Matthew 6
Reading the Sermon on the Mount,
sometimes I want to say, “Easier said than done!” Jesus takes matters of our
lives and makes them so much harder than I think they should be.
Take for instance the Lord’s Prayer when
we ask, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” It is far
easier sometimes to say, “I forgive,” than to actually do it. Even after
forgiving our hearts are drawn back to our ideas of justice and comeuppance.
Or consider the end of this reading, “Do
not be anxious.” Sometimes it doesn’t seem to matter what I do – pray, relax,
read the Bible – my anxieties haunt me. Insecurities swirl, and even when a
moment of peace is found it is soon followed by a wave of concern and unease.
Giving and fasting, too, can be areas of
our lives that lead us to an, “Easier said than done,” moment. We may give
quietly, but there often pops up into our hearts a desire for credit or
recognition. When (if!) we fast there is part of us that desires recognition.
In each case it is as if a self-centered child dwells within crying out, “Look
at me! Look at me! See the good thing that I am doing! Aren’t I wonderful?”
Often we look at the surface to judge
whether something is good or bad. We see acts of kindness, generosity, or mercy
and assign the label, “good,” to the one doing the deed – especially if the
doer is “me.” Jesus, however, probes deeper – uncomfortably deeper. He pokes
and prods at our hearts, motives, and desires. And as He speaks He reveals
things about us that we don’t like to see or think. He reveals the selfishness,
the mixed motives, and the sin. It leaves us feeling ashamed.
Yet there is a comforting message in
this part of the sermon for us. Jesus says that the Father knows our need and
just as He provides for birds, flowers, and pagans, He provides for us. Jesus
was talking about our physical need, but the principle applies beyond this body
and life. The Father knows all our needs – even our greatest need, and He sent
Jesus to provide for it. He knew our sin and shame, our selfish desires, and
our egocentric dreams needed to die, and He was aware that we need to come to
life as a new person. So Jesus died for us. He also rose for us. Now we live in
Him, and in Him all these things are fulfilled.
Lord, help me be at peace. Your grace is
sufficient. Thank you! Amen.
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