14: Driven By Distraction? (Mt 6:19-34)

PRAY Lord you know all who are struggling, worried, discouraged, & distracted today. Please use YOUR words to minister to their hearts today.

Today we are jumping right in the middle of Jesus teaching.

CONTEXT: As we have been studying, Jesus has talked about giving and praying with right motives (Matt. 6:1-8, 16-18). Then He taught the disciples how to pray, as we saw last week (Matt. 6:9-15).

Now Jesus moves on to show how both prosperity & poverty can keep us distracted from what matters most.

Did you know that most poor people think that being rich would solve all their problems?

But did you know that rich people have bills too? Matter of fact, their bills are a lot BIGGER than other people. Some who are rich think they need to be richer…that will solve the problem. Of course it doesn’t, which is why so many rich folks are SO DISCOURAGED when they can’t find fulfilling peace through their stuff.

Some rich people even wish to go back to the simple times when they were poor and found their hope in what matters most.

Obviously, some poor people would LOVE to try their hand at being rich.

And so there are 2 very different sides to the same coin

the rich are tempted to trust their possessions,

the poor are tempted to doubt God’s provision.

Either way, rich or poor, and everyone in between - EVERY PERSON IN THIS ROOM, is in danger of being DRIVEN BY DISTRACTION - distracted by what we DO or DON’T have.

And beyond our financial status, many of us are worried about calendars, deadlines, job, family, friends, health…the list goes on and on.

And worrying about those issues keeps us distracted from what matters most - and WHAT IS THAT YOU ASK? Let’s find out what Jesus says.

Matthew 6:19–21 (NIV)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

First, Jesus deals with the danger of TRUSTING OUR POSSESSIONS. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Matthew 6:19 (NIV)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

The contrast is between focusing on earthly treasures versus eternal treasures. Those who live to store up treasures on earth should recognize that the stuff we own won’t be ours forever. The stuff we have will either be destroyed or taken by another.

During Jesus’ day, expensive clothing & grain in storehouses were considered treasures. [1]

MOTH Since a person’s clothing demonstrated wealth, Paul warns against dressing to show off (1 Tim. 2:9 ). But no matter how expensive the clothing was, a moth could deposit eggs and the larvae could quickly chew through it.

VERMIN While most Bibles translate this term as rust, this Greek word refers to anything that consumes and destroys - It can refer to oxidation that eats metals or insects & rodents that eat food. [2]

This term is used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of Hebrew text) referring to insects eating the farm crops (Mal 3:11). What’s the POINT? Your treasures will either lose their value OR be subject to...

THIEVES In the ancient world, a person’s valuables (treasures) were often buried under house floors, as archeologists have discovered. Why? Even if you could somehow lock your door, thieves could burrow through the clay walls of homes of carry off the family savings.

So it is that people who accumulate lots of nice clothes, plenty of food, & precious metals will one day have to face the reality that these earthly treasures will fade away. The luxuries that people live for are all temporary.

Instead, Jesus points His disciples to…

LIVE for what will LAST.

Matthew 6:20–21 (NIV)

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It might surprise you to know that 16 of the 38 parables Jesus told talk about how to handle money and possessions. [3]

Why do YOU THINK that is? It’s because the stuff we own reveals something about our hearts - it reveals WHAT or WHO owns you & me. Of course, material wealth is the goal of many in our American society.

Jesus doesn’t discount earthly treasure as a TOOL in our lives, but He deplores earthly treasure as the GOAL of our lives.

Followers of Jesus should be more interested in being CONTRIBUTORS than CONSUMERS.

To tweak the quote from John Kennedy, “Ask NOT what can the Kingdom do for you, ask what you can do for the Kingdom.”

QUESTION: What am I doing to Contribute to the kingdom? How are you using your time, talents, & treasure to invest in people for eternity? Who are you serving? How are you giving?

OR…are you just a CONSUMER, expecting everyone else to do the hard work?

Next Jesus says something on a totally different subject…or so it seems.

Matthew 6:22–23 (NIV)

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Did Jesus just shift gears to talk about being careful about what we watch with our eyes? I don’t think so.

We all understand that if your eye is healthy it results in light; you can clearly see what is in front of you - life in HD; but if your eye is diseased (e.g. cataracts) it results in darkness; you see life in a blurry, distorted way.

This language - healthy vs. unhealthy eyes - is Hebrew imagery, not to denote WHAT a person sees, but HOW a person sees, through the lenses of generosity or greed.

A healthy/good eye represents generosity in the Old Testament,

whereas an unhealthy/diseased/evil eye represents greed. This is seen in the Legacy Standard Bible - a word-for-word translation of this phrase - where most translations take thought-for-thought rendering as "greedy" (CSB) or "stingy" (NET, ESV, NIV).

Proverbs 28:22 (LSB)

A man with an evil eye hurries after wealth and does not know that want will come upon him.

Proverbs 28:22 (NIV)

The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

What’s the point?

It’s the same point Jesus already been making, Jesus wants His followers to store up eternal treasure rather than earthly treasure.

So while Material possessions are good TOOLS, but not the GOAL.

Jewish people knew that God blessed some men with wealth - Abraham, David, & Solomon. And these men were generous with their wealth - using it to bless others AND bless God.

They demonstrated something that Warren Wiersbe noted: “Wealth can be enjoyed and employed at the same time if our purpose is to honor God.”

May our material blessings NEVER DISTRACT us from doing good and choosing to…

LIVE for what will LAST.

Jesus isn’t done with this topic just yet.

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Although unusual, there were cases where a slave was owned by 2 brothers [4] or even multiple owners - like the lady who was a demon possessed fortune teller in Acts (Acts 16:16, 19).

In our day, we could envision a high school athlete with two coaches who are telling him/her two different things. That athlete will typically appreciate one coach over the other.

And that’s what Jesus is getting at.

The language used to “hate” and “despise” is the same kind of language used when Jesus says,

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:26)

Does Jesus mean hate like we mean hate? No. This is hyperbolic language to clarify who has 1st place in our lives.

The idea is not that we hate our family nor hate and despise money - from Aramaic term sometimes transliterated as mammon - meaning wealth [5] - which includes clothes, property, & valuables.

Instead, it is that money is NOT our Master.

We serve God, not money. We love God and He has 1st place. We are devoted to Him - HE is our Master.

Sadly, it seems that when there is testing, God is often the one who gets the short end of the stick if things get tight.

A farmer who one day went happily and with great joy in his heart to report to his wife and family that their best cow had given birth to twin calves, one red and one white. And he said, “You know, I have suddenly had a feeling and impulse that we must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together, and when the time comes we will sell one and keep the proceeds, and we will sell the other and give the proceeds to the Lord’s work.”

His wife asked him which he was going to dedicate to the Lord. “There is no need to bother about that now,” he replied, “we will treat them both in the same way, and when the time comes we will do as I say.” And off he went.

In a few months the man entered his kitchen looking very miserable and unhappy. When his wife asked him what was troubling him, he answered, “I have bad news to give you. The Lord’s calf is dead.”

“But,” she said, “you had not decided which was to be the Lord’s calf.”

“Oh yes,” he said; “I had always decided it was to be the white one, and it is the white one that has died. The Lord’s calf is dead.”

We may laugh at that story, but God forbid that we should be laughing at ourselves. It seems that it is always the Lord’s calf that dies.

What do YOU stop giving to when things get tight?

If others saw how we used our wealth - our money & stuff - would they conclude that wealth was a TOOL or our GOAL?

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So far Jesus had focused on the luxuries of life that distract people to not seek God first.

Now Jesus crosses over the tracks to show how those less fortunate can be distracted by being focused - not on the luxuries of life - but on the necessities of life.

The poor don’t have barns that are filled, a closet full of clothes, nor a need to bury their precious possessions.

So while they aren’t in danger of trusting their possessions, they ARE in danger of doubting God’s provision.

Jesus gives visual reminders how your heavenly Father provides to those who are doubting His provision.

Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

As mentioned last week, most of US have much much more than the average person sitting among that ancient audience listening to Jesus.

How many sets of clothing do you have?

How much food is in your refrigerator or sitting on shelves in your home?

Most of US have much more than them, most likely.

But what if TODAY was the day you were working to buy tonight’s meal at the open-air market?

What if TODAY’S crop in your small garden determined what you would eat for the next month?

Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

First, Jesus points to birds to remind His audience how God provides for animals on a daily basis. These birds don't have - to use current day language - a refrigerator or freezer to store lots of food for later. God provides for them DAILY. It is also important to note that they don't sit in a nest waiting for God to drop worms into their beaks, but the do the work and God provides for them each day. This might cause the onlooker to be more appreciative for how God provides for him. Maybe the next time you see a bird feeding you’ll be reminded…how God provides everyday for YOU!!!

Second, Jesus reminds His audience that God values people much more than animals. So, if He brings daily provision for animals...He will certainly provide for His crowning creation - those created in His image!

Compared to them, we don’t have as much to worry about…so none of us worry about anything - right?

Sure we do. Many of us worry about health, wealth, & relationships.

Matthew 6:27–29 (NIV)

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Are you getting the PICTURE? Your worry does us no good, except to DISTRACT us from the truth - that you can TRUST your Heavenly Father!

To demonstrate this, Jesus draws the attention of his audience to look at the beauty of flowers of the field that God has created.

And while I can’t tell you exactly what they saw that day, I can SHOW you what WE saw when we stood somewhere in the vicinity where Jesus likely shared this sermon on the mount.

See the flowers in the field? Beautiful examples of God’s creative canvas!

And as the people look around at these little living examples of God’s ability to clothe the ordinary grass with the beautiful flowers, Jesus then asks...

Matthew 6:30 (NIV) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

…remember…YOU are His crowning creation! YOU are created in His image!

The next time you you see the growing plants or feeding birds…remember that God provides for them…and He cares more about providing for you!

* Some translations use “cubit” instead of hour, but Jesus here “refers not to adding a “mere” cubit to one’s height—which would be a considerable addition!—but to adding a “mere” cubit to one’s longevity.” Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 237.

Matthew 6:31–34 (NIV)

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Worrying about the necessities of life is a WASTE of time & energy. Worrying about food, drink, and clothes is what pagans (i.e. unbelievers) do.

R.H. Mounce said that worry is “Practical atheism” - that is - acting like God doesn’t exist.

But followers of Jesus understand that our Heavenly Father knows and will provide for what we need!

Your children probably don't worry about whether they will have enough food, drink, or clothes, because YOU...the good parent takes care of all that.

So too…Instead of worrying, do YOUR part and trust God to do His. - You study, prepare yourself, pray, seek that job, then WORK HARD! Then trust God to provide!

Don’t get distracted by all that other stuff - Keep your EYES on the KING and His KINGDOM.

Leonard Ravenhill once asked, “Are the things you are living for worth Jesus dying for?”

When you’re gone, what LEGACY will you have left? Will others talk of your love for Jesus and people? Or will they talk of all that you owned…that now belongs to someone else?

Will you be known for being DRIVEN BY DISTRACTION…or will you - right now…TODAY…and TOMORROW...

...LIVE for what will LAST

and trust your Father to provide for the necessities of life.

Feet2Faith

Thank your Father for daily provision.

Really thank your Father before your meal.

Fill up that glass of water and THANK HIM for this most important yet least appreciated provision.

Instead of struggling over which clothes to wear from your closet, THANK HIM that you have some!!!

Be generous (not greedy) with your time, talents, & treasure.

Are you giving your time & talents to serve others & further the Kingdom? How about your treasure? How are you using your home, vehicle, & funds to serve others & further the Kingdom?

Seek the King and His KINGDOM.

Open the Scriptures to know Who Jesus is and what Jesus says.

Practice God’s Presence. (Live like you believe He is with you.)

Share the hope of Jesus with another person made in His image.

May this week be the week that we wake up & go to bed praying…Lord Jesus help me to

LIVE for what will LAST

Do you KNOW Jesus?

PRAY

DOT MANCIL - LADIES TEA

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Ridderbos, H. N. Matthew. Translated by Ray Togtman. Bible Student’s Commentary. Grand Rapids: Regency Reference Library, Zondervan, 1987.

Thomas Tehan and David Abernathy, An Exegetical Summary of the Sermon on the Mount, 2nd ed. (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2008), 127.

Howard L. Dayton, Jr., Leadership, Vol. 2, no. 2.

Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1–13, vol. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993), 159.

Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible, Second Edition. (Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019).

Discussion Questions

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? (Look back in your notes to help explain your answer.)

What are your top three worries? How does WORRY affect us emotionally, physically, and spiritually?

Read Matthew 6:19. 16 of the 38 parables Jesus told talk about how to handle money and possessions. Why do YOU THINK that is?

Read Matthew 6:20-21. What are some ways that we can store up treasures in heaven? What did Jesus mean by saying, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”? Give some examples how the use of our time, talents, and treasure show us whether we are living for what will last beyond this side of life.

Read Matthew 6:25-30. What plant and animal examples does Jesus point to in order to show God’s provision? What difference does Jesus mention between plants, animals, and US? How might appreciating the beauty of flowers growing or birds feeding help you trust God’s desire & ability to provide for your daily needs?

Read Matthew 6:31-34. What does it mean to seek God’s Kingdom first? What’s the promise for those who do that and how should this encourage us?

What needs do you have that brothers/sisters here might be able to help you with?

Look at today’s FEET2FAITH challenges & share some practical suggestions could help you focus on living for what will last.

Share prayer needs and pray for one another.