Matthew 6:1-18 concerns the righteous deeds of the kingdom people. The Lord says, “Take heed not to do your righteousness before men to be gazed at by them; otherwise, you surely have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens” (v. 1). Man’s flesh, seeking to glorify itself, always wants to do good deeds before others to be praised by them. But those believers who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, who live in an emptied and humble spirit and walk in a pure and single heart under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom, are not allowed to do anything in the flesh for the praise of men, but must do all things in the spirit for the pleasing of their heavenly Father. They do their righteous deeds not to gain man’s glory but to receive the Father’s reward.
The living of the believers should be by the Father’s life according to their spirit. Thus, they are required to do good things in secret, not in public (vv. 3-4). Any public exhibition does not correspond to the mysterious hidden nature of the divine life.
Regarding the three matters of giving alms, praying, and fasting, the Lord Jesus uses the word “secret” (vv. 4, 6, 18). We must do our righteous deeds in secret, for our Father is in secret. As children of the heavenly Father, we need to live in the presence of the Father and care for the Father’s presence. Whatever we do in secret for the Father’s kingdom, the Father sees in secret. The heavenly Father’s seeing in secret must be an incentive to doing our righteous deeds in secret. Eventually, the Father will repay us, either in this age (2 Cor. 9:10-11) or in the coming age as a reward (Luke 14:14).
In 6:19-34 we have the Lord’s word concerning our dealing with riches. In these verses the Lord charges us not to love mammon and serve it but to love God and serve Him. In verse 20 He says, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” This is to give material things to the poor (Matt. 19:21) and to care for the needy saints (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35; 11:29; Rom. 15:26) and the Lord’s servants (Phil. 4:16-17).
In verse 21 the Lord says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We need to send our treasure to heaven so that our heart can also be in heaven. Before we go there, our treasure and our heart must go there first.
In 6:22 the Lord continues, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is single, your whole body will be illuminated.” Our eyes can focus on only one thing at a time. If we endeavor to see two things at once, our sight will be blurred. If we focus our eyes on one thing, our sight will be single, and our whole body will be illuminated. But if we lay up our treasure both in heaven and on earth, our sight will be blurred. If we would have single sight, we must lay up our treasure in one place.
In verse 24 the Lord tells us that we cannot serve two masters: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The word “mammon” is an Aramaic word signifying wealth, riches. Here mammon, standing in opposition to God, indicates that wealth or riches are the opponent of God, robbing God’s people of their service to Him. As those living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we should not allow mammon to replace God in our living. Instead of loving money and serving it, we should love God and serve Him. This is an aspect of living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
In verse 33 the Lord Jesus says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” The Father’s kingdom is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today and its manifestation in the coming age; the Father’s righteousness is the righteousness by keeping the new law of the kingdom. If we seek first the kingdom and righteousness of our heavenly Father, not only will His kingdom and righteousness be given to us, but also our necessities will be added.
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