6:19–24 Chapter 6 could be construed as Jesus’ comment on two rival deities to God, two principal idols: fame (vv. 1–18) and money, along with the security it obtains (vv. 19–34). He opens with a direct prohibition, “Do not lay up . . . treasures,” calling it an exercise in futility. Moth and rust (two agents) do one thing: destroy. And a thief (one agent) does two things: break in and steal. Hoarding is sinful, selfish, and foolish. Natural forces, represented by moth and rust, which ruin fabrics and metals, slowly devour wealth. Beyond that, malicious humans rob each other. It is better to store treasure in heaven, where nothing can harm it. Not only are treasures safe with God; disciples are safer when they entrust their treasures to him, for the heart follows its treasures: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v. 21).

The connection between verses 19–21 and 22–23 is uncertain. When Jesus mentions the heart in verse 21, he shifts from visible actions to invisible dispositions. In the Gospels, the heart represents the core of one’s being; it holds deep convictions and sets a course in life. “Eye” can have the same sense in Scripture. For example, Psalm 119:36–37 reads: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways” (cf. Ps. 119:10, 18). So the eye of Matthew 6:22 can function like the heart of verse 21. If, Jesus says, the person’s core is “healthy,” then his “whole body will be full of light” (v. 22). If not, then his “whole body will be full of darkness” (v. 23). A healthy eye sees well and gives life direction. But if “the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.”

While Jesus undoubtedly wants disciples to set their eyes on the kingdom rather than on wealth, he seems to shift his attention from the eye’s actions to its status. Ancient naturalists thought that light emanated from the eye, so Jesus says that if the eye is good, it sheds light through the whole body, giving direction to all of life. That is, Jesus shifts from the external act of hoarding treasure to its root: unbelief. Can unbelievers resist the temptation to horde, since they know not God as father?

While this theological perspective certainly is valid, the original readers probably heard Jesus another way. The phrase “eye is bad” (v. 23) translates ophthalmos . . . ponēros (“eye is evil”). “Evil eye” was an idiom in Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures, among others, signifying a jealous or grudging spirit. An evil eye looks with envy on the possessions of others (Matt. 20:15; Luke 11:34; Mark 7:22; Deut. 15:9 LXX; cf. Sir. 14:10; 31:13). Conversely, a “good eye” (agathos ophthalmos) signifies generosity (cf. Deut. 28:54, 56; Prov. 23:6; cf. Sir. 29:8, 10). Consistent with this, the term translated “healthy” (Matt. 6:22) is haplous, which can mean “simple” in the sense of lacking ulterior motives. Cognate terms mean generous in 2 Corinthians 8:2; 9:13; and James 1:5. If we follow this reading of Matthew 6:22–23, we see Jesus exhorting men to set their eyes on the right things.

Both interpretations of verses 22–23 seem justified. If the eye is fixed on treasures, Matthew wants readers to ask what it is inside of them that makes it so. But he also warns against setting the eyes in the wrong way and thus yielding to envy. So Jesus both diagnoses and exhorts. Both interpretations also fit lexical usage and the literary context.

In verse 24, Stott observes, Jesus takes disciples behind “the choice between two treasures . . . and two visions” and names the more basic choice between two masters.103 The cultural context is slavery, not employment. One can work for two employers, but no one can belong to two masters, because masters can demand a slave’s presence or service at any time: “Single ownership and full-time service are of the essence of slavery.”104 No one can serve two gods, God and Mammon, since each demands absolute loyalty.105 By selecting “Mammon” as his name for money, Jesus strengthens his point. “Mammon” means “trusted thing” or “that which one trusts.”106 The name fits, for people are prone to trust money. Job 31:24 notes the sin in a man’s calling gold “my trust . . . my confidence.” In Proverbs 30:8–9, Agur prays that he will not grow rich lest he disown the Lord (cf. Ps. 62:10; Jer. 9:23; Ezek. 28:5; Hos. 13:6). Jesus highlights the point by moving from the third person (Matt. 6:22–24a) to the second person (v. 24b): “You cannot serve God and money.”

6:25–34 “Therefore” draws a conclusion from verse 24. If men and women serve God, not money, they should not worry about “life” or the food, drink,107 and clothing necessary for it. If they know God gives life, if they lay up treasure in heaven and serve God, there is no place for anxiety. Peter adds, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).

The command “Do not be anxious [or “Do not worry”] about your life” does not forbid labor, planning, or forethought; heedlessness and laziness are marks of the fool. Planning is wise (Prov. 6:6–11; cf. Genesis 41). Further, Paul admits “anxiety” over his churches in 2 Corinthians 11:28 and apparently sees it as a burden but not a sin. It is possible, therefore, to have concerns without sinning. But Jesus warns against the anxious obsession over physical needs that indicates a passion for money and a distrust in the Lord.

The Sovereign Lord cares for all his creatures, and if he feeds birds and clothes flowers, surely he will feed and clothe mankind, the crown of creation (Genesis 1). Jesus was fond of rhetorical questions that invite people to reason with him (Matt. 6:25–28). First, is life not more than the food and clothing that sustain it? Yes. Second, if God feeds birds, who work but have no organized plans to sow, harvest, or store food, will he not care for people, who are more valuable? Yes. Third, does worry accomplish anything? The ESV asks who, by worrying, can “add a single hour to his span of life” (v. 27). The Greek asks “who can add a span [pēchys] to his life/height [hēlikia]” by worrying. A pēchys was a cubit, or 18 inches (46 cm; cf. John 21:8; Rev. 21:17). A hēlikia was a measure of height or age. Pēchys rarely, if ever, meant “hour”; hōra meant “hour.” If one had no text but Matthew 6:27, he would hear humorous irony: Can anyone grow eighteen inches by worrying about his height? But when Luke quotes the same question in 12:25, then calls a pēchys “a small thing” in 12:26, this supports the “hour of life” interpretation. Regardless, one can accomplish neither remarkable things, like growing a foot, nor trivial things, like living one extra hour, by worrying. Worry, though it comes so natural to us, is absurd.

Disciples should watch the flowering grasses and learn from them (6:28–30). Humans work and worry; birds work but do not worry; and wildflowers neither work nor worry. Despite flowers’ inactivity, not even Solomon, Israel’s extravagant king, could compete with their clothing. In the OT, flowers and grass typically represent the brevity and fragility of life (Pss. 37:2; 103:15–16; Isa. 40:6–8). But Jesus reverses the metaphor. Flowers do not merely teach that life is short; they also teach that if God lavishes his care on wildflowers, he will also preserve his children “from everlasting to everlasting” (Ps. 103:13–17).

Matthew 6:31–32 repeats the theme: disciples must not worry about food, drink, or clothes, for the living God is nothing like Greco-Roman gods. Such deities made humans suffer capriciously, although the right gift could restore their favor. It was logical for pagans to worry since they had such gods, but the Father does not demand gifts—he grants them. Jesus has contrasted believers and pagans before (5:47; 6:7); now he differentiates their pursuits. Pagans logically run after material needs, but since the Father both knows what his children need and also supplies it, they can “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to” them (v. 33). “Will be added” means God will add them, providing everything necessary for life. The need to plan and labor remains, but laborers will be confident, not anxious.

If anyone seeks God and his kingdom first, God promises to meet his or her needs. This is not a deal—devotion given, provision received—but a promise. If anyone seeks God first, God will relieve him or her of worry. The promise does not explain how to seek the kingdom; the rest of Scripture fills that in. To seek the kingdom is chiefly to love and seek the King, to pray for his kingdom to come, to submit to his reign in every sphere of life, to declare his reign and gospel widely, and to aim for his righteousness socially as well as personally and to seek it locally, nationally, and internationally. God’s reign and righteousness are as intimate as a desire to speak with love and as global as joining an organization that cares for widows, orphans, and the defenseless in the globe’s darkest places.

Jesus concludes with a summary: “Therefore,” since the Father will provide, “do not be anxious about tomorrow.” He then adds a striking personification, “for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” He then closes with a commonsense dictum: “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (v. 34). For believers, there is no reason to worry and no benefit in worry. Every day has its own evils, unique and beyond anticipation. So why worry about tomorrow? Each day has its troubles, and each has its provisions, so why not stick with the issues of the hour?