Lesson 9: “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”
New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 6
What will be the reward for people who do good things to be seen by others? (See Matthew 6:2, 5, 16.) What things might we do to be seen by others instead of to please God? How can we purify our motives for serving and performing other good works?
The teaching in Matthew 7:12 is often called the Golden Rule. What experiences have shown you the value of this principle? How does following the Golden Rule make us better disciples of Jesus Christ?
Jesus promised that if we “seek … first the kingdom of God,” we will be given all other things that we need (Matthew 6:33). What experiences have helped you gain a testimony of this promise?
Suggestions for Family Discussion
- Display a stone and a pile of sand. Ask family members which material they would use as a foundation for a house. ReadMatthew 7:24–27, and discuss how building our lives on the Savior’s teachings is like building a house on a firm foundation of rock.
- Display a map. Ask family members how a map could help them plan a trip. If your family has recently taken a trip or will take one soon, discuss how a map was used or will be used on the trip. Explain that in our journey toward eternal life, the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets are like a map, helping us know how to return to our Heavenly Father.
Scripture Chain: Living as Disciples of Christ
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New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 9 - Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Matthew 6-7
This week is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, and particularly the Beatitudes, were stepping stones to prepare us to be like God and to return to his presence. The expectation and command Jesus gave his disciples was, “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which art in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
Second Temple Judaism was not a monolithic religion as demonstrated by the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Various groups are often being critical of each other. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and other groups such as priests, scribes, elders believe their way is the “correct” way (just as many sects of Christianity do today).
Because of this one group will often be critical of another. In Matthew 6 this is seen as Jesus is critical of some common practices of his day.
Alms, Prayer and Fasting
Matthew 6:1-18
Matthew 6 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Alms
The Greek word for “alms”, “dikaiosune” in this caes can be translated different ways. Earlier in Matthew it is “righteousness” as in “hunger and thirst after righteousness (dikaiosune). It could be read “acts of religious devotion” instead of alms. But most correct would likely be "covenant obligations” (Making Sense of NT, Holzapfel).
Matthew 6 Take heed that ye do not your alms (covenental obligations) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Instead of thinking of it as “giving” something, such as charity…the word implies much more than that. The Mosaic Law was a very visible one. Sacrifices were performed at the temple, where all could see whether you were wealthy enough to sacrifice a lamb, or among the poor who would offer a pair of turtle doves. One wore tefilin (scriptures in a small box attached to the wrist or forehead) as an outward display of continual devotion to God. The annual ritual festivals of Passover, Tabernacles, Atonement, and others, were very significant to the Jews. Many made the pilgrimage from throughout the Greek world to attend such festivals. To attend was an outward sign of one’s faith.
The Mosaic Law was was based on outward expressions. For the prophets, these outward expressions were to display the inward motives and desires of the true believer. However, by Jesus’ time, inward motives were ignored as the outward expressions seemed sufficient to the religious leaders of the day. Jesus would show them that outward expressions were meaningless.
Alms was the paying of tithes and offerings in order to help the poor and finance the work of the temple. Many saw it as an opportunity to promote themselves, and so when they paid their alms, they made sure everyone else saw as well.
Prayer
Matthew 6 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Then the Savior sets forth the Lord’s prayer and how we should pray
Matthew 6 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke puts the Lord’s prayer this way…
Luke 11 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Notice that both Matthew and Luke use the term “pater” for “Father” which is also the Aramaic “abba”. This is a tender, personal expression and is something we should use when we address deity.
Fasting
Fasting goes hand in hand with prayer. It prepares our physical body to receive spiritual renewal. Our lives are constantly met with the pangs of hunger for physical nourishment and attention. Fasting allows us to put off the natural man for a time, and take upon ourselves the spiritual person.
Matthew 6 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Treasures in heaven and earth
Matthew 6:19-34
The Savior then speaks concerning the “root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Whatever our real treasure is, that is where our heart is, and that is where our reward is.
Matthew 6 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
In the long run, we cannot serve two masters. Elder Jeffrey Holland said, “such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon.”
Matthew 6 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 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?
26 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?
When we think of those in the scriptures, or those around us, who have traded their birthright for a mess of pottage (vegetable soup), we cannot understand how they could be so foolish. Yet, because most of us place at least some worldly treasures in our hearts, we all find ourselves in folly. This is not to say we cannot live a comfortable life. It means we need to ensure God is first and foremost, and that when given a choice, we eagerly and quickly resolve to follow God.
Matthew 6 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
While not all of us will be clothed in this life with the silks and linens worn by Solomon, we can look forward to the white garments that will be placed upon the righteous as they enter heaven. And while our meals may often be meager in this life, nothing will compare to partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Life, or sitting at the marriage feast of the Savior.
Enoch and Isaiah sought God first, and were clothed in white garments that showed forth the glory of God in them. As Isaiah spoke with the dead prophets, he was told,
“And many will change the honour of the garments of the saints for the garments of the covetous, and there will be much respect of persons in those days and lovers of the honour of this world” (Ascension of Isaiah 3:25).
Compare the wicked to the righteous:
“But the saints will come with the Lord with their garments which are (now) stored up on high in the seventh heaven: with the Lord they will come, whose spirits are clothed, they will descend and be present in the world, and He will strengthen those, who have been found in the body, together with the saints, in the garments of the saints, and the Lord will minister to those who have kept watch in this world” (Ascension of Isaiah ch 4:16).
As Isaiah ascended the levels of heaven, he reached the 7th heaven where the beginning of the most holy heavens began:
“AND he (the angel) took me into the air of the seventh heaven, and moreover I heard a voice (one of the sentinels) saying: ‘How far will he (Isaiah) ascend that dwelleth in the flesh?’ And I feared and trembled.
“And when I trembled, behold, I heard from hence another voice being sent forth, and saying: ‘It is permitted to the holy Isaiah to ascend hither; for here is his garment’” (Ascension of Isaiah 9:1-2).
God seeks to clothe us with white garments, even as the white lilies of the field are clothed by God. But we must have our treasure in heaven, if we wish to obtain such a treasure as this.
Matthew 6 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
More Celestial Teachings
Matthew 7
Judging and Hypocrites
In the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, we are taught “Judge not unrighteously”. This is a major change to what we read in the KJV.
The principle the Savior sets forth suggests that “judge not” was not an absolute.
Matthew 7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
It is important that we use care in any judgments we do. At the heart of the matter are hypocritical judgements.
Matthew 7 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Sacred Pearls
Some things the world is not ready for. Sacred things are often made trivial by being made common place. When Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers, those charging exorbitant prices to travelers who wanted to exchange foreign money for local money and animals for sacrifice, he showed the importance of keeping sacred things sacred.
Places, doctrines, and experiences may all be sacred. God often uses holy space (Eden, Sinai, temple) as a place to speak with mankind. His doctrines are sacred, and He often gives us “line upon line” as we are ready for it, so that we do not reject or ignore it. At Sinai, Israel was not ready for the doctrine of Christ, and so were given the lower law of Moses (D&C 84:19-27). Moses and Joshua were commanded to remove their shoes in sacred places. Isaiah, Enoch, Moriancumer, Jacob, Abraham, Moses stood in the presence of God; what experience could be greater than that?
Matthew 7 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Many people today speak of such sacred things in common ways. Many Christians will share their most sacred experiences to just about anyone around them. They do not realize they are taking sacred experiences and events, and tossing them before swine. Swine are the unclean; those who are not truly interested in the sacred. Swine are those who constantly dwell in filth, and root around in the mud to fulfill their personal appetites.
When we keep things sacred, God knows he can trust us with more sacred experiences. So when we ask him for a fish, he will give us a fish. He desires to give us good things, but only as we are ready for them.
Alma 29 8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
The Difficult Way
Matthew 7 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Other version translate “strait” as “narrow”
CJB Matthew 7 13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Beware of False Prophets
The warning concerning false prophets is one often tossed out at Mormons: Jesus warned about false prophets, therefore Mormon prophets must be false ones.
Herein lies the fallacy of that assumption. The Bible continues to have prophets (Acts 21:10), and even John the Revelator prophesied of two prophets who would dwell in Jerusalem in the last days (Rev 11). If there are to be no more prophets after Jesus, then Agabus and the two prophets foreseen by John must be false prophets. Yet, they are not.
What Jesus warns about is that there are false prophets among us, and we must learn to distinguish them from the true prophets. How do we tell a true prophet from a false one? By his fruits. We do not believe any of the prophets to have been perfect, and we even see mistakes among some of them in the Bible. But we should be able to study their main teachings and acts, and see if they are generally good or evil.
Matthew 7 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
For the Pharisees and Sadduccees, Jesus was such a prophet. His teachings turned theirs upside down. It required each of them to look at how they were praying, fasting, giving alms, and preaching. That Jesus also told them that it wasn’t enough to say, “Lord, Lord, haven’t I done this marvelous thing” in order to be saved. Such was what the Pharisees were already doing, when they said, “look at me! I’m praying/fasting/giving alms!”
He then emphasizes that there is a “doing” process in living the gospel, not just a passive “saying” or belief.
Matthew 7 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Hearing and doing are both required. This is then amplified with a discussion of foundations…
Matthew 7 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
The chapter then ends with the people being astonished with the power with which the Savior taught. He came with authority.
Matthew 7 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Bibliography
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (on Alms giving - Google books):http://tinyurl.com/4be65yr
Connections: Sitting at the Master’s Feet (on prayer):http://donna-connections.blogspot.com/2011/02/sitting-at-masters-feet.html
President Gordon B. Hinckley, “To the Boys and to the Men”, Nov 1998 Ensign: http://lds.org/ensign/1998/11/to-the-boys-and-to-the-men?lang=eng
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Best is Yet to Be”, Jan 2010 Liahona:
http://lds.org/liahona/2010/01/the-best-is-yet-to-be?lang=eng
Book of Enoch: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe074.htm
Ascension of Isaiah:http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ascension.html
Benjamin the Scribe http://www.patheos.com/blogs/benjaminthescribe/
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