jesus’ teaching about money and dependence on God
http://graceandspace.org
Mt 6:24-34
[Jesus said to his disciples:] 24“No
one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.
25“Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink],
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and
the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30If
God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown
into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of
little faith? 31So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
HAVE TRUST IN GOD
At Mass, after the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father), the priest prays that we may be always free from sin and safe from all pertubatio
(distress). This echoes Jesus’ command not to be overly anxious about
our needs and have more trust in God. Indeed, worldly anxiety chokes the
word of God sown in our hearts, preventing it from growing and bearing
fruit (cf Mt 13:22).
To
illustrate this, Jesus points to Solomon, son and successor of King
David, who was widely recognized for his fabulous wealth. When Solomon
asked for an understanding heart to govern his people wisely, God was so
pleased with his request that God gave him not only a wisdom no one
could surpass but also a lot more (1 Kgs 3:13).
Jesus
mentions the proverbial glory of Solomon (his wealth and royal
garments) to underline the beauty with which God clothes the wild
flowers. However transitory these are, God cares for them. If God shows
so much concern for the flowers, how much more will God care for human
beings, the crown of God’s creation!
The
very weakness of the flowers emphasizes their “faith”: they grow to
beauty despite their inborn evanescence and their being subject to the
weather and to animals. Yet the human being who lives longer and is able
to care for himself rattles out his life worrying over survival. The
disciples’ anxiety over what they are to eat, drink, and wear shows that
they are of “little faith,” that is, they are lacking in confidence in
God. Jesus tells them not to be anxious. Life in the coming kingdom is
more important than any life that nature supports.
