Brian Maloy

In our quest to cover Matthew in 6 months… we pop over some spots. Sadly this week we pop over the Lord’s Prayer, and head straight to Matt. 6:19-34. 

Thankfully it’s a great spot to pick up our study in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). After all, the Sermon on the Mount is an amazing moment in Jesus’ ministry, where He really opens the eyes of those who have been dwelling in darkness, longing for hope. 

I think in many ways, Jesus is working to help us understand the heart, our motives, the inner life. It’s a lot deeper than what I’ve heard before (that Jesus raises the bar SO high it proves we cannot do this without Him), it helps craft a view of what this life, this new Kingdom can be.

We see Jesus revealing the TRUE intent of God’s Law, for example murder was always about anger, adultery was always about lust… it goes back to the heart, not just self-righteousness. In that of course, Jesus is helping us see our depravity, that we are unable to save ourselves (like the Pharisees and many today believe). But more beautifully, He is painting a picture of Kingdom life, what it looks like to follow Him, the fruits of the Spirit, the character of those who seek to be like Jesus, it’s very formative — but it’s also this beautiful “good life” — that if we’re honest, we all long for. I also believe He is revealing Himself as the True King, and revealing the Kingdom that is to come, through Him. 

So I rambled a bit, but I think this is a really cool section of Scripture, and we often hear it taught on, we know lots of it, we misquote a lot of it — but it has much more depth and value than just “lots of good moral teaching”. But we have to listen, and understand it in the whole of Matthew, the whole of the New Testament, and the whole of the Bible to really start to grasp the richness and meaning.

Nevertheless, we find ourselves picking up in Matt. 6:19!

Treasure & Value

So how do you feel about debt? We could offend some people big time by a long public discussion on this… but everyone has an opinion — even if they haven’t slowed down to think about it. 

• I have friends who love it, they like to leverage it to grow businesses invest, etc.
• I have friends who have none, they loath it, they fear it. 
• I have friends who say some is good, some is bad. 

I myself can see value in all those perspectives… but I myself really am uncomfortable with debt. I don’t like it, I paid off our cars early… I will try to save money in the meantime to pay cash next time for a car. I would love to pay off our house early… I know it’s a little silly — we refinanced our house when the rates were insane… so it doesn’t make sense to pay it off early, but it’s a weird tension that haunts me. In the end, I think it’s because I don’t like “owing” someone else. I like being “free” and clear, so to speak. Again, everyone has their opinions — and life rarely works out exactly how we’d like it to 🙂 

So…. Let’s ask a different question — what do you value most? What are you willing to sacrifice money, time, energy, attention to? What matters the most to you? What do you catch yourself daydreaming about? What do you play over and over again in your mind? Have you taken time to listen to your thoughts (do it). 

It might be any number of things:

• It might be “the house”
• It may be adventures
• It might be antiquing 
• It might be concerts and entertainment
• It might be “the number” in your bank account
• It may be family, your spouse, kids, nieces and nephews
• Maybe its achievement at work, earning the title
• Perhaps it’s recognition and worldly influence?

Whatever it may be — the things we value most, are the things we’re willing to spend a lot of energy, time, money, and pain to get. BUT — we need to make sure the things we’re “saving up” and “working hard for”, are worthwhile. Many miss this… 

Look at Matt. 19-24, there is a LOT of depth here — but at the heart of it, what do we see? I see a heart check, an attempt to call folks to discern their motives, what their hearts desire. We are people who are made with desire, but are we setting our affections on the things above, or things below?

Now, is Jesus saying we should have nothing and be sad and miserable, no… BUT He is saying that if those things are of the utmost importance in our lives, we have wrongly placed our priorities — because those things in the end, will not last. If we purse all the things in the world, temporary things, above all else — and fail to pursue Godly character, Heavenly wisdom, or learning to live in the Kingdom as redeemed men and women… then we are off track. So again I’ll ask — what do you value most?

Jesus takes it a step deeper –> we have this (I think) confusing analogy of an eye as the lamp of the body…. Thank the Lord for good commentaries, I read this in my study Bible: “What we treasure (value) defines the direction of our hearts. Like a good eye, a generous heart can bring light and life. But like an unhealthy eye, a selfish heart produces darkness and pain.” Reality is, are we pursuing the kingdom of the world, or the Kingdom of Heaven? 

Jesus goes on to state it clearly, Matt. 6:24, we cannot serve two masters. We cannot pursue the kingdom of the world (whatever values we’ve given highest priority), and pursue the Kingdom of God. Our hearts cannot serve two masters. In the end we must choose, and Jesus has made it clear the result of each choice. 

Think about it — Do you know to where your devotion truly lies? How can you discern this? 

Worry & Anxiety

Along with that idea of what we long for, what we treasure, what we value — Jesus confronts also, worry. What a beautifully pertinent thing for us still today!

So I’ll ask — think about it — what are you most tempted to worry about? 

I’ll start:

• My kids! I worry about them all the time, so many moving pieces, behavior, health, etc — and I deeply long for them to follow after Jesus and reflect His goodness to the world around them!
• My wife — I know she is exhausted. We both work hard, to jobs we feel called to in education. We are parents of three young kids. We’ve been through foster care to adoption. We have endured hard family things. We have lived through a traumatic house fire and lost everything. She has a lot on her Mom heart!
• My work — I deeply love my students and to what I have been called, but often I know with the limitations of the day… I am not as great as I wish.
• My seminary work — I love seminary, it’s been wonderful, but I am stretched thin often, like Biblo once said in the Lord of the Rings, like butter stretched over too much bread. I know I am doing my best, but I am balancing a lot of big irons in the fire, all at the same time. 
• My house! — we’re still rebuilding our home, it’s been 1,000 decisions in the last year, and we’re weary — but we have to finish well, be steadfast, and move home.
• My writing — I love writing, but between seminary, Sunday School notes, blog posts, etc, there is NO way I am doing my best work. I worry about that too.

I could go on and on, but yuck. I have too many worries I carry. But wait… what does Jesus teach us — Matt. 6:25-30. Do not be anxious about your life. Do not be anxious about your life. Ok… well, if Jesus tells us that, surely He meant it. But simply hearing that and reading that doesn’t immediately absolve me of needing to pay my bills at the end of the month, or worrying about the budget for my house rebuild, and refurnishing… and school for kids, and new cars eventually… we can spiral into a 100 worries in no time. But I don’t think it has to be that way.

Let’s pause first. Has God provided for you before? I KNOW He has for me. More than I deserve, more than I can fathom. And I certainly don’t mean in some kind of insane paycheck or fancy car (I drive what I affectionally call, a “vintage Highlander”).  No, I mean God has blessed me beyond reason with breath every morning. Shoot, I have woken up from two surgeries in the last year (both a little scary), and thanked Him for waking me up… because deep down I wondered if that was next (I hate admitting that, but it’s true). In the end, He has blessed me with a calling and work I love. He has blessed me with beautiful kids I didn’t deserve. He has blessed me with a wife I cherish and love doing life with. He has blessed me with a love for His Word (what a gift!). He has blessed me with a love of creation and exploring. 

Naturally some of those are not the same for others. Some of those may be a bit ridiculous to you. Some of those may be cause for jealousy (especially that vintage Highlander, kidding). But we MUST slow down enough to consider, how has the Lord been good to me. It takes time for some of us, but we must. We must make it a practice, a normal rhythm of our lives. Then we’ll see it everywhere. I would have annoyed you if you’d let me keep going and going**.

**example of annoying — I used to LOVE the view coming down the hall in our old house before the fire. My brass lamp was next to an old chair my grandfather bought me after college, with my old Pendleton blanket I bought years before. There was a beautiful white glass door bookcase, with all my favorite Bibles, prayer books, and special items right there. It’s so silly, but I loved it. I have a picture of it, because it made me happy. It was pretty to see, but calm and peaceful. I LOVE finding those little things as blessings and proof of God’s goodness in my life. Silly it may be, serious I certainly am!

Antidote for a Divided Heart, and for Worry

I didn’t really answer that question before… about what we do with Jesus telling us not to be anxious, not to worry about our lives. That simply saying it, doesn’t make me worry any less. BUT, I did take us on that fun path of considering and remembering all the ways God has been faithful to us. That was kind of the plan 🙂 

Look at Matt. 6:31-34. Jesus then says again, do not worry — everyone shares these worries, but God knows. God knows you need them. Look close at what Jesus says next, the “antidote” if you will, to worry, to fear, to anxiety:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

Remember the context, Jesus is helping expose the motives of the heart, and reframing them in light of what we treasure, what we value, what we long for. He lands hard in this moment, SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM. Seek FIRST His Kingdom. It seems like it’s counter-intuitive, perhaps that’s true. But if Jesus spoke this to those listening, thousands who were listening — then it is indeed true. 

Do you seek the Kingdom of God FIRST? Do we really? 

Consider secular psychology*, even they have figured out, if we can get someone who is depressed, anxious, fearful, focused on positive things, practicing gratitude, stopping the doom loop of negativity — they can see growth. (*common grace)

So –> if even secular psychology has discovered that, consider Jesus’ charge again: Seek first the Kingdom of God.
Maybe this isn’t such a bizarre or empty statement after all. If the God who created us, and the God who is there with us, the God who has been faithful in a million small ways, the God who KNOWS us, is speaking to us and imploring us to seek first His Kingdom, perhaps we should listen. 

Because just maybe, if we take our eyes of the world, the worries, the fears, the anxiety, the control, the future, the concerns of the day — and THEN put our eyes on the Father, the Father who KNOWS — perhaps we will experience the freedom and relief and peace for which we LONG. Because again, He. Knows. Us. 

Jesus doesn’t say, “Stop worrying because worrying is bad.”  
He says, “Stop worrying because your Father knows.” 

This is awesome. I hope you see this. 
I also don’t think Jesus is trying to get us to distract ourselves away from worry, it’s really a reorientation of the heart’s treasure.
It’s also as if He is saying:
“Your heart is aimed at the wrong kingdom. Aim it at Mine.”

I am babbling a bit here, but I think it’s important. Sometimes rephrasing it helps it hit a little different, catches us off guard, gives room for the Spirit to help us better understand the Word of God.

Wrap Up

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus keeps pulling us beneath the visible and into the invisible: into motives, desires, treasures, fears, and the quiet inner world that no one else sees. And Matthew 6:19–34 is one of the clearest views into that place — this beautiful new Kingdom He has brought to the world.

The good life Jesus offers is a life rooted in the Father’s care, priorities shaped by His Kingdom, and freed from the tyranny of misplaced treasure and crippling anxiety.

What kingdom is your heart seeking?  
What treasure is shaping your life?  
What worries are you carrying alone?  
And what would change if you believed — really believed — that your Father knows?