Reading the Owner’s Manual Matthew 6:1-4 & 19-24 Giving: Seen or Secret?

Gregg Matte

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Reading the Owner’s Manual

Matthew 6:1-4 & 19-24 Giving: Seen or Secret?

September 14, 2025

Intro: Ill. My owner’s manual; most of our maintenance is based on sights & sounds

In a study of vehicle owners, about 58.9% said they had read the owner’s manual of the vehicle they drive most often. Safety Human Factors

· Among those who do read the manual, on average they read about 52.7% of it. Safety Human Factors

· Only a small fraction — about 5–7% — claimed to have read 90-100% of their vehicle owner’s manual. Safety Human Factors+2ResearchGate+2

· Another survey (for appliances & electronics) had about 50% admit to picking up the user manual when needing to figure out a function or troubleshoot. Lifewire

How to pray last week this week how to give

Matthew 6:1-4

I. Be careful: Do we give for God’s eyes or man’s eyes?

a. People’s praise is powerful but fleeting. Ex. Think of why we do what we do; Who are we trying to impress? Today, everything is posted.

Influencer pregnancy moment filmed before the husband was told?

b. Historical Context:

i. Giving and righteousness were seen as the same thing. Why? Because it goes against our flesh. It takes God to really give from the heart.

To the Jews, almsgiving was the most sacred of all religious duties. How sacred it was may be seen from the fact that the Jews used the same word—tzedakah—for both righteousness and almsgiving. To give alms and to be righteous were one and the same thing. (Barclay, p.215) 2

Our giving must never be the grim and self-righteous outcome of a sense of duty. Still less must it be done to enhance our own glory and prestige in society; it must be the instinctive outﬂow of the loving heart; we must give to others as Jesus Christ gave himself to us. (Barclay, pp.219-220)2

ii. The offering chests were trumpet shaped (shofar chests). Wide mouth and then tapered down to protect against thieves. Since they were metal, the coins would cling. Ex. Coinstar at Kroger

Ex. Widow’s two mites. "They were not giving, but buying. They wanted the praise of men, they paid for it." (Davies & Allison, 1:582)6

c. The soil of secrecy grows the fruit of intimacy. Ex. Marriage; sharing at a different depth

i. This is about the heart. And our relationship with God.

Right hand and left.

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Harry S. Truman (source: Goodreads)

"God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing." --Billy Graham, The Quotable Billy Graham

ii. With the right heart our giving can encourage others IE Giving publicly can be used by God to motivate others. Ex. Lady in our church asking me if it was ok to be in the paper & talk to your kids about your giving (Greyson’s Cambodia giving & Marshall girls loom bracelet giving)

iii. Have some things you just share with someone you love. Ex. Everything doesn’t have to be posted stats.

Social media oversharing:

https://www.securedatarecovery.com/blog/states-that-overshare-the-most-on-social-media?utm_source=chatgpt.com

· West Virginia, New Jersey, and Arkansas residents overshare the most on social media. (Texas is 12)

· 88% think parents overshare their children online. (Texas is #4 in sharing about their kids)

· 89% think people share too much on social media in general.

· Nearly half of Americans think it's entertaining when people overshare on social media.

Illustration: Seinfeld tip jar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvfzPzbMQ4

II. We give to honor God and change lives.

a. First, giving is assumed for the Christian. “Whenever you give...” :2 and prayer in :5

i. Today we are often offended and defensive when giving is taught. Ex. I’ve found the ones that are offended are the ones who give the least... or been burned.

1. By the way... It is important to trust the ministry we give to. Organizations have a responsibility to use the resources wisely. Ill. Definitely there needs to be transparency in how giving is used. We are EFCA Certified. (find stats). Finance committee (Members), staff approvals and limits, yearly audit, voted on budget by Finance committee, Deacons, and church body.

ii. Changed lives!!!

1. We give through the church not to the church. Giving to the poor. Poor in resources, poor wisdom and spiritually poor.

In the days of the terrible Decian persecution in Rome, the Roman authorities broke into a Christian church. They were out to loot the treasures which they believed the church to possess. The Roman prefect demanded from Laurentius, the deacon: ‘Show me your treasures at once.’ Laurentius pointed at the widows and orphans who were being fed, the sick who were being nursed, the poor whose needs were being supplied. ‘These’, he said, ‘are the treasures of the Church.’

The Church has always believed that ‘what we keep, we lose, and what we spend, we have’. (Barclay, p. 279) 2

Matthew 6:19-24

III. Giving changes our life too!

Luke 6:38Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

a. Our treasure changes from fleeting to lasting. :19-20

Ill. Of something lasting vs. cheap?

b. Our hearts change from fearful to faithful. :21

c. Our vision changes from stingy to generous. :22-23

In Jewish writings a good eye represented generosity and a bad eye represented being stingy. CSB study Bible page 1215

Deut 15:10Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.

d. Our life’s leader changes from money to God. :24 “It is not so much the disciple’s wealth that Jesus is concerned with as his loyalty.”

Three Action Points to take a step forward in our giving...

A. Give regularly and systematically. On the 1st and the 15th; goal of 10% or more. Not equal gifts but equal sacrifice

Mal 3:10Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lordof Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.

B. Give happily

2 Cor 9:7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

C. Give for God’s glory not our gain.

Closing: Illustration of Generosity... Historic, personal_____?

Or bookend the owner’s manual

Page 2

Giving brings kingdom mentality instead of victim

Page 3

“‘I have been young, and now am old,’ said the psalmist, ‘yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread’ (Psalm 37:25).

Luke 21:1–4He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. “I tell you the truth,” He said. “This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Other:

If everything which people count valuable is on this earth, then they will leave this earth reluctantly and grudgingly; if their thoughts have been directed to the world beyond, they will leave this world with gladness, because they go at last to God. (Barclay, p. 280) 2

The rewards of the Christian life are rewards only to a spiritually minded person. To the materially minded person they would not be rewards at all. The Christian rewards are rewards only to a Christian. (Barclay, p. 210) 2

- **Global Income Position of Americans**: More than half (56%) of Americans qualify as "high income" by global standards (living on more than $50 per day in 2011 dollars, adjusted for purchasing power), while only 7% are middle income, 3% low income, and 2% poor. An after-tax income of $60,000 places an individual in the global top 1%.

For example, a U.S. family income of $10,000 (near the bottom end) makes them wealthier than 84% of the world population.

Metric

U.S. Value

Global Average/Comparison

GDP per Capita (Nominal, 2023)

$76,399

$12,688 (world average)

Median Income (Household, Latest)

$80,610 (2023)

~$9,733 (2013 global median; current estimates remain low due to developing nations)

Share of Global Wealth Held

32% of global liquid investable wealth

U.S. accounts for 26.2% of global nominal GDP despite 4% of population

Position in Global Wealth

Bottom 20% of Americans > average in most OECD countries

Bottom 50% globally hold <1% of wealth

Wherein then lies this difficulty? Riches have three main effects on people’s outlook.

(1) Riches encourage a false independence.

(2) Riches shackle people to the earth.

(3) Riches tend to make people selfish. (Barclay, p. 253) 2

Reading the Owner’s Manual | Matthew 6:1-4, 19-24 Giving & Possessions | My Stuff

Matthew 6:1-4

1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in

secret will reward you. GM – intrinsic & eternal

GM – me telling Kelly why I’m late J

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:19-24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But 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!

24 “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.

OVERVIEW/SUMMARY

Jesus warned His disciples about the possibility of doing good deeds for the wrong reason, as He began His teaching about righteous behavior. If one does what God approves to obtain human approval, that one will not receive a reward for his good deed from God. (Constable, p. 190)1

The great paradox of Christian reward is this—those who look for reward, and who calculate that it is due to them, do not receive it; those whose only motive is love, and who never think that they have deserved any reward, do in fact receive it. The strange fact is that reward is at one and the same time the by-product and the ultimate end of the Christian life. (Barclay, p.210)2

COMMENTARIES KEY POINTS

Matthew 6:1-4

Righteousness

righteousness-1466 δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē), ης (ēs), ἡ (hē): n.fem.; ≡ DBLHebr 7406, 7407; Str 1343; TDNT 2.192—1. LN 88.13 righteousness, what is right, justice (Mt 5:10; 2Jn 9 v.r.); 2. LN 34.46 be put right with, be in a right relationship with (Ro 1:17); 3. LN 53.4 religious observances, act of righteousness, i.e., practices required by a religion (Mt 6:1), for another interp, see next; 4. LN 57.111 charity, alms, gifts of mercy (Mt 6:1), for another interp, see prior

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

"Righteousness" means what is in harmony with the will of God, and righteous deeds are those that are pleasing to Him. (Constable, p. 190) 1

The highest teaching of the Rabbis was exactly the same as the teaching of Jesus. They too forbade ostentatious almsgiving. ‘He who gives alms in secret’, they said, ‘is greater than Moses.’ The almsgiving which saves from death is that ‘when the recipient does not know from whom he gets it, and when the giver does not know to whom he gives it’.” … “But, as in so many other things, practice fell far short of principle. Too often, the giver gave in such a way that everyone might see the gift, and gave in order to bring personal glory rather than to bring help to someone else.” (Barclay, pp.216-217) 2

"Some Pharisee, intending to distribute gifts, would come to a conspicuous place in the city, and blow a small silver trumpet, at which there would gather round him the maimed, the halt, the blind. Then, with a great show of generosity, he would scatter gifts upon them." (Morgan, p. 60)3

"As 'leaders,' the religious leaders evince their evilness most prominently by showing themselves to be 'hypocritical.' Hypocrisy in Matthew's story is the opposite of being 'perfect.' To be perfect is to be wholehearted, or single-hearted, in the devotion with which one serves God (5:48; Deut. 18:13). To be hypocritical is to be 'divided' in one's fealty [loyalty] to God. Hypocrisy, then, is a form of inner incongruity, to wit: paying honor to God with the lips while the heart is far from him (15:7-8); making pronouncements about what is right while not practicing them (23:3c); and appearing outwardly to be righteous while being inwardly full of lawlessness (23:28)." (Kingsbury, p.20)4

Reward

Barclay (p.209)1 contrasts the view of people in the Old Testament (Job’s friends and the Psalmist) to Jesus’s view:

“When Jesus spoke of reward, he was very deﬁnitely not thinking in terms of material reward. It is quite true that in the Old Testament the ideas of goodness and prosperity are closely connected. If a man prospered, if his ﬁelds were fertile and his harvest great, if his children were many and his fortune large, it was taken as a proof that he was a good man. That is precisely the problem at the back of the Book of Job. Job is in misfortune; his friends come to him to argue that that misfortune must be the result of his own sin; and Job most vehemently denies that charge.”…

“‘I have been young, and now am old,’ said the psalmist, ‘yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread’ (Psalm 37:25). ‘A thousand may fall at your side,’ said the psalmist, ‘ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling-place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent’ (Psalm 91:7–10). These are things that Jesus could never have said. It was certainly not material prosperity which Jesus promised his disciples. He in fact promised them trial and tribulation, suffering, persecution and death. Quite certainly, Jesus did not think in terms of material rewards.”

It is abundantly clear that Jesus did not hesitate to speak in terms of rewards and punishments. And it may well be that we ought to be careful that we do not try to be more spiritual than Jesus was in our thinking about this matter of reward. (Barclay, p. 207) 2

“It is very often stated that the reward motive has no place whatsoever in the Christian life. It is held that we must be good for the sake of being good, that virtue is its own reward, and that the whole conception of reward must be banished from the Christian life.” … “On the face of it, that point of view is very ﬁne and noble; but it is not the point of view which Jesus held. We have already seen that three times in this passage Jesus speaks about reward. The right kind of almsgiving, the right kind of prayer and the right kind of fasting will all have their reward." (Barclay, p.206) 2

It is the paradox of the Christian idea of reward that a task well done does not bring rest and comfort and ease; it brings still greater demands and still more strenuous endeavours. In the parable of the talents, the reward of the faithful servants was still greater responsibility (Matthew 25:14–30). A really brilliant and able scholar is not exempted from work but is given harder work than that given to anyone else. The brilliant young musician is given not easier music to work on, but the challenge of more difﬁcult pieces. (Barclay, p. 212) 2

Motive

It was Jesus’ warning that when these things were done with the sole intention of bringing glory to the doer, they lost by far the most important part of their value. People may make charitable donations, not really to help the people to whom they give, but simply to demonstrate their own generosity, and to bask in the warmth of the recipients’ gratitude and the praise of society. Some people may pray in such a way that their prayer is not really addressed to God, but to those around them. Their praying may simply be an attempt to demonstrate their exceptional piety in such a way that no one can fail to see it. Some people may fast, not really for the good of their own souls, not really to humble themselves in the sight of God, but simply to show the world how splendidly self-disciplined they are. Some people may practise good works simply to win praise from others, to increase their own prestige, and to show the world how good they are. (Barclay, pp. 213-214) 2

Matthew 6:19-24

Both Jesus and the Jewish Rabbis were sure that what is selﬁshly hoarded is lost, but that what is generously given away brings treasure in heaven.

That was also the principle of the Christian Church in the days to come. The early Church always lovingly cared for the poor, the sick, the distressed, the helpless and those for whom no one else cared. In the days of the terrible Decian persecution in Rome, the Roman authorities broke into a Christian church. They were out to loot the treasures which they believed the church to possess. The Roman prefect demanded from Laurentius, the deacon: ‘Show me your treasures at once.’ Laurentius pointed at the widows and orphans who were being fed, the sick who were being nursed, the poor whose needs were being supplied. ‘These’, he said, ‘are the treasures of the Church.’

The Church has always believed that ‘what we keep, we lose, and what we spend, we have’. (Barclay, p. 279) 2

The body here represents the whole person, and if the idea of the lamp was of that which enables the body to find its way, the thought is of a purposeful life, directed towards its true goal. The alternative is a life in the dark, like a blind man, because the ‘evil eye’ of selfish materialism gives no light to show the way. (France, p. 143)5

Serve is literally ‘be a slave of’; a man could satisfactorily have two employers, but not two owners. So the same theme of undivided loyalty is stressed again. Hate here, as often in the Bible, carries a comparative sense, not necessarily of active dislike so much as of displacement by a higher loyalty (cf. on 5:43). (France, p. 143) 5

It is not so much the disciple’s wealth that Jesus is concerned with as his loyalty. As v. 24 will make explicit, materialism is in direct conflict with loyalty to God. And the danger of amassing possessions is that the treasure will command the disciple’s loyalty, that material affluence will breed materialism. (France, pp. 142-143) 5

IN the ordinary, everyday management of life, it is simple wisdom to acquire for oneself only those things which will last. Whether we are buying clothes, or a car, or a carpet for the ﬂoor, or furniture, it is common sense to avoid shoddy goods and to buy the things which have solidity and permanence and craftsmanship built into them. That is exactly what Jesus is saying here; he is telling us to concentrate on the things which will last. (Barclay, p. 275) 2

ILLUSTRATIONS

“And we would be sadly short-sighted creatures if we grasped the rewards of time and let the rewards of eternity go.” (Barclay, p.215) 2

"They were not giving, but buying. They wanted the praise of men, they paid for it." (Davies & Allison, 1:582)6

“Hypocrisy in anything whatever may deceive the cleverest and most penetrating man, but the least wide-awake of children recognizes it, and is revolted by it, however ingeniously it may be disguised.”

―Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (source: Goodreads)

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

― Harry S. Truman (source: Goodreads)

"God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing."

--Billy Graham, The Quotable Billy Graham

Where thieves break in and steal

Video: Houston man loses $84K in mortgage wire fraud - then gets it back (2025)

Video: West Virginia couple loses life savings in real estate scam as fraud targets homebuyers (2024)

Who are “the rich”?

Fun with AI- This is what Grok had to say...

Current Comparison: Americans vs. the Rest of the World

Even with significant income inequality within the U.S., Americans across the income spectrum tend to have higher living standards than much of the global population. This is evident in metrics like income, consumption, and wealth percentiles. For instance, the U.S. median household income in 2023 was $80,610. By contrast, the global median household income (based on 2013 data, the latest comprehensive global estimate available) was $9,733 in purchasing power parity terms, meaning half the world's households earn less than that. Adjusting for more recent trends, the global median remains far below U.S. levels due to persistent poverty in developing regions.

Key statistics highlighting this disparity:

- **Poorest Americans vs. Global Averages**: The poorest 20% of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries, including much of Europe. For example, a U.S. family income of $10,000 (near the bottom end) makes them wealthier than 84% of the world population. The U.S. official poverty line for a family of four ($23,021 in 2011, or about $15.77 per day per person) exceeds the global middle-income threshold of $10 per day.

- **Wealth Distribution Placement**: The average U.S. adult wealth is about $565,000, ranking among the highest globally. Even lower-wealth Americans often rank high globally; for instance, the bottom 50% of U.S. households hold wealth that places many in the global upper-middle or high-income tiers when adjusted for purchasing power.

Metric

U.S. Value

Global Average/Comparison

GDP per Capita (Nominal, 2023)

$76,399

$12,688 (world average)

Median Income (Household, Latest)

$80,610 (2023)

~$9,733 (2013 global median; current estimates remain low due to developing nations)

Share of Global Wealth Held

32% of global liquid investable wealth

U.S. accounts for 26.2% of global nominal GDP despite 4% of population

Position in Global Wealth

Bottom 20% of Americans > average in most OECD countries

Bottom 50% globally hold <1% of wealth

These figures show that even lower-income Americans benefit from higher consumption levels and access to resources compared to global norms, though U.S. inequality means not all share equally in this advantage.

### Historical Comparison: Americans vs. the Rest of the World Over Time

Historically, the U.S. has maintained a wealth advantage since the 19th century, driven by industrialization, innovation, and resource abundance. Global wealth inequality has fluctuated, but the U.S. has consistently outpaced world averages in GDP per capita and income shares. For example, from 1820 to 2020, the global top 10% income share hovered around 50-60%, with the bottom 50% at 5-15%. The U.S. has long been in the top tier, with its per capita income surpassing global levels early on.

Key historical statistics:

- **Early 19th Century**: In 1820, U.S. GDP per capita was about $1,800 (in 2011 international dollars), compared to a world average of $666. This gap reflected the U.S.'s emerging industrial edge over agrarian economies.

- **Mid-20th Century**: By 1950, post-WWII U.S. GDP per capita reached ~$15,000, while the world average was ~$2,500. The U.S. held a disproportionate share of global wealth, accounting for nearly half of world GDP at its peak in the 1940s-1950s.

- **Late 20th Century**: In 2000, U.S. GDP per capita was ~$52,000, vs. a global average of ~$6,000. U.S. households in the bottom 20% had consumption levels exceeding historical global medians, even as world poverty declined.

- **21st Century Trends**: By 2020, U.S. GDP per capita was ~$63,000, compared to a world average of ~$11,000. Over 2000-2020, U.S. per capita growth outpaced many regions, though emerging markets like China narrowed the gap slightly.

Year

U.S. GDP per Capita (2011 Intl. $)

World GDP per Capita (2011 Intl. $)

U.S. as Multiple of World Average

1820

1,800

666

2.7x

1900

6,000

1,260

4.8x

1950

15,000

2,500

6.0x

2000

52,000

6,000

8.7x

2020

63,000

11,000

5.7x

These trends illustrate that Americans, even historically at lower income levels, have enjoyed wealth far above global norms, with the U.S. economy's growth amplifying this over time. While global wealth has risen (e.g., bottom 50% global share increased slightly post-1950), the U.S. has remained in the top echelons.

Below is a list of the references used to compile the statistics and information in the previous response. These sources provided data on U.S. and global wealth, income, and historical economic trends:

1. Source ID: 3 - Data on global income shares (1820–2020), highlighting the top 10% and bottom 50% income distributions, sourced from global economic inequality studies.

2. Source ID: 6 - Historical GDP per capita data for the U.S. and world averages (1820–2020), based on international dollars adjusted for purchasing power parity.

3. Source ID: 20 - Information on average U.S. adult wealth (~$565,000) and its global ranking, derived from wealth distribution analyses.

4. Source ID: 24 - Data indicating that a U.S. family income of $10,000 places them wealthier than 84% of the global population, based on global income distribution metrics.

5. Source ID: 26 - Statistics on the global income position of Americans (56% high income, 7% middle income, 3% low income, 2% poor), using 2011 dollar thresholds.

6. Source ID: 28 - Information stating that an after-tax income of $60,000 places an individual in the global top 1%, based on global income percentile data.

7. Source ID: 32 - Data showing that the poorest 20% of Americans consume more than the national averages in most affluent countries, sourced from consumption pattern studies.

8. Source ID: 43 - U.S. median household income for 2023 ($80,610), sourced from U.S. Census Bureau or similar economic data.

9. Source ID: 45 - Global median household income (~$9,733 in 2013, purchasing power parity), based on global household income surveys.

10. Source ID: 54 - Comparison of the U.S. poverty line ($23,021 for a family of four in 2011, ~$15.77 per day per person) to the global middle-income threshold ($10 per day), sourced from poverty and income studies.

11. Source ID: 66 - Historical and recent GDP per capita data for the U.S. and world averages (1820–2020), including specific figures for 1820, 1900, 1950, 2000, and 2020, adjusted to 2011 international dollars.

These references were drawn from a combination of economic databases, global wealth reports, and historical studies, including sources like the World Bank, OECD, U.S. Census Bureau, and global inequality research (e.g., Piketty or Maddison Project). Specific URLs or document titles were not provided in the data, but the information aligns with reputable economic sources available as of September 2025. If you need assistance accessing similar data, I can guide you to relevant platforms like https://x.ai/api for further queries or suggest checking primary sources like the World Bank or U.S. Census Bureau websites.

WHAT THE FALLEN WORLD SEEKS/NEEDS

Where your treasure is

People who focus too much on money may sacrifice their humanity | Sandi Mulconry | Cornell

November 13, 2018

“Their studies found that prioritizing monetary goals over goals unrelated to the pursuit of wealth (e.g., leisure) leads to self-dehumanization – the tendency to view oneself as object-like, cold and robotic. For example, in one study 160 MBA students were asked to prepare a negotiation strategy for a hypothetical job offer. Half the students were told to prioritize the two monetary goals on the table (stock options and salary) and the others were told to prioritize the nonmonetary goals (vacation time and location). Participants completed a measure of self-dehumanization; students who prioritized monetary goals reported feeling significantly less human than those who prioritized nonmonetary goals.”

““These effects happen because of the antagonistic tension between self-focused values, such as money prioritization, and other-focused values,” Lucas said. “When you prioritize self-focused values, concerns about others become less salient, and when you prioritize other-focused values, concerns about the self become less salient. You can’t be fully self-focused and other-focused at the same time.”

In other words, money prioritization is at odds with our perceptions of human nature.”

Why Materialistic People Are Less Happy in Marriage

Belinda Luscombe | Time | Oct. 13, 2011

“Hot on the heels of a study suggesting that people who have a car, investments or other personal wealth are more likely to marry drops the other shoe: a study that suggests that people who prioritize money are less likely to be satisfied in said marriages.

According to the new study, conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) and William Paterson University (WPU), self-reported materialists — those who draw a lot of happiness from money and possessions — do not make for happy spouses, compared with those who get their jollies elsewhere. Couples who say wealth is not that big a deal score about 10% to 15% better on marriage stability and other indicators of relationship quality.”

“Carroll’s analysis, which was published in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, suggests it’s not the money itself, but the love of money that’s at the heart of the heartache. “Our study found that it is actually the couples who both place a high value on money that struggle the most,” he says. If one spouse places less value on money than the other, his results suggest, the marriage tends to be happier than if two moolah-junkies end up together.”

THE GOSPEL IN THE PASSAGE

Matthew 19:24

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

The Camel and the Needle (19:24)

Jesus evidently referred to a literal camel and a literal sewing needle (Gr. rhaphidos) here (cf. 23:24). His statement appears to have been a common proverbial expression for something impossible. He intended to illustrate an impossible situation by naming the largest beast in Palestine and the smallest of openings. I have not been able to find any basis for the view that "the eye of the needle" was a small gate, as some commentators have suggested. (Constable, p. 512) 1

Wherein then lies this difficulty? Riches have three main effects on people’s outlook.

(4) Riches encourage a false independence.

(5) Riches shackle people to the earth.

(6) Riches tend to make people selfish. (Barclay, p. 253) 2

Since the man was trusting his riches rather than the Lord to save him, he could no more enter the kingdom than a camel (one of the largest animals used by Jews) could go through “the eye of a needle” (rhaphidos, a sewing needle; not a small gate within another gate as is sometimes suggested). This needle’s eye was an extremely small opening. The astonished disciples asked, Who then can be saved? This showed the Pharisees’ influence on them, for the Pharisees said God bestows wealth on those He loves. So if a wealthy person cannot make it into the kingdom, seemingly no one can! Jesus answered that salvation is a work of God. What appears to be impossible with men is what God delights to do (cf. 17:20). (Barbieri, p. 65)7

REFERENCES

1. Constable, Dr. Thomas L. Notes on Matthew, pp. 190, 512. https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf

2. Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (Third Ed., pp. 206–280). Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press

3. Morgan, G. Campbell. The Gospel According to Matthew. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co.,1929.

4. Kingsbury, Jack Dean. Matthew as Story. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988.

5. France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 142–143). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

6. Davies, W. D., and D. C. Allison. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. International Critical Commentary series. 2 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988.

7. Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 65). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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