TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:21-22
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. - Exodus 20:13
TODAY IN THE WORD
When author and pianist Oscar Levant was called to appear before the draft board, he was asked by the examiner whether or not he thought he could kill. “I don’t know about strangers,” Levant replied. “But friends, yes.”

Levant’s answer harmonizes with the teaching in today’s passage. Jesus’ words indicate that not everyone who commits murder uses a gun. In the vast majority of cases, anger and contempt are the weapons of choice. Jesus warned that anyone who is angry with his brother is as guilty as the one who murders.

These are troubling words. His listeners would have agreed that all who commit murder deserve judgment. Few of them, however, would have seen themselves as being in such a danger. According to Jesus’ definition of murder, the weapon is the tongue and its arsenal is the human heart (v. 22).

By pointing to the heart as the source of murder, Jesus not only condemned His listeners but everyone else as well. Who hasn’t been angry with someone else at some point? In this passage, Scripture does not seem to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate anger. The apostle Paul clarifies this distinction in Ephesians 4:26-27 when he says, “ 'In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Even Paul’s distinction carries with it a warning that legitimate anger must be dealt with quickly.

Anger is a normal human emotion. But human anger is also affected by sin, and left to itself anger will always fall short of God’s standard. Just feeling angry is not necessarily a sin–but unless it is resolved, human anger will eventually degenerate into sin.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Write out James 1:19-20 on a three-by-five card: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

Keep it in your purse or wallet. When you feel angry, take it out and read it to yourself. Use this time as an opportunity to “slow” your response and to ask God for the grace to react in a way that brings about “the righteous life that God desires.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:23-26
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. - Hebrews 12:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
The cousin of French king Louis XV had the habit of ordering his coachman to try to run over any monks he saw walking in the road. This dangerous amusement was permitted to go unchecked, and it eventually led to a deadly consequence. One day the king’s cousin passed a man who was repairing a road and shot him–just for the sport of seeing the man fall. When the crime was brought to the king’s attention, he pardoned his cousin but with this warning: “Let it be understood: I will similarly pardon anyone who shoots you.”

Jesus does more than describe the nature of anger. He diagnoses its root and warns of its ultimate consequences. Anger is what we feel when we believe that we have been wronged by someone. It springs from resentment over an offense and contempt for the individual. It results in an adversarial relationship that has the potential to disrupt fellowship and worship alike.

In His teaching on this subject Jesus offered two important principles for dealing with anger. The first principle is initiative. In this passage the focus is primarily on the one who has offended someone else. We might have expected Jesus to focus primarily on the offended party, since they are the most likely to feel anger towards another. Instead, in these verses it is the offender who initiates the process of reconciliation. Elsewhere Jesus urges the offended party to make the first move (Matt. 18:15). Both share an obligation to work for resolution when there has been a conflict. Ideally, the two would meet en route to one another and settle their differences “on the way.”

Jesus’ second principle is urgency. How important is it to deal with anger? Reconciliation is so important that it takes priority over everything else. It even takes precedence over worship. God would rather see us resolve our differences than receive our offerings.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you know someone who is angry with you? Is there someone who has offended you? How can you take the initiative in each case to reconcile with that person? Before attempting to reconcile, take some time to think through your strategy. For example, reconciliation may be better attempted face to face rather than over the phone. You may even want to write out what you will say in advance. There is no way to guarantee how the other person will respond, but you can be certain of God’s help as you “make every effort.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:27-30
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. - Luke 11:34
TODAY IN THE WORD
Moshe Dayan, the former Israeli minister of defense and foreign minister, was blind in one eye and wore an eye patch. An officer once stopped him for speeding. “I have only one eye,” Dayan complained to the officer. “What do you want me to watch–the speedometer or the road?”

What we choose to look at matters. Jesus’ warning in today’s passage provides a sobering reminder that how we choose to look is equally important. Although sin is often expressed through our actions, it is rooted in attitude of the heart. Once our definition of sin is expanded to include motives as well as actions, we realize that we can commit sin even before we take any action. People who commit adultery merely ratify by their deeds the sin they’ve already committed in their hearts.

Jesus’ expansive definition in this passage does more than expose new categories of sin. Ultimately it reveals both our vulnerability and our responsibility. If sin begins in the heart, so that the lustful look offends God as much as the act of adultery, both our danger and our guilt are far greater than most of us imagine. If we apply Jesus’ standard to our thoughts and motives, it will not be very long before we cry out along with the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). We will soon discover that our only hope lies in God’s forgiveness through Christ.

Jesus’ warning implies that, while there is a remedy, it is not an “easy” one. The disturbing language of self-mutilation in this passage is not meant to be taken literally. It is hyperbolic language, intended to emphasize the urgency of avoiding sin. Those who truly understand sin’s seriousness will do “whatever it takes” to deal with it. But what does it take?
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus mentions the potential that we have to sin with certain members of our bodies. Think of ways that you can use parts of your body either for sin or for righteousness. For example, the same tongue that can be used in a sinful way to slander someone can also be used to share the gospel with them or to praise God (cf. James 3:. Think of other members of your body and identify one way that they can be used to sin and at least one alternative way that same member could be used to promote righteousness.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:31-32
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. - Mark 7:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
W. C. Fields, the comedian, film actor, and known agnostic, surprised one of his friends who found him thumbing through a Bible while on his deathbed. Amazed, his friend asked what he was doing. Fields replied, “I’m looking for a loophole.”

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a similar approach to God’s law. New Testament scholars have noted that the Pharisees recognized their own oral tradition from Jewish teachers as a supreme authority in addition to the written Scriptures. In practice they often relied more on oral tradition than on the explicit teaching of Scripture. At one point, Jesus criticized them by saying, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:9).

One example of this tendency was in their approach to divorce. In Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus criticized the religious leaders for being more interested in the “paperwork” of the divorce proceeding than in God’s original design for marriage. They taught that as long as a certificate of divorce had been issued, the divorce was legitimate. Jesus warned that human tradition did not have the authority to nullify God’s standard. Divorce and subsequent remarriage, when the grounds fell outside the parameters set by God, resulted in adultery no matter what formalities were used to validate the union.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What was true of society in Jesus’ day is still true today. What is legal isn’t necessarily right. Christians must answer to a higher authority than human custom or civil code. God alone has the ultimate authority to define what is right and wrong.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:33-37
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. - Exodus 20:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
Every January people make resolutions for the coming year. They promise themselves that they will eat better, exercise more, or work less. By February, slightly more than half of those promises have already been broken. By May, most people have long since forgotten their resolutions. A promise easily made is often all too quickly forgotten.

This is also true with promises made to God. The Scriptures warn against the practice of making hasty vows to God. Proverbs 20:25 declares, “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.” Similarly, the book of Ecclesiastes urges his readers to be on guard when in God’s presence. The author warns, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few” (Eccl. 5:2). God takes our words seriously and holds us to the promises we make, whether they are made to Him or to others.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day, on the other hand, had a different view of the promises they made. They ranked oaths by the objects upon which they were sworn. An oath sworn by God’s name was considered to be binding; one sworn by heaven or by earth was not binding. An oath sworn by the city of Jerusalem was binding only if the person making it was facing Jerusalem when it was uttered. Casual oaths were also frequently made using God’s name. In practical terms, this kind of “swearing” violated the commandment against misusing the Lord’s name (cf. Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
John Calvin called the tongue “the messenger of the heart.” This is especially true of promises we make, whether they are made to man or to God. Whether or not we follow through with our promises indicates what is in our heart.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:38-42
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. - Romans 12:19
TODAY IN THE WORD
A woman came to Ibn Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, seeking revenge against the man who had killed her husband. The man had fallen out of a palm tree while gathering dates and had landed on the woman’s husband. The king tried to persuade her to accept monetary compensation instead, knowing that she had no way of supporting herself. The woman refused and demanded the man’s life in return for her husband’s. “It is your right to exact compensation, and it is also your right to ask for this man’s life,” the king declared. “But it is my right to decree how he shall die.” The king then ordered that the man be tied to the foot of a palm tree and the woman climb up and cast herself down upon the man. After a long pause, the king offered, “Or perhaps you would prefer after all to take the money?” The widow reconsidered and chose to take the money instead.

This story underscores the trouble with vengeance. It often destroys those who seek it as much as it hurts those upon whom it is exacted. During the New Testament era, the saying, “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” epitomized the spirit of revenge. Drawn from the Law of Moses, this phrase was part of the legal code intended to set limits on revenge (cf. Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). Far from being a license for vengeance, it was originally intended to set limits upon those who had a right to seek justice for a wrong they had suffered at the hands of another. It stipulated that the punishment should not go beyond the crime.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When we “entrust ourselves to him who judges justly,” we show the world what God’s grace looks like. We are not condoning the sin of those who insult or exploit us, nor are we denying that their actions deserve punishment. We are simply leaving our case (and theirs) in the hands of God. Use a concordance and look up the words vengeance and revenge. What promises does God make to those who have a just cause for seeking revenge? What happens when they take matters in to their own hands?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:43-48
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. - Proverbs 25:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
G. K. Chesterton, British essayist and author of the Father Brown mystery novels, has challenged and encouraged generations of believers through his keen observations of the Christian faith. Chesterton once declared, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.” In fact, the Christian life cannot be lived merely by determined effort. It requires the transforming grace of Christ.

Few commands of Jesus reveal more the “supernatural” character of the Christian life than Jesus’ command to love our enemies. The Old Testament law had commanded God’s people to love their neighbors (Lev. 19:18). Jesus’ contemporaries had added the additional stipulation “and hate your enemy” to this command. They defined “neighbor” so narrowly that it excluded those they disapproved of or those with whom they differed. Jesus, on the other hand, had a much broader definition. In His view, a neighbor is anyone who has a need we can meet (cf. Luke 10:30-37). In today’s passage, Jesus goes a step further and commands His disciples to love their enemies.

Our natural tendency includes loving our friends. But just loving the people who love us back doesn’t distinguish us from unbelievers. That’s the problem. Such love is only human. On the other hand, when we love our enemies, we show that we have been given a capacity to exercise divine love. This is the way God loves, because He cares for the evil and the good (Matt. 5:45).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Who are the “enemies” God has called you to love? G. K. Chesterton wryly observed, “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:1-4
He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. - Proverbs 19:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
Thomas Carlyle, the British historian, had an interesting way of providing financial help to Leigh Hunt, a friend who was notoriously bad with money. A visitor to Carlyle’s home noticed two gold coins lying on the mantel. When he pressed Carlyle to tell him why they were there, the historian finally explained, “The fact is, Leigh Hunt likes better to find them there than that I should give them to him.” By giving to his friend in this way, Carlyle modeled Jesus’ teaching in today’s passage.

Some of the religious people in Jesus’ day were intentionally public in their acts of charity. They announced their giving “with trumpets” (v. 2). Some Bible scholars and historians believe that this should be taken literally. They suggest that when giving alms to the poor the wealthy employed servants who went before them and blew a trumpet to attract the attention of the crowd.

The heart of Jesus’ command was as concerned with motive as with method. Those Jesus condemns doubly perverted their acts of righteousness because they ignored both the functional and the spiritual purpose of giving. The functional purpose of giving meets the needs of the poor. Those who gave in order to be seen weren’t really interested in the needs of those who received their gift. The spiritual purpose of giving glorifies God. Those who gave in order to be seen were more interested in bringing glory to themselves.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What might be some creative ways for you to give in secret? You might purchase groceries for someone in need and leave them on their doorstep or send a gift of cash in an unsigned card. Remember that our giving does not have to be limited to money. We can also give our time and energy. You might help an elderly person by doing their yard work at a time when you know they are not at home.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:5-8
The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous. - Proverbs 15:29
TODAY IN THE WORD
Writing about prayer, J. C. Ryle noted, “Words without heart are as utterly useless to our souls as the drumbeating of the poor heathen before their idols.” His criticism is echoed by Jesus in today’s passage, which warns of the danger of praying “like the hypocrites” (v. 5).

Prayer is a conversation with God. But conversation consists of more than merely uttering words. Some conversations are really lectures or monologues masquerading as discussion. The speaker is primarily interested in the sound of his own voice. Others are performances, geared to entertain, impress, or intimidate those within hearing range. Some conversations are exercises in manipulation, designed to punch the right buttons and compel a response from the listener. But none of these is true conversation, because the speaker has no real interest in the listener.

In the same way, some prayers are like lectures, designed to instruct God. They are one-sided conversations, with little interest in God’s perspective on what is being said. Other prayers are performances, staged for the benefit of those within earshot. Prayer can also be an attempt to manipulate God. According to Jesus, pagans approached prayer this way, believing the sheer volume of words would move God to respond. They reduce prayer to the level of an incantation.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Schedule a time when you can spend at least half an hour in prayer that focuses on God. Plan ahead so that you will be alone and uninterrupted. You may want to divide the time into segments that concentrate on a different aspect of His character. You may also want to write some of your thoughts in advance and collect several passages of Scripture that you can pray back to God. Remember, though, that you are not trying to impress God with your eloquence but rather to express yourself from the heart.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:9-10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. - Psalm 9:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
D. L. Moody once observed, “I’d rather be able to pray than be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.” Jesus’ starting point when instructing His disciples in this area was noteworthy. He began with a focus on God’s name. The first petition in Christ’s model prayer was a request that God’s name would be “hallowed.”

To hallow something means to set it apart as holy. Jesus’ petition that God’s name be made holy is not surprising, since this is also the focus of one of the foundational commands in God’s law. The third commandment warned against the danger of misusing God’s name (Ex. 20:7). Throughout the Bible the name of God is synonymous with His character and His authority. When Moses asked to “see” God’s glory, the answer was a revelation of His name and attributes (Ex. 34:5–7).

God’s name is also associated with the behavior of His people. When those who say they are believers dishonor God by their behavior, they cause others to hold God’s name in contempt (Rom. 2:23–24). We hallow God’s name by living in a way that brings glory to Him. We also hallow His name by telling others what God has done for us. The Scriptures speak of “exalting” or “boasting” in the name of God (Psalm 34:1–3).

Those who respect God’s name also have a regard for His will. It is not surprising, then, that the petition that God’s name be hallowed is followed by requests that deal with God’s kingdom and will. God’s kingdom and His will are related.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Take a few moments today to think about ways that you can “hallow” God’s name. Make a list of areas in your life, and next to each one write out how you can demonstrate that God rules over your life. Then write one specific thing you can do to see that God’s will is done in that area. For example, in the area of work you might write: “I can show that God rules over my life by controlling the way I use my tongue. To see that God’s will is done, I will look for an opportunity to encourage others with my words.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:11-13
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. - Proverbs 30:8
TODAY IN THE WORD
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view.” R. A. Torrey called prayer “the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power.” In our passage today, Jesus’ model prayer reveals that God’s heart is moved by prayers for earthly matters as well as heavenly concerns. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for daily bread.

In the Greek text this phrase is literally “bread for the coming day.” This petition reflects God’s sensitivity to our most basic needs. The psalmist recognized this and declared that God “provides food for those who fear him” (Psalm 111:4). This is not just true of man. God also provides food for all His creation (Psalm 147:9). In our culture of fast food and refrigerators we may not appreciate the immediacy of Jesus’ third petition. But reading and studying this prayer reminds us that it is God who meets our most basic needs.

Our needs are not limited to the material realm. One of our most fundamental needs is to be forgiven and to learn how to forgive others. Jesus linked these two in the fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer when He compared forgiveness to the canceling of a debt. This request drives home our obligation to forgive others, for it links the degree of God’s forgiveness to our own forgiveness of others. In essence this request states, “Forgive us to the degree that we forgive others.” In a sense, it teaches us to forgive others, not merely for their sake, but for our own.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The Lord’s Prayer is remarkably comprehensive. In our lives, we will find ourselves particularly sensitive to each of these needs that Jesus mentions. Today, your thoughts may be troubled by financial worries or by concerns about a broken relationship. You may be struggling with a particular temptation. Which of the areas of life mentioned in today’s reading–daily bread, forgiveness and forgiving others, or spiritual protection–is pressing in your life today? Make it the focus of extended prayer time with God. When you are finished, close your time by praying the Lord’s Prayer aloud.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:14-15
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? - Matthew 18:33
TODAY IN THE WORD
While Michelangelo was painting his fresco of the last judgment, the papal master of ceremonies badgered him repeatedly for a sneak preview of the work. The artist kept putting him off until he could no longer tolerate the man’s pestering and finally agreed to show him the work. Upon examining the work, the official was horrified to discover that the great artist had included him in the fresco, painting his likeness as one of the damned being tormented by the demons in hell.

Michelangelo did in his painting what we do in principle when we refuse to forgive. We take upon ourselves a prerogative that belongs to God alone. When Jesus linked God’s forgiveness of us to our forgiveness of others, He was not implying that our actions merit God’s grace. We do not earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. The opposite is true. We forgive others because God has already forgiven us. A determination to hold on to bitterness suggests that we know little of God’s grace toward us, and perhaps we haven’t even truly experienced it.

We shouldn’t think, though, that forgiveness is painless. True forgiveness can take place only after there has been a full accounting of the “debt” that others owe. It is not forgiveness when we merely minimize the offense. Accurately taking stock of the degree to which someone has offended us is painful.

Nor should we think that forgiveness is easy. Ultimately, only God’s grace can enable us to cancel the debt of another. Our ability to forgive begins with a recognition of how much God has forgiven us and is carried out through the power of His Holy Spirit.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Is there someone that you’re having trouble forgiving? Take a piece of paper and write the reason why it’s difficult for you to forgive. Read what you have written aloud to God and tell Him of your commitment to forgive that person. When you are finished, tear up the paper as a symbol of your determination to forgive the one who has hurt you. Remember that a decision to forgive does not necessarily mean that the hurt you feel will automatically disappear. You may need to remind yourself repeatedly that you have decided to cancel the debt owed to you by this person.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:16-18
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? - Isaiah 58:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard defines the practice of fasting. “In fasting,” he says, “we abstain in some significant way from food and possibly from drink as well.” According to Willard, fasting reveals our dependence upon the pleasure of eating and also reminds us of our dependence upon God. As he further explains, “Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in him a source of sustenance beyond food.”

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day practiced a different kind of fasting. They drew attention to themselves when they fasted by neglecting to wash their faces or comb their hair. This neglect wasn’t intended to enhance the experience of fasting, but was designed to show others that they were fasting. By doing this these hypocrites turned fasting upside down. What was supposed to be an expression of humility became a demonstration of spiritual pride (v. 16).

Jesus taught His disciples to fast in secret. This didn’t mean that they should hide themselves away from others, a practice that was liable to draw just as much attention to their fasting as the somber faces of the hypocrites. Instead, they were to anoint themselves with oil and go about their business as usual. Although anointing oil was often used in ceremonies of consecration, it was also a common practice, perhaps equivalent to our putting on perfume or cologne. In other words, they were to fast with God as the only audience.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Those who have never fasted before may want to begin with a partial fast. Plan to skip a single meal, perhaps breakfast or lunch. Before the fast write out Matthew 4:4 on a card: “Jesus answered, 'It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Read it to yourself every time you become aware of your hunger and meditate on what it means to depend upon God. Another way to fast is to abstain from something other than food–perhaps television or radio–and spend the time meditating on God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:19-21
If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. - Matthew 19:21
TODAY IN THE WORD
Where do you store your treasure? Do you keep it in a piggy bank or in a vault? Do you bury it in a hole in the back yard? The answer may depend upon who you are and what you value. A child may be inclined to put treasures in a piggy bank or just keep them in his pocket, especially if that treasure is a pet frog! A dog likes to bury his treasures, usually bones, in the back yard. Most of us, because we prefer the security of a vault, keep our treasure in the bank.

In today’s passage Jesus tells us of an even safer place and urges us to keep our treasures there. He also encourages us to concentrate our efforts on a certain kind of wealth. We find success by storing treasures in heaven. The problem with earthly treasures is that they are subject to decay and theft. Our investments diminish in value and our possessions break. That new car that seemed to give us so much pleasure yesterday just seems like a vehicle today. But the treasures we store in heaven are different. They do not lose their value and cannot decay (v. 20). They are kept for us and will provide lasting pleasure throughout eternity.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If you wanted to keep track of your earthly wealth, you would probably look at your bank statement. It would tell you how many deposits you had made in the past month and give you your current balance. What does your earthly bank statement tell you about what your heavenly bank statement might look like? Can you see practical ways that you have chosen to lay up treasures in heaven? Take a few moments to pray and ask God to show you how you can make investments in His kingdom this week.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 6:22-24
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you.” - Hebrews 13:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
A man came to Jean Agassiz, the Swiss naturalist, and attempted to persuade him to deliver a lecture to the organization he represented. Agassiz flatly refused because he felt his time would be better spent doing research and writing. The visitor, however, refused to leave and continued to pester Agassiz, noting that his organization would be willing to pay a large sum of money. The offer held no incentive for the naturalist. “That’s no inducement to me,” Agassiz told him, “I can’t afford to waste my time making money.”

Agassiz understood that money makes a poor master. Today’s passage warns of the danger of greed and the impossibility of serving God and money at the same time. Jesus compared the eye to a lamp in order to illustrate the danger of greed and the importance of generosity, “If your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (v. 23).

In Jewish culture the phrase “evil eye” described a stingy person. Gifts from such a person always have strings attached. That is why Proverbs 23:6 warns, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost. 'Eat and drink,’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.” Ironically, greedy, stingy people don’t realize that true poverty is their destiny (Prov. 28:22).

Jesus’ warning is most sobering of all. He cautions that one who loves money cannot love God at the same. These two masters are mutually exclusive.

At its root the problem described in these verses is one of devotion. The choice entails the decision whether to serve God or money (Matt. 6:24). In the original text, the term that we have translated money in English is mammon, an Aramaic word that meant wealth or property. It may be money or the things we can get with money that capture our affections. But either way, it will lead us away from service to God.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Whenever we choose to invest ourselves--whether it is our time, energy, or money–we are choosing a “master.” Jesus admonishes us to choose carefully, since as we see in our passage we can’t serve more than one master.