Matthew 6
Giving to Poor
Yeshua continues his thought from Matthew 5:48. What does it mean to life a life that is perfected with maturity? What does it mean to put into practice Torah? This chapter moves from Yeshua looking at the teachings of Torah that needed further explanation to a bit of practical application of Torah in this chapter.
Matthew 6:1-4 The Tzedakah Box
Christian readers may raise up a flag and say, what in the world is that? Charity and giving to the poor is an intricate part of Torah. God commanded that the people take care of those who are poor as a basic part of Jewish society. Let’s go to the Torah to look at the commands that God gave concerning the poor, then we will return to examine what was going on in Jesus’ day. I am certain that you will see similarities of that day and this one.
Biblical Background: The word for Tzedakah comes from the Hebrew word Tzedeqa which is often translated as “justice” (Deut 16:20). The idea that the word gives is that it “refers to an ethical, moral standard and of course in the OT that standard is the nature and will of God”.[1] God promises to come near to all who call on Him. Righteousness is the Hebrew word for Tzedakah in Psalm 145:17-19. It is the nature of the Messiah to take care of the poor and those who are in distress. When Jacob was taken advantage of by his father-in-law, God provided a Tzedakah of speckled and spotted goats and black lambs, this is translated as “honesty” in the English (Gen 30:33). The idea that carries here is God provided for Jacob when he was poor through magnifying his giving.
One difficult verse that seems out of context is easier to understand if we insert the idea of God taking care of the poor (Lev 19:15 “fairly”). If we change the last word of the verse, fairly, to it’s Hebrew meaning of God taking care of unfairness with a way that is righteous according to the will of God, we get a different idea of the word. The verse then flows with the rest of the passage (Lev 19:9-18). This deals with reaping and leaving the gleanings for the poor. It deals with two commandments, do not steal and do not swear falsely. It deals with treating a hired man fairly, paying him quickly. How to treat the deaf and the blind. Lastly, it deals with loving your neighbor as yourself. The difficult verse in English translation changes in context if we look at the Hebrew. Tzedakah flows with the concept because instead of dealing with “judgement”, it deals with taking care of the poor.
Job said he was clothed in “righteousness” because he took care of the poor, the orphan, those dying and the widows (Job 29:12-17). His put on Tzedakah as a way of life while he took care of the unfortunate around him. The context of the passage gives us the idea of a benevolent man who distributed to the poor and took care of the unfortunate. Job stated that he did not put his confidence in gold or wealth (Job 31:24-28). Rather, he led a life that demonstrated taking care of the poor (Job 31:30-31). Job was rebuked by his friends because he was Tzedakah in his own eyes (Job 32:1). Although Job made a lifestyle of giving to the poor, when he pleaded his case before his friends, he brought all the giving to light. Job was not keeping his giving lifestyle secret (Matt 6:3-4).
Jesus addressed in the previous chapter giving a cloak to the poor man (Mat 5:40). The Hebrew word Tzedakah is used to describe this action, translated as “righteousness” (Deut 24:13). The idea is that you are not to oppress the poor and needy but rather give generously to them even though they do not deserve it. If you take a cloak as a pledge, you must return it before the man needs a cloak! This verse is followed by fair treatment of the poor and needy as hired workers (Deut 24:14-15).
Many look at Malachi as a book that covers tithing. God said that those written in the book of life are the Tzedakah (righteous). God considers these people to be His people. Their name is written in the book of remembrance. The righteous (Tzedakah) gives freely without expecting it returned (Ps 37:21). The life of the righteous is described as one who gives freely to the poor, lends to the unfortunate and delights in God’s Torah (Psalm 112).
The word Tzedakah is the word for righteousness in the Old Testament. It carries the idea of following God fully. The nature of God is to take care of the unfortunate. We call that “grace” today, or unmerited favor. God expects His people to follow His lead and act with gracious giving as a lifestyle. It is hard to separate the Grace of God and following God’s commandments or Torah. Both work hand in hand and are inseparable concepts. We would have to have a much longer comment to discuss the word further.
Jewish traditions: Jewish sages gave eight degrees of giving (copied and pasted from the web):
“Maimonides defines eight levels in giving charity (tzedakah), each one higher than the preceeding one.
On an ascending level, they are as follows:
- When donations are given grudgingly.
- When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
- When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
- When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.
- Donations when the recipient is aware of the donor’s identity, but the donor still doesn’t know the specific identity of the recipient.
- Donations when the donor is aware to whom the charity is being given, but the recipient is unaware of the source.
- Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other. Communal funds, administered by responsible people are also in this category.
- The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.”[2]
Practices today: In Jewish and Messianic churches today it is traditional to have a Tzedakah box present. This box is designated for charitable donations that go to the community to take care of the poor and needy. This is not the tithe. It is a fund that is given out of the goodness of the heart as praise to God for the generosity He has given us. In many Christian churches, we practice the same thing on a smaller scale. This is often called the “deacons fund” or “benevolent fund”.
With all of this background, let’s return to Matthew 6:
““Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1–4, NASB95)
The word “righteousness” was spoken to a Jewish community who knew and understood the word Tzedakah. They understood when Jesus talked to them that giving was a command of Torah that went beyond the tithe. This type of giving was indicative of one who follows God fully.
Jesus said that those who give to be noticed by men are actors who are playing a part (hypocrites). Their reward is already received in full. His command was to give in secret because the Father sees and will reward. The righteous giving lifestyle is not one to be given before men, it is one to be lived out before God. In other words, to live a righteous life, God watches for those who give generously beyond what is expected. This is a part of righteousness. If a person gives only to be seen by men, the righteousness that they are living is hypocritical. This righteousness is meaningless because it is done to get the approval of man, not of God…
I am going to close here. The study went much further than intended. I barely scratched the concept of Tzedakah and hope that you understand the words of Yeshua our Messiah better because of the discussion.
Prayer:
Introduction: Matthew 6:5-7 I was raised as a Roman Catholic. Earlier in my life, and up until recently I interpreted this passage based upon my experiences as a Catholic. The Catholic church had many memorized prayers such as the Our Father, Glory Be, Apostles Creed and Hail Mary. Each of these were said on different occasions and sometimes quite a few times in a row. I always interpreted this passage to mean that these prayers were meaningless repetition. In my opinion, when you pray a rote prayer over and over, regardless of the words, it soon becomes meaningless because we stop praying and start saying words. But, that is not what this passage is about… Yeshua was not talking to Catholics, Baptists, or any other denomination today. He was talking to a Jewish audience. So what could he have meant? Let’s look at the passage first:
““When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:5–8, NASB95)
Take a look at almost any picture of the Wailing Wall and you will see men standing praying. Some have little boxes attached to their foreheads and forearm which are the Tefillin. They are most likely praying the “standing prayer” or the “Amidah”. This is very clear in scripture because Yeshua said in the above passage “for they love to stand and pray”, in Mark it is “whenever you stand praying” (Mark 11:25). The standing prayer was prayed at 9AM and 3PM every day. This prayer is still being prayed today around the world. (We will discuss this more in the next session as we look at the “Our Father”.)
The Amidah is often said aloud and standing where you may happen to be. It could be at the church, synagogue, on a street corner, or wherever. The description of the standing prayer sounds like the Jewish standing prayer, the Amidah.
What could Jesus have meant when He spoke of meaningless repetition? Verse 5 gives us a major clue: “so that they may be seen by men”. The purpose of the prayer was not to pray the Amidah to God. It was so that other people could see how pious and religious these men were. I became familiar with the Standing Prayer about four years ago when I became involved in the Messianic movement. My Catholic upbringing which bore hate toward written prayers and my dislike of flaunting my religious practices before men both put a bad taste in my mouth for praying it. Will I ever start praying the Amidah regularly? I honestly do not know; God has not convicted me of it yet.
Is the Amidah bad? No, on the contrary it is an amazing prayer. All of us would benefit from meditating on it and praying it daily. Yet, that is not for this study, we will cover that in a later study. Let’s look at the forest a little longer before we look at the trees.
Another thought in this is the Jewish people pray all day long. If you ever shadow a Jewish person or look on a Jewish website, there is a prayer and a blessing for everything. When you get up, before putting on garments, before eating meals, after eating meals, entering or leaving a house, at any given time or circumstance, at 9Am and 3PM, and so on. They have a prayer for everything! When does a prayer cross the line to become meaningless repetition? The answer is two-fold and simple. First, when it is done to impress other men. Second, when you are just saying words because you are required to say them.
Praying behind closed doors in the scriptures. Salvation came to Israel when they put blood on the doorpost and lintel for deliverance from the death angel as they hid in their homes (Ex 12:22). You can be sure as they heard the wails of anguish in the night, they were praying. Elisha closed the door when he prayed for the child’s life to be restored (2 Kings 4:31-37). Isaiah prophesied praying behind closed doors while trouble passes by (Isa 26:20).
Jesus rebuked the listeners when he said that when they prayed meaningless repetitions they were praying like the Gentiles. He was referring to a well-known prophecy which spoke of Israel when they abandoned the Lord to idol worship. They abandoned Torah in order to embrace paganism along with Torah (Isa 1:14-19). The essence of the passage was that if the people return to Torah, God will bless them (Isa 1:26). If they continue to act as the nations by blending Torah with the gods of the land, God promised to consume them like fire (Isa 1:31). Read Isaiah 1 for context.
With that background, Jesus was saying that if they enter the inner room and pray to God in secret. They will be heard. He quoted a simple principle in verse 8 that is a promise for the Millennial Kingdom:
““It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24, NASB95)
The Gentiles or nations of the day thought that with their many words they could convince the idol gods to answer their prayers. It’s like Pavlov’s dogs, if they ring the bell and dinner comes, they feel that ringing the bell will bring dinner. If someone prays to a false god and an answer comes, they keep praying even though the answer may very well have been coincidence. Albeit, the devil can answer prayer that is not directed toward God. He is not called the deceiver for kicks.
What we fail to realize is that praying to God is serious. I am convinced that many of us today avoid prayer because we do not want to fall into the “meaningless repetition”. Christians sometimes encourage spontaneous prayer that leaves some speechless because of their inability to come up with prayer that meets the circumstance. On the other hand, if they had prayers to read or recite, the very act of reading might soon reach the point of meaningless repetition. So, we have to look closer to the passage to find out just what Jesus meant. This will come in the next study.
Many words are not what God wants to hear, what He wants to hear is a sincere heart. The Father already knows what we need, He wants us to ask, to communicate with Him. In other words, God is not one to be bargained with, or cajoled into submission, rather God is one who seeks an intimacy with His children.
Amidah: Matthew 6:9-15
Perhaps you are saying, “Wait a minute, that is the Our Father!” It is the Our Father. I have established this study on context. Context always rules. Jesus said of the hypocrites that they “stand and pray”. But standing and praying is not what made them hypocrites. What made them hypocrites was their delivery. (Look at the previous comment on Matthew 6:5.) In this study we will discuss correlation between the Amidah and the Our Father briefly. I will look at the usage of the Amidah and will attach a copy of the form of the Amidah that is utilized by my home church.
The “Standing Prayer” or the Amidah is still utilized widely through Judaism. It is used in temple worship daily and especially on the Sabbath services. There are deviations to the prayer which compensate for various holy days. It is said morning, noon and evening. It could be easily said that the admonition to pray always is the idea behind the Amidah (Eph 6:18; 1 Thes 5:17-18). Incidentally, comparing the Thessalonian passage with the Amidah would prove to be an interesting study since it seems also to be formed after the Amidah (1 Thes 5:12-24).
The text of the prayer changes slightly depending on the group that prints it. The Amidah was tweaked by many Rabbi’s in ancient times when they taught it to their students.[3] This still goes on today. The Rabbi’s earmarked the Amidah to fit their teaching by adding a slight twist to it for their disciples. When the Apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, this carries with it the earmark of a Rabbi adding a suffix to the Amidah which points back to him (Luke 11:1-4). The request in Matthew 6:9 is assumed, Jesus answers a question. You may also note that John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray in the same manner.
We as Christians, without the knowledge of the Amidah and the Jewish prayers think of teaching to pray as a primer in actual prayer. The “Our Father” is the most excellent outline for prayer that we have available. Understanding the Jewish mindset demonstrates that it is more than an outline. The Jewish mindset of the day clearly pointed to the “standing prayer” or the “Amidah” as a critical part of prayer and of worship.
There are traditional ways to say the prayer. Different instructions for taking steps, bowing, and such. If you are interested in all the liturgical stuff, I encourage you to look it up online.
Let’s look at Matthew 6:8-15:
““Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:9–15, NASB95)
Three main categories of the eighteen sections of prayer in the Amidah are included in Yeshua’s prayer. Many hold that the “Our Father” is a shortened form of the Amidah because of this. There are three main categories, Blessings of praise, petition and gratitude.[4]
Section of blessings of praise: It is very clear that these are contained in the prayer (Matt 6:9-10). These blessings look at the Father as our God, recognition of His power and might, and a focus upon His holiness. They look at how that God is in control of every aspect of life from birth till death and including salvation.
section of blessings of petition: Material prosperity, forgiveness of debts, redemption and deliverance, and forgiveness for sin. These are from the main body of the Amidah. (Note: the end note in verse 13 was added to the text by a later scribe. It is not included in the oldest manuscripts.)
Section of Blessings of Gratitude: These were probably added at the end of Matthew 6:13 due to the shortened form of the prayer found in Luke. With that said, the added phrase “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matt 6:13), falls under the third category. This category deals with worship, gratitude and peace.
It is easy to establish that the Amidah (Standing Prayer) is shortened to the very base categories in the “Our Father”. Jesus taught His disciples a shortened version which not only established an outline for prayer, it validated the main points of the Amidah. On that note, even though Jesus established the main points, He never said, “pray the Amidah”. The implication of the text points to his support of the prayer. With all that said, I will copy and paste the Amidah as my church uses it. Hebrew words are transliterated in the text, do not let this make you stumble, most of the English translations are included. “Barukh attah” means “blessed are you”. Here is the text, Source: Shiloh Messianic Congregation, Crestline, CA website http://www.shilohmessianic.com:
Shema Israel, YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH Echad. Barukh sheim k’vod malkhuto l’olam va’ed. My Elohim, open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise.
Blessing 1 – Avot – The Fathers – Patriarchs: Blessed are You, Elohim(Yahweh is my mighty creator), our God, God of our forefathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob; You are the Great, Mighty and Awesome God, the Supreme God, who bestows beneficial kindness and who creates everything, Who recalls the kindness of the Patriarchs and brings a Redeemer to their children’s children for Your Name’s sake with love. You are O King our Helper, our Savior, our Shield. Barukh attah Yahweh Elohim, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, the Shield of Abraham.
Blessing 2 – Gevurot – Elohim’s Power and Might: You are mighty (Yahweh T’sur) the Resuscitator of the dead. You are abundantly able to save. You make the wind blow and the rain descend, You sustain the living with kindness, You resuscitate the dead with abundant mercy, You support the fallen, heal the sick, release the confined and maintain Your faith to those asleep in the dust. Who is like You, O Master of mighty deeds, who is comparable to You, O King, who causes death and restores life and makes salvation sprout! You are faithful to resuscitate the dead. Barukh attah Yahweh T’sur, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who resuscitates the dead.
Blessing 3 – Kedushat YHVH – Elohim’s Holiness: You are Holy, Your Name is Holy, and holy ones praise You, everyday, forever. Barukh attah Yahweh Tsidkenu (Our righteousness), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, the Holy God.
Blessing 4 – Da’at- Knowledge – Understanding – Wisdom: You graciously endow men with intellect and teach insight to frail mortals. Endow us graciously from Yourself with intellect, insight, and wisdom. Barukh attah Yahweh Elyon (Most High), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, gracious giver of intellect.
Blessing 5 – Teshuvah – Repentance: Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah, and bring us near, our King, to Your service, and influence us to return in perfect repentance before You, Barukh attah Avinu (Father), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, the Gracious One Who desires repentance.
Blessing 6 –Selichah – Forgiveness: Forgive us, our Father, for we have erred, pardon us, our King for we have willfully sinned. You pardon and forgive. Barukh attah Yahweh EL Yeshuatenu (God is my salvation) , Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who forgives abundantly..
Blessing 7–Geulah–Redemption and Deliverance: Behold our affliction, take up our grievance, and redeem us speedily for Your Name’s sake, for You are a powerful Redeemer. Barukh attah Yahweh Tzebaoth (God is my deliverer), Elohenu melekh ha-olam Redeemer of Israel.
Blessing 8 – Rapha – Health and Healing: Heal us Yahweh -Rapha (God our healer), and we shall be healed; Save us and we shall be saved, for You are our praise. Bring complete recovery for all ailments, for You are God, King, the faithful and compassionate Healer. Barukh attah Yahweh Rapha, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who heals the sick of His people.
Blessing 9 – Birkat Hashanim – Material Prosperity: Bless on our behalf, Yahweh -Yireh (our provider), our God, this year and all its kind of crops for the best. Give the blessing of Your dew and rain on the face of the earth, and satisfy us from Your bounty, bless our year like the best years. Barukh attah Yahweh Yireh, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who blesses the years.
Blessing 10 – Kibbutz Galuyot – Ingathering of the Exiles: Sound the great shofar for our freedom, raise the banner to gather our exiles, gather us together from the four corners of the earth. Barukh attah Yahweh Nissi (our banner), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who gathers in the dispersed of Your People Israel.
Blessing 11 – Birkat HaDin – Restoration of Justice Righteousness: Restore our judges as in earlier times and our counselors as at first: remove from us sorrow and groaning; reign over us, You Yahweh alone with kindness and compassion, justify us with Your judgment. Barukh attah Yahweh Hashophet (Yahweh The Judge), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, the King who loves righteousness and judgment.
Blessing 12 – Tsidikenu – Prayer for the Righteous: On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people, the family of Israel, on Your remnant scholars, on those grafted in – may Your compassion be aroused, O God. May You give goodly rewards to all who sincerely believe in Your Name. Put our lot with them forever, and we will not feel ashamed for we trust in You. Barukh attah Yahweh Tsidkenu (God our righteousness), Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Mainstay and Assurance of righteousness.
Blessing 13 – Binyan Yerusalayim – Rebuilding and Restoration of Jerusalem: And for Jerusalem, Your city, may Yeshua return in compassion, and may Yeshua again rest within it as You Yahweh have spoken. May You speedily establish the throne of David within it. Barukh attah Yahweh Shalom, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, the Builder of Jerusalem.
Blessing 14 Malkhut Beit David – Coming of Messiah – Davidic Reign: The offspring of Your servant David may You speedily cause to flourish, enhance Yeshua’s prominence as Your salvation, for we hope for His return all day long. Barukh attah Yahweh El Olam (God everlasting),
Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who causes the prominence of Your Salvation to flourish.
Blessing 15 – Kabbalat Tefillah – Summary Prayer of Acceptance: Hear our voice, Yahweh Shammah (God is present) our God, have pity and be compassionate to us, accept with compassion and favor our prayers, for You are our God Who hears our prayers and supplications. From before Yourself, our King, turn us not away empty handed, for You hear the prayers of Your people Israel with compassion. Barukh attah Yahweh Shammah, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, our God, Who hears prayers.
Blessing 16 – Avodah – Restoration of Temple Worship: Be favorable, Avinu (Yahweh Our Father), our God, toward Your people Israel and their prayer. Restore the service to the Holy of Holies of Your Temple. Restore the fire offerings and accept with love and favor the prayers of Your people Israel. May the services of Your people Israel always be favorable to You. Barukh attah Avinu, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who restores His presence to Zion.
Blessing 17 – Hoda’ah – Thanksgiving: We gratefully thank You, for it is You who are Yahweh our El Shaddai (God of nourishment), our God and God of our forefathers for all eternity; the Rock of our lives. You are the Shield of our Salvation from generation to generation. From generation to generation we shall thank You and relate Your praise for our lives which are committed to Your power, and for our souls that are entrusted to You; for Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and favors in every season – evening, morning and afternoon. You are Beneficent One, Your compassions are never exhausted, You are the Compassionate One for Your Kindness never ends. Forever and always we put our hope in You.
For all this, may Your Name be blessed and exalted our King, continually and forever and ever. May everything alive gratefully acknowledge You. Selah! And praise Your Name sincerely, O God of our salvation and help. Selah! Barukh attah , Yahweh El Shaddai, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Your name is the Beneficent One and to You it is fitting to give thanks!
Blessing 18 – Sim Shalom – Peace: Establish peace, goodness, blessing, graciousness, kindness and compassion upon all Your people Israel. Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your countenance. You gave us, Yeshua our God, the Torah of love and a love of kindness, righteousness, blessing, compassion, life, and peace. And may it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel, in every season and in every hour with Your peace. Barukh attah Yahweh Shalom, Elohenu melekh ha-olam, Who blessed His people Israel with peace.
Since Yeshua is our Rabbi, He said pray like this:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who our trespass against us.
And lead us not into harsh trials, But deliver us from all evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
OSEH SHALOM BIMROMAV
Shema Israel, YHVH Eloheinu, YHVH Echad. Barukh sheim k’vod malkhuto l’olam va’ed. My Elohim, open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise.
Fasting
Fasting is a fascinating subject. Today we know that there are many health benefits to fasting. In the days that Jesus was on the earth, fasting was a normal part of religious life. The Jewish people have taken part in fasting because it is a part of Old Testament customs. It is understood that fasting draws a person and congregations closer to God. Gentiles fasted for a variety of reasons. They opened their bodies to the gods was through fasting. Fasting has always been understood as a way to open spiritual pathways. Pagans used fasting prior to having sexual relations or union with gods. They used fasting to ward off evil spirits, removing evil spirits and for a wide range of spiritual activities. God uses fasting to draw men closer while Satan uses it to deceive and draw men away from God. When something is good from God, we often find a counterfeit from Satan. If we got into the complexity of the subject, it would take a very long time.
We will look at the Hebrew idea of fasting in this study. This study is focused at this time on how that Jesus taught and fulfilled Torah. To this point in Matthew, the only thing that was not in Torah was walking the extra mile. This was however, an application of Torah. On with the study!
The first significant fast that we see in the Bible is when Moses prepared to receive Torah from God on the mountain. He did a complete fast from food and water for forty days (Ex 34:28; Deut 9:9). Fasting was utilized in conjunction with the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29-31; 23:27-32; Num 29:7). “Humble your souls” is interpreted to mean fasting and repenting. Isaiah spoke specifically about the Day of Atonement and the spiritual benefits of fasting on that day. He prophesied that when the fast takes place from sincerity of heart, God will strengthen, guide his people and enable them to put Torah into action (Isa 58:1-12).
Fasting was used in many other situations when people drew near to God. The Old Testament is permeated with examples of fasts for death, mourning, repentance, visions, seeking God, national repentance, and a multitude of other reasons. Fasting in Judaism was so much a part of the religion in Yeshua’s day that it was considered a mark of being a Jew.[5] Fasting was a way of life. With that background, let’s return to Matthew 6:16.
Fasting was an expected way of life. Notice the words in the verses, fasting was expected. It was a part of the religious life of a Jew. Jesus did not say “if” you fast, but “whenever, or when” you fast.
““Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16–18, NASB95)
Yeshua warns the people again regarding the religious aspect of fasting. If fasting is done to impress men. Then it will only impress men, the person fasting has their reward in full. On the other hand, if fasting is done in secret, the Father will reward the one fasting. (I encourage you to read Isaiah 58:1-12 to see all the spiritual benefits that God lists for fasting!)
Modern Application: If we make a show of fasting, we are really fasting to a human god which is man’s reputation, rather than to the true God. I wonder how often that this happens, I realize that few of us fast. When we do things for the Lord, do we make sure that others know about it so that we get spiritual credit from man? Jesus said, when we fast to do so in secret. It’s not that the Christian life is to be a secret life; it is to be a life to where we are not flaunting our holiness before men. It is to be a life where we live in humility before man and before God, humbling ourselves to the point of serving men and serving God. We do not need to convince fellow believers that we are fasting for holiness by rubbing it in their faces, live the life. If we simply live the life, the Father will reward us.
Very few Christians fast today. It has almost become a lost art among believers. Perhaps this is something that each of us should consider. One thing to remember though. Moses was able to go 40 days without water through divine intervention. Water is necessary for life. What I am saying is whether you fast a meal, a day, or a week, use common sense. Also spend some time finding out how to go on a fast and how to come off of a fast. This is very important but beyond the scope of this study.
Savings and wealth
Matthew 6:19-24 Yeshua taught Torah. He also focused on the teachings of the prophets and writers of the Old Testament. Solomon had an interesting thing to say about wealth:
“Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.” (Proverbs 23:4–5, NASB95)
The Hebrew word for “wealth” is not prosperity or the idea behind having a sufficient amount to take care of your needs. It is the idea of becoming rich, gaining riches or the pursuit of financial wealth. The Bible demonstrated that those who follow God’s instructions will certainly be well off or financially secure (1 Sam 17:15; Prov 10:4; 14:24; 22:4).
David taught us a tremendous lesson on wealth and the gaining of wealth in Psalm 49. He discussed the rich and the poor, compared and contrasted them in a way that is magnificent. I wonder if Jesus was echoing his words, or the intent of his words. Wealth does not bring salvation (Ps 49:7-9). It is lost at death when the pomp and stupid alike perish (Ps 49:10-12). One who seeks wealth is like an animal who dies, it is foolish to focus upon wealth because death will come calling (Ps 49:12-14). God is the one who has the power to redeem, not money (compare Ps 49:15 with 49:7). Do not be afraid of the rich (do not seek this lifestyle) because wealth ends at death (Ps 49:16-18). Wealth steals the soul so that a wealthy man will not see God’s light or follow His ways because he is without understanding; no better than a stupid animal (Ps 49:19-20).
When Yeshua taught, you can be certain that the people understood He was talking about living to gain wealth instead of living a comfortable lifestyle. Material wealth was considered an indicator of how a person was walking with the Lord. At that time, if you had excess money, you had to hide it, dig into the ground and bury it, invest it with money changers, or to deposit it at the temple for safe keeping. Thieves were out in force, and were constantly trying to find and steal such treasures. They rarely robbed the temples, simply because it was taboo to rob any deity of money.
The Greek influence on the Hebrews caused them to refine their thought about wealth. It was thought that wealth was an expected way of the righteous life, this translated into pursuing wealth to gain the social stand of a righteous man.
“My fathers have laid up treasures for below, I have laid up treasures for above … My fathers have laid up treasures which pay no interest, I have laid up treasures which pay interest.”1[6]0 A common Jewish saying speaks of laying up (as treasures) fulfilments of the Law or good works …All that Israel lays up in the form of fulfilments of the Law and good works, it lays up for its Father in heaven. In another expression Judaism can speak of the treasure house of eternal life.”[7]
What did Yeshua teach on gaining of wealth to meet this social expectation? He echoed the words of David (above) stating that wealth does not bring righteousness and it ends at death (compare Ps 49 with Matt 6:19-20). Why? Because the place we place our treasure is where our heart is focused on.
““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;” (Matthew 6:19–20, NASB95)
The next few verses seem out of context in the English Bible. This is because we do not understand the idioms of the Jews or the Hebrew mindset. Jesus taught a tremendous lesson in these verses:
“for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:21–23, NASB95)
The “eye” is what we focus with in life. It directs our path to observe life and the pursuit of life. Wisdom says that God’s commandments are the “pupil” of the eye (Prov 7:2 English translation as apple, read Prov 7:1-4). God considered His people, the Hebrew people to be the focal point or “pupil” of His eye on earth; He guards them as one does his eye (Deut 32:10). The Hebrew people that when Jesus referred to the eye, he was not speaking about life focus. He was speaking clearly about living life according to Torah, according to the instructions God gave to Moses.
Let’s consider spiritual light and darkness from the Old Testament for a moment. If a person focuses on the commands of God, his life will be full of light. If a person focuses on gaining wealth and prosperity, his life will be full of darkness. Darkness is the absence of God’s light (Ps 107:10-19). Those who know God and walk away from His light or truth in Torah walk in the ways of darkness (Prov 2:12-14). People who think they know a better way than God’s way call darkness light (Isa 5:19-21). The prophecy of the Messiah promised that when He reigns the people of the land will no longer live in spiritual darkness but rather in light and prosperity (Isa 9:2-7). The promise of the Messiah restoring the land to prosperity also promises that the Messiah will open the eyes of the spiritually blind (Isa 29:18-21). Messianic promises focused on the Messiah freeing those who are locked in the prison of darkness or absence of Torah, look at the following passage:
““He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law (Hebrew: Torah).” Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”” (Isaiah 42:4–9, NASB95)
It is abundantly clear from a quick visit to the Old Testament that when Jesus talked about the eye and darkness, He spoke in Hebrew idioms that the people clearly understood. He spoke about the eye that looks at life through God’s Torah (instruction) which produces light. The eye that is focused on life through the philosophy of man (getting rich), is focused on and produces deep darkness. Darkness produces a futile life that is no better than an animal while light produces abundant life…
Yeshua wrapped up His thoughts with a summary of this discussion:
““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24, NASB95)
Application The focus in life is what Yeshua is clearly speaking about here. If we focus our lives on living according to the way of the world, then we cannot focus on living our lives according to God’s way. Each one of us have to decide who our master will be. Will our Master be God, deliverer of light, or money (world system) deliverer of darkness? God said that this life focus is worship. Worship directed to Him or worship directed to wealth.
Many of us in Christianity have been deceived by false hopes. We think that just because we are a “child of the King”, that we live in the light, all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each of us are free agents, free to worship wherever we choose. If we choose to worship and focus our lives on the truth of God’s instructions, we will live in the light and worship God. If we choose to focus our lives on gaining material possessions, follow the way of the world, and live according to the world system: our lives will be lived in deep darkness. We choose according to our life focus who we will worship.
The Jewish people understood that they were free agents in worship. They made the mistake of blending the world system with Torah in order to reap the benefit of deep spiritual darkness. Light comes when they return to Torah. This was common knowledge that was discussed as people discussed the teaching of Torah throughout the week. When Jesus said that they could no serve two masters, the Jewish people understood because their lives were permeated with this type of activity. Worship can only be focused on one master.
This is a hard lesson for the modern Christian. We live lives that are focused upon gaining wealth for the sake of prosperity. We are trained from childhood to get a job that has a great retirement. It would be hard to tabulate the cost of advertisement as people are constantly bombarded with media promises of the good life after retirement. This focus is so intent that people live in spiritual darkness following the wealth god and cannot see the true God. Our lives are wasted as producing machines for our employers rather than being used as God’s ambassadors to a dark world. We hide behind being non-offensive rather than speak out of our faith in God. We choose darkness for the sake of the great retirement. We effectively waste our most productive years by choosing to worship the god of wealth. Ironically, many work themselves to an early death and fail to see retirement. Many others fail to enjoy retirement because the media promises do not come to pass. Life becomes wasted on the lie of wealth.
How does this shake down? Focus on the good life takes our focus off of God. Bibles gather dust during the week and are rarely opened except at the worship service. In some churches the Bibles are not even opened there. Prayer becomes non-existent or more of a “gimme” prayer rather than true prayer that is focused on our magnificent life in the Savior. Our free time during the week is spent “winding down” from work where we are involved in sports, television, movies, and a broad assortment of other busy activities. God is shoved into a “quiet time” that is often missed because of pressing needs. The busy life overrules the godly life. We live our lives in deep darkness and call it light…
Focusing on Torah brings peace
Matt 6:25 The English translations put a subheading here to mark a new paragraph. Jesus was not done with his thought. In the previous verses the good eye and bad eye was a Jewish proverb, look at this remark on Matthew 6:22-23:
Apparently Yeshua quotes a common proverb and comments on it. If you have a “good eye.” This is in the Greek text, but the explanation, that is, if you are generous, is added by me the translator because in Judaism “having a good eye,” an ˓ayin tovah, means “being generous,” and “having a bad eye,” an ˓ayin ra˓ah, means “being stingy.” That this is the correct interpretation is confirmed by the context, greed and anxiety about money being the topic in both the preceding and following verses.[8]
We see a “for” in Matthew 6:25, we must consider what it is there for. The subject of anxiety from the Jewish idiom points to a person being stingy. People who are stingy are often that way because they feel that for some reason they are not safe in being generous. The Scriptures proclaim loudly that if God’s people follow Torah, He will provide. Let’s take a stroll back to David’s day for a moment as he gave advice to Solomon:
“Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law (Hebrew: Torah) of the Lord your God. “Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.” (1 Chronicles 22:12–13, NASB95)
David promised Solomon that if he followed Torah by putting it into practice with the statutes and ordinances that God will bring prosperity. Malachi recorded God’s word concerning tithes and offerings. God promised that if these are freely given then He will cause prosperity to come. Even to the point that the insects will not eat your crops. Everyone who gives will be considered to be wealthy (Mal 3:8-15). Torah teaches that we should give generously to the poor (Deut 15:7-11).
“The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25, NASB95)
“He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9, NASB95)
The idea of the contrast between the person who is following God’s Torah and the person who simply refuses to put Torah into action continues in this passage. Yeshua likened it to living in the light or living in the darkness.
God demonstrated through the ages that if His people will follow Torah, He will provide. He has promised to take care of and to make sure that the basic necessities of life are met. Consider the Exodus for a moment. God provided manna for the people to eat, their shoes did not wear out and they had everything they needed to live while they sojourned a barren desert.
“You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth, And You gave them water for their thirst. “Indeed, forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not in want; Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell.” (Nehemiah 9:20–21, NASB95)
Back to Matthew 6:25 The Hebrew thought and history demonstrated that following Torah brings prosperity. It demonstrated that God abundantly takes care of His people. It demonstrated that His people are to act in like mind by taking care of the poor. It demonstrated that those who are generous will be rewarded. Yeshua taught that they had no reason to worry.
The tone of the “do not be worried” in the Greek is a command, it is a direct command which must be obeyed. In our modern day thinking we want to translate this as “you should try not to be worried”. Jesus said, don’t do it, period. If you think about this, by worrying aren’t we sending the message to God that He really is not in control? Aren’t we telling Him that He is really not Lord of our lives, rather He is a facade that in reality has no power? Let’s compare Matthew with Job:
Job 12:7–10 (NASB95)
7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. 8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you. 9 “Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this, 10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
Matthew 6:25–30 (NASB95)
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Yeshua reminded the people of what God said to Job about the way that He has provided for the earth, made it, takes care of the weather, creatures, plants, and causes everything to have sufficient needs met (Job 38-41 Read for context). The Jewish people were aware of this discussion. You can be certain that when Yeshua spoke of nature, they thought of Job.
Modern application: Jesus gives us a great illustration that we can think about. It is a simple logical argument that God takes care of the things of the earth that we take for granted. Sowing, reaping and storing is a direct reference to the desire for man to have more and to keep it (Matt 6:26). This is in direct contrast to the idea that God has already provided for us, as is indicated by His provision for the birds (Job 12:7; Psalm 147:9). With our preoccupation with financial security, we fail to realize that God is in control, and we cannot determine for sure that we will even be here tomorrow (Luke 12:16-21). When we are consumed with worry about finances and basic necessities, we are drastically reducing the length of our lives. We know today that stress causes heart attacks, and a multitude of other psycho-somatic as well as real illnesses. By worrying, we are not adding a single hour to our lives, rather we are reducing the number of hours that we are to live drastically.
Matthew 6:31–34 (NASB95)
31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Yeshua rebukes his Jewish audience by comparing them to the Gentiles who served false gods. Their goal was make more, get more, and keep more. This is still true today. The slogan for our society today is “the one with the most toys wins”. So basically the god of this world is greed, money, or things. If we fall into the trap of being concerned for all this stuff, aren’t we saying that our God has no power?
The reference to the grass being here today and gone tomorrow is spoken of in at least three other places in the Bible (Psalm 103:15-16, Isaiah 40:6-8; James 1:10-11). In reality our lives are extremely short, we are here for only a short time, then we are gone. The reference to the furnace is interesting, demonstrating that after our lives are over, they will be burned to see if they were useful. Some will burn with judgment in hell and others will burn to prove their righteousness (1 Corinthians 3:11-14). It seems that just like the grass, fire is in the future for everyone. God will test if we put gold in our lives by following His commands or if we followed the darkness of the world and built futility.
Yeshua summarized His thoughts by turning the focus back to Torah. Seek First God, and following His instruction, then He will reward us with enough to live on (Matt 6:33-34). Flip side, live in darkness and God will allow us to wallow in worry until we take His teaching seriously.
[1] Harold G. Stigers, “1879 צָדֵק,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 752.
[2] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Levels_of_Giving.html accessed 1/26/16; Sources: Based on Yad, Matanot Ani’im X 114; Shamash and Donin, Hayim. To Be a Jew: A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life. NY: Basic Books, 1991.
[3] Ronald L. Eisenberg, The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions, 1st ed. (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2004), 425.
[4] http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Prayers/Daily_Prayers/Shemoneh_Esrei/shemoneh_esrei.html, Accessed 1/28/16.
[5] Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 929.
10 H. L. Strack and P. Billerbeck, Kommentar zum NT aus Talmud und Midrasch, 1922 ff.., I, 430.
[7] Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 137.
[8] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 6:22.