hypocrites.”

This idea of what we may call today a “Food Pantry” for the homeless or disadvantaged was established already in Moses’ day. God tells His people: “At the end of every three years, you must gather one-tenth of your harvest for that year. Store this food in your towns. Keep this food for the Levites, because they don’t have any land of their own. Also keep this food for the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your towns. This will provide enough for them to come and eat all they want. If you do this, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.”⁶ Later, God gives His reasons for this, something that Jesus also quoted⁷: “There will always be poor people in the land. That is why I command you to be ready to help your brother or sister. Give to the poor in your land who need help.”⁸ And in a Jewish apocryphal work we read: “To all those who practice righteous giving, contribute from what you already own, and do not let your expression indicate that you are doing so begrudgingly. Do not turn your face away when you see anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you.”⁹ Further on we read: “Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is righteous giving.”¹⁰

So Jesus was not preaching some new liberation theology, but simply qualifying what they have already been taught, and telling His disciples not to make a big deal out of helping others like the hypocrites do. Even today in many church organizations, money raised for charity or world missions is done with grandeur and often giving out prizes and rewards to those who contribute. That may be fine for some, but according to the teaching of Jesus, don’t look for any reward from your heavenly Father for your giving because you’ve already received it from your fellow man.

Here is another teaching that was taught by Rabbis over the years: “If a man marks of a corner of his field and says: This much of the harvest is for a certain poor man that I know, he is thereby granting it to him. But other Sages say, he must not reserve it, but give it to the first poor man that comes along.”¹¹ When the Psalmist was talking about those who reverence and respect the Lord, he complimented them: “They freely give to the poor. Their goodness will continue forever. They will be highly esteemed.”¹² In other words, their kind deeds will bring them notice, they do not need to bring notice to their kind deeds. King Solomon agreed. He says that any honor due to an individual who acts kindly to those in need will come from the Lord.¹³ That is certainly far better than receiving the accolades of man. But Isaiah cautions those who are so willing to give to the poor and needy, that true charity begins at home.¹⁴ That way, whatever you do above and beyond what is needed at home will be to your special credit.¹⁵

In the early fifth century, a bishop in Northern Italy named Chromatius spoke out against believers who broadcast their good deeds in order to get attention. He said: “Jesus taught that the work of justice is to be done not for the sake of humans but for the sake of God. Now we are also instructed that we should not blow the trumpet when we perform acts of charity. That is, we should not broadcast what we do, because it is not the mark of a devout mind to do any of the works of God in order to anticipate the glory of human praise. Many people, you see, make a donation for the use of the poor in order to reap from the gesture the human praise and the renown of their contemporaries. The Lord shows that they have received the reward of their work in this world. For as long as they seek the glory of this world, they lose the reward of the heavenly promise.”¹⁶ This does not mean that a church or organization cannot let people know about such a ministry in order for them to participate if they so desire. But the accomplishments of such good work should not be trumpeted in order for those who are heading the operation to receive personal praise for the good work being done.

But our Lord had sharp words for the hypocrites who did such giving for all the wrong reasons, “When they are in the synagogues and on the streets, they blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They want everyone to praise them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get.

Solomon had a neat way of expressing this same thought. He says: “Many men are willing to brag about their own loving-kindness and good ways but what about when it comes to being faithful?”¹⁷ The problem with these hypocrites is that they were only moved to give and be benevolent when there was something in it for them that would bring them praise. They had no interest investing in something for which there was no guaranteed accolades. The prophet Isaiah contrasts this with how God is still willing to help even in the worst of circumstances and to the worst of kind.¹⁸ Jesus was not alone in his objection to giving with such fanfare. In the teachings of the Rabbis we read: “Collectors for the communal charity fund do not collect by publicly calling out for donations. Rather, without any pomp and circumstance they put what they collect in their pockets and then distribute it around town where it is needed most.”¹⁹ Often when such things were taught, it was because the opposite was happening. British scholar John Gill tells us that one Jewish scholar states: “A man who distributes to the poor must not do so in order to receive any praise from them for his help, nor to receive accolades from others for his charitable work.”²⁰

In the incomplete work on Matthew by an anonymous author during the early Church period that we referenced before, we find this commentary: “Every act or speech through which one boasts in good works is like a trumpet. Consider one who performs an act of kindness when he sees someone present but does not do so when no one is there. He is like a trumpet, because through this act his boasting is broadcast. Likewise, consider one who performs an act of kindness when someone asks him to do so but does not do it when no one asks. This bad habit is a trumpet. Again, consider one who gives something of value to an upper-class person, should he see one, a person who is able to reciprocate. But to the lowly and to the poor chained by sufferings, he gives nothing. This too is a trumpet, even if he acted in secret, as long as he did it to seem praiseworthy (first, because he did it; second, because he did it secretly). The very act of concealment trumpets his charity. Whatever this man did, thanks to which he stands out or desires to stand out … that is a trumpet. The very act of kindness, although it actually happened, trumpets itself. Therefore it is not so much the place or the act, but rather the intention, that is to be kept secret.”²¹

Verse 3: Jesus continues with His teaching: “So when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and He will reward you.”

When it comes to the left and right hands, early Church preacher Chrysostom does not think that Jesus is speaking here of a person’s literal hands. Rather, he believes that this is a spiritual metaphor meant to exaggerate the point He was trying to get across. Says Chrysostom: “Here again His enigmatical meaning is not of the hands, but He has expressed the thing hyperbolically. As thus: If it can be, says He, for yourself not to know it, let this be the object of your endeavor; that, if it were possible, it may be concealed from the very hands that minister. It is not, as some say, that we should hide it from wrong-headed men, for He has here commanded that it should be concealed from all.”²² Given the comprehension factor of today’s thinking, I would say that the left and and right hand are representative of intention and implementation. For instance, if you see a person on the street corner with a sign asking for food, you can point to a restaurant close-by or ask them to get in and take them to the nearest one to buy them a meal. While your intention is to find out why they are in such a pitiful situation, your implementation is to give them nourishment while you listen to their story. In such case, you may also consider yourself as the right hand while the person you are helping is the left hand.

The prophet Jeremiah had a similar word from the Lord in his day when he says: “But I am the Lord, and I can look into a person’s heart. I can test a person’s mind and decide what each one should have. I can give each person the right payment for what they do.”²³ So when we give we should do so with the idea in mind that God is watching us, and He will see to it that we are rewarded for the good things we do. But I like the way the Lord puts it to Jeremiah: “Sometimes a bird will hatch an egg that it did not lay. Those who cheat to get money are like that bird. But when their lives are half finished, they will lose the money. At the end of their lives, it will be clear that they were fools.”²⁴

When it comes to ministers who might be fooled into doing things just for the applause or pats on the back they might get, Samuel had a warning for them.²⁵ In the same context, among the Jews there was a difference between giving a gift out of love, and giving to charity. John Gill tells us that in one Jewish commentary they say: “He that gives a gift to his friend out of love, may make it known, but not if it was by way of donation.”²⁶ In our modern society we can put it this way: if you go to the store at Christmas time to buy a gift for someone, don’t let them know until you give it to them. And if you put money in the Salvation Army kettle or give it to a beggar at the intersection, then keep it to yourself, you don’t need to brag to everyone. Unfortunately, it appears that in Jesus day the Pharisees and others were making a big deal out of giving to the poor and underprivileged.

This concept of giving anonymously was clearly illustrated in the Temple. The Jews tell us: “There were two charity chambers in the Temple, one was referred to as the chamber of the discreet donors, and the other was referred to as the chamber of vessels. One was for money, and the other was for donated goods”²⁷ But both were made available for anonymous givers. One was used to help the poor and the other to help the Temple for upkeep. Giving anonymously was espoused by many high ranking Rabbis. For instance, one of them stated: “A man who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses our Teacher, for of Moses it is written, ‘For I was afraid because of the anger aid the wrath,’²⁸ and of one who gives charity secretly it is written, A gift in secret subdues anger²⁹.”³⁰ So we can see here that some givers gave with ulterior motives.

One of the early church bishops in northern Italy, Chromatius, who we referenced earlier, had this to say about keeping our good works in the proper focus: “If something is to be accomplished according to the teaching of the Lord, then the right hand of the just must not know what the left is doing. That is, in order to labor religiously and faithfully, we should not boast in the sight of sinners and unfaithful people.”³¹ In other words, it is alright for the world to see believers help feed the hungry, give a home to the orphaned or homeless, provide medical services to the underprivileged, etc., but there is no need to do it in such a manner as to gain attention or get applause. Nor should we broadcast that the real intent is to share the gospel of Christ in order to heal their spiritual wounds, being merciful, kind and generous will communicate the gospel message our Lord intended.