The Bible

 

Matthew 6

Study

   

1 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

   

Commentary

 

Looking for Good in Other People

By Rev. Donald L. Rose

It is not angelic to seek for the evils with a person unless we at the same time seek for the goods. (Arcana Coelestia 10381).

In this world we should aspire to be like the angels, to have an angelic attitude. The Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church tells us that "No one becomes an angel, that is, comes into heaven, unless he carries with him from the world something of the angelic character" (Divine Providence 60). Now, a notable hallmark of the angelic character is speaking and thinking well of others. People in this world who think and speak well of others "are like the angels" (Arcana Coelestia 1088). These people are contrasted with those who see only evil. Only evil? Can't they see good in other people when it is there? Apparently not, for "If they see anything good they either perceive it as nothing, or put a bad interpretation upon it" (Arcana Coelestia 1079).

Instead we are to look for the good in others. We should look for the qualities and virtues that make someone useful, rather than considering mere externals. "If you were to choose a helper or servant from those in your neighborhood, and ten were brought before your eyes from whom you were to choose one, would you choose from the face alone? Would you not choose from some quality that you love, [such] as integrity, modesty, piety, uprightness? These you would consider as you looked upon them" (Apocalypse Explained 834). Even when good is not evident in someone, we should look for the potential of good. Especially when dealing with children we should look upon them as good, or look for the good in them. For they are potentially good, and of such is the kingdom of heaven.

But what about seeing evil? What kind of judgments do we need to make in the course of our lives? We do have to look for faults in decisions we make. And we will find that some people are simply not suited for certain uses. We put little value on them in this context, "because they are of no ability or endowment, or aptitude to this or that use" (Spiritual Experiences 4347). Even so, we must bear in mind that they are of value in other respects. According to the Sermon on the Mount we are not to say "Raca" of anyone (Matthew 5:21-22), as if they were worthless. "Raca" implies an emptiness (Apocalypse Explained 746:18) is translated in one modern version as "good-for-nothing." We are never make this kind of judgment about others, but we do need be able to when someone's actions are not useful in a certain situation. In a cynical world we could easily fall into the illusion that it is wise be critical of others, pick out their errors to be suspicious of any good in them. But someone who does not look for good who does not look from good is not really wise. The Heavenly Doctrine says that such a person "regards everybody as being in falsity, is ready rebuke, chastise to punish; has no pity does not apply or adapt himself others" (Arcana Coelestia 1949). If our "prudence" goes to the extreme, we will make the mistake of thinking that the angelic way of looking at others is naive and dangerous. And yet, in this very effort to avoid danger, we may alienate the spirit of charity and open ourselves to the dangers of infernal influence (see Arcana Coelestia 1088). Let us not forget that it is not angelic to seek for the faults of others unless at the same time, we are seeking for the good in them.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 21; Divine Providence 60-67)