| In the Bible, God's creative activity begins with the | | | | needy -- as an evil eye toward your neighbor. |
| sentence, "Let there be light." This is not merely a | | | | The opposite of an evil eye finds expression in |
| nice opening line, but it actually tells of the | | | | Scripture as an open hand and an enlarged heart, |
| culmination of God's redemptive plan for mankind | | | | or largesse. Royalty, in the ancient near East, |
| as well. The necessity of understanding this | | | | preeminently concerned itself with showing what |
| important biblical theme takes us to the gospel of | | | | today we would call "extreme charity." This the |
| Matthew.Matthew 6: 19-34Lay not up for | | | | pagans lack.By contrast, the Christian life builds |
| yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth | | | | others up by "faith, hope, and charity." Here, faith |
| and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break | | | | means "faith in the redemptive work of Christ |
| through and steal: But lay up for yourselves | | | | and all the promises of God." Hope means the |
| treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust | | | | future expectation that God will raise those who |
| doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break | | | | have served him from the dead unto glory and |
| through nor steal: For where your treasure is, | | | | immortality. And charity means "practical |
| there will your heart be also. The light of the body | | | | kindness," the only kind of love Scripture |
| is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy | | | | approves. The bottom line is this: you either fix |
| whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be | | | | your eyes on hoarding money as a means for |
| evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If | | | | getting more immediate pleasure in this life (serve |
| therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, | | | | Mammon and have an evil [stingy] eye toward |
| how great is that darkness! No man can serve | | | | your neighbor), or you trust God to provide for |
| two masters: for either he will hate the one, and | | | | you and focus your efforts on doing works of |
| love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and | | | | faith, hope and charity -- with a "good eye" |
| despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and | | | | toward your neighbor.Jesus had said, "You |
| mammon.Therefore I say unto you, Take no | | | | Christians (their faith may have been little, but |
| thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what | | | | these were those who had faith) can trust God |
| ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye | | | | to provide you with temporary food and clothes |
| shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and | | | | because he will clothe you in the resurrection with |
| the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the | | | | greater glory than Solomon had." Don't worry |
| air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor | | | | about getting money to provide for the basics, |
| gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father | | | | instead work hard and pray hard (knowing that |
| feedeth them. Are ye not much better than | | | | God will provide) and get about doing works of |
| they? Which of you by taking thought can add | | | | faith, hope, and especially charity. For, as Paul said, |
| one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye | | | | "To them who by patient continuance in well doing |
| thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, | | | | [i.e. doing good works] seek for glory and honour |
| how they grow; they toil not, neither do they | | | | and immortality, eternal life: [i.e. resurrection of the |
| spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon | | | | body unto glory, honor, riches, wisdom, etc] ...." |
| in all his glory was not arrayed like one of | | | | (Romans 2:7).God relates to others in an orderly |
| these.Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of | | | | way (though He is seldom predictable) by a |
| the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast | | | | principle called "Lex Talionis." The way you treat |
| into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, | | | | God and His people now determines how He will |
| O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, | | | | treat you later. What you sow now, you reap |
| saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we | | | | later. So by doing good works now, Christians |
| drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For | | | | "Glorify God." For Jesus said, "let your LIGHT |
| after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for | | | | SHINE before men that they may see your good |
| your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need | | | | works, and [so] GLORIFY your Father who is in |
| of all these things.But seek ye first the kingdom | | | | heaven." And if you Glorify God through |
| of God, and his righteousness; and all these things | | | | persistent, faithful obedience, He will also glorify |
| shall be added unto you. Take therefore no | | | | you. That is called "resurrection." It is the primary |
| thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall | | | | subject of the entire book of Revelation, though |
| take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient | | | | most seemed to have missed the obvious for |
| unto the day is the evil thereof.Now we simply | | | | the subtle on that point.Solomon was a "type," a |
| have to ask the question here, "What was Jesus | | | | graphic picture of what a believer will be like in the |
| talking about?" Most people probably would strive | | | | resurrection. He will be a king, shine with great |
| to give an answer they could offer with | | | | glory, be full of wisdom, and be called "Jedidiah," |
| confidence. They can read, re-read, and read | | | | which means "Beloved of the Lord." This is why |
| some more, still too many trees dot the forest. | | | | the lampstands of Solomon's Temple represent |
| Certainly this was true of the guys who arranged | | | | the Church. And remember, the Solomonic |
| this text into its various sections. Apparently, to | | | | Temple was characterized by "glory and beauty." |
| them this simply looked like "various sayings of | | | | Lampstands give light, they shine.Jesus was |
| Jesus lumped together about how to get along in | | | | always thinking of resurrection unto glory, of His |
| life" -- something a bit like "Don't worry, be | | | | own and of that of His people. How do I know |
| happy."It's hard to blame them. After all, here, | | | | this? Because the author of Hebrews said so. |
| you have stuff about money, worrying about | | | | "Who for the JOY SET BEFORE HIM endured the |
| tomorrow, clothes and pagans, Solomon and | | | | cross, scorning it shame." What was this "joy" he |
| grass, birds of the air, eyes and bodies, etc. Most | | | | had set firmly in front of his eyes (meaning that it |
| moderns too probably see this as a kind a rant | | | | occupied His thoughts and perspective)?? You |
| posted online entitled "random thoughts about | | | | guessed it.Now let's carry this idea forward just a |
| life."I believe that the key to understanding this | | | | bit, looking at other instances of this theme in the |
| text flows from the theme of resurrection, and I'll | | | | Bible. What was Joseph's special "coat of many |
| try to explain this as clearly as I am able. Jesus | | | | colors" about? Noah's rainbow? Moses' shining |
| was here, and most everywhere else, TALKING | | | | face? Why do the martyrs in Revelation get |
| ABOUT RESURRECTION UNTO GLORY. You see, | | | | handed "White robes??"" Why is the kingdom of |
| people in that day had a common problem. They | | | | heaven like "A buried pearl later taken from the |
| kept dying. Sometimes they died because they | | | | ground to show its light to the world?" What color |
| didn't have clothes enough to keep warm, or food | | | | are sheep? Why did Jesus say, "No one hides a |
| enough to eat. Life was then as Thomas Hobbes | | | | lamp under a bushel?" Why did he say to his |
| described it: Nasty, brutish and short.In this | | | | disciples "You are the light of the world"? Why |
| context, to tell people "life is more than just food | | | | does Scripture -- for all its emphasis on inner |
| and clothes" would not have met with the | | | | beauty -- go out of it's way to mention the great |
| yawning consent moderns give this saying. They | | | | outward beauty of women of faith like Sarah, |
| would have thought -- "You must be crazy! Don't | | | | Esther, and Bathsheba? Why are Christians |
| you see all these people dropping like flies because | | | | promised to be made "pillars in the temple of My |
| they don't have the necessities of life?" And he | | | | God" by Jesus? What color are pillars? Why did |
| would have answered them, "Oh yes, I see it. But | | | | Jesus tell a parable where a man was tossed out |
| I also see that these people, should they live like | | | | of the wedding party for wearing the WRONG |
| kings today, having their needs met like Solomon | | | | CLOTHES? Why was the high priest clothed in so |
| did, will still DIE. And then what?"You see, Solomon | | | | dazzling an array of costly luminous stones? Why |
| was arrayed in GLORY. And the lilies were clothed | | | | did Jesus choose the word "glory" to characterize |
| BY GOD, and not by men. This is the central point | | | | Solomon in a single word? Why is the Church |
| of the text. This is why Paul was fond of the | | | | described in terms of precious gems at the end |
| metaphor of "putting on Christ," as though Christ | | | | of the Revelation? How is wisdom better than |
| were like clothing -- holy clothing -- like a priestly | | | | "rubies," and the tongue of the righteous like |
| robe or a king's best. Pagans would instead strive | | | | "choice silver"?? Why are wisdom and |
| to get MONEY, and store it up, so that they could | | | | righteousness always so shiny in the Bible?Why |
| meet life's demands of food and clothing. They | | | | did Solomon say that the END of a matter was |
| put mammon on the top of the list so they could | | | | better than its beginning?I suggest that the reader |
| make ends meet, and get a little insurance against | | | | interpret the sayings of Jesus, the Lord of Glory, |
| fickle fortune. This made them greedy for money. | | | | in the context of this theme when you next read |
| This is why they laid up treasure here and | | | | his words, and, if the Lord blesses, you might find |
| now.Thus from the very beginning (v. 19), Jesus | | | | yourself pleasantly surprised by the clarity of his |
| had entered into one LONG monologue about God | | | | sayings where they once seemed more difficult. |
| vs. Mammon -- hoarding money for one's own | | | | After all, says John, "God is light, and there is no |
| personal gain. And yet, God commands men to | | | | darkness in Him at all." Amen.Carson Day has |
| get money. This is what work is all about. But | | | | written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays on all |
| simply getting money differs from hoarding it for | | | | manner of topics. These aim to glorify God and |
| personal use. The evil eye presents us with the | | | | offer people real help to live wisely and well. You |
| problem. If you read the Older Testament, you | | | | can visit Carson's websites at (The Omniblog, |
| will find that it refers to a lack of CHARITY -- | | | | where Carson blogs everything) or (Carson's Day |
| where charity means giving away money to the | | | | Trading Outpost). Thanks for stopping by. |