The Sermon on the Mount 18 - Matt 6:25-34

Verses 25 and on seem to be directed specifically to the apostles, when Jesus says, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” As a message to the would-be apostles, this is very valuable information for their future missionary service after Jesus’ death. It also is similar to the command given to early missionaries to take “neither purse nor script.” The IM says, “The Greek phrase translated ‘take no thought’… means to not be overly anxious or worried. Although the Joseph Smith Translation of these verses and the version in 3 Nephi 13:25-34 indicate that these teachings are directed specifically to the Apostles, they are applicable to each of us. The Lord is teaching all of us that we are not to let worldly concerns cause us to lose trust in our Father in Heaven or become diverted from seeking His kingdom.” This is in line with what we discussed yesterday, the obsession with money and what it does to the people who are so involved with it.  

 

I think that I have been falling prey to this recently. With the move, I’ve spent a lot of money setting up my household, and I don’t think I’ve been extravagant, but I came here with nothing, no furniture, beds, food, cleaning supplies, nothing. But with taking such a huge pay cut and spending all this money getting established, I have been pretty obsessed with money and how to get more of it while not infringing on my family time either. I think that I really need to take a step back and reconsider what’s important and what’s not, and stop stressing over this job or that or this much money or that. I need to be a good steward over what I have been given and do my best wherever I am and then just trust God to take care of me after that and whatever happens is his will and will be for my good.

 

JTC comments, “With the wisdom of a Teacher of teachers, the Master appealed to their hearts and their understanding by citing the lessons of nature, in language of such simple yet forceful eloquence that to amplify or condense it is but to mar.” Jesus says, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these… Therefore tka eno though saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothes?... But seek ye first thekingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The IM quotes President Ezra Taft Benson as teaching, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.” Another interesting point in the IM is made by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who says, “If we do not choose the kingdom ofGod first, it will make little difference in the long run what we have chosen instead of it.”

 

We finish chapter 6 with Jesus telling the people “take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the tings of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Super confusing statement there, the IM clarifies, “Matthew’s counsel from the Savior, ‘no thought for the morrow,’ means ‘Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow- you have enough to deal with today.’” This is definitely a problem of mine. I can remember specifically a time when I was in Iraq, getting ready to come home and freaking out because I had heard a rumor that we weren’t going to be able to take leave when we got back stateside. My husband at the time had to tell me to calm down, we didn’t know for sure and we would deal with it when that time came. When the time came to go home, guess what? Everything was fine. We didn’t get leave right away, we had to do 3 days processing, but we didn’t have to work very long each day and it was stuff we legitimately had to do. I freaked out over nothing. This is similar to what happens all the time, I get worried about something that probably won’t even happen. Honestly, it’s exhausting. Jesus is telling us to just chill out, relax and enjoy the ride.