Seeking God’s Kingdom First
Matthew 6:24-34
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ our Lord… One of the best indicators of what people believe to be most important in life is how they spend their money. Almost more than anything else, those actions often speak louder than words. Obviously, the house or the rent or the insurance or the car is going to require a bigger chunk of money than some other things; and then there are medical expenses and things that just cannot be helped. The question is, what things get top consideration and what things tend to go to the bottom of the list? What things usually outrank the others? Do those priorities reflect the proper focus of trust in God and love toward others?
The fact of the matter is that our use of money often reveals the idols in our lives, the false gods that we allow to have dominion over us because they give us what we want. We know all too well how easy it is for us to spend money or use the credit card on things we want, to justify and rationalize a purchase for ourselves; it’s so easy now to swipe or click our way to a purchase we may not even need but is so easy to attain. But it is more challenging and difficult to give a generous offering or to use our material resources to help others when there’s no benefit for us.
In the verses just before today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21). And your real treasure – the focus of your heart – cannot be both on the eternal God and on temporal possessions. The center of your life cannot be both the immortal Lord and mortal, passing things. As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
This is what St. Paul said in the Epistle. “He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Gal. 6:8). To sow to the flesh is to invest yourself in the things of this world, to rely on them and use them self-servingly in order to satisfy our sinful nature. Those who are wrapped up in such passing things will themselves pass away forever. But to sow to the Spirit is to place your trust in the eternal things of God, the gifts of Christ given by the Holy Spirit, to rely on them and not on yourself. Those who are wrapped up in these eternal things will themselves receive everlasting life through Christ.
Now that’s not to say that earthly things are bad in and of themselves, for God is the Creator of all things of this earth, and He Himself sustains us through the physical things of this world. The point is this: is your heart set on the Creator, which is faith, or is it set on the creation, which is idolatry? God calls us to look past what is seen to Him who is unseen. We are to focus not on what is made but through what is made on to Him who is the Maker and the Giver of all good and perfect gifts.
In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches us that, especially when we worry, we are focusing not on the Creator but on the fallen creation. The Greek word translated “worry” carries with it the idea of distraction and “going to pieces.” When we are anxious about life, we are not trusting entirely in Jesus; we are focusing on and being sucked in to earthly things. And if that’s the case, then we’re bound to be uneasy, we’re bound to “go to pieces,” for the things of this world are uncertain and they are constantly changing. When we worry and become anxious, we are misdirecting our faith away from the infinite and changeless Lord to that which is temporary, wobbly, and unsure. So it is that Jesus addresses the people in the Gospel as “you of little faith.” Constant worry and anxiety are signs of a meager or misplaced belief.
Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.” Now, when Jesus says this, He doesn’t mean that we should merely have a “live for the day” sort of attitude. He’s not saying that we should be lazy or apathetic or irresponsible toward the future. On the contrary, we shouldn’t be all anxious and worked up and go to pieces about such things. We are to trust that God will provide for us and take care of us. He told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” so that we will acknowledge His promise to support and sustain us in all our physical needs.
And in order that we might be made sure of this, Jesus gives us two very simple things to consider. First, He says, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” You can buy a small bird for only a few dollars. Now if God provides for and feeds ordinary birds, won’t He also provide for and feed you who are of much greater worth?
Second, Jesus says, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” In Jesus’ day the grass of the field would often be cut down and used to fuel the ovens to make bread. Now if God “dresses” the wildflowers and the fields so marvelously, which eventually are burned up or dry up, will He not even more dress you and provide for your bodily needs? Therefore, do not be anxious about such things; trust in the Lord. Like the birds and the flowers, simply look to Him and receive the gifts which come from His gracious hand.
And besides, Jesus says, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Indeed, there’s more to life than being fashionable and eating well. Even people who are doing well for themselves still often feel a certain hollowness about their lives, for there is more to our existence than health and success and prosperity. Sooner or later, it will all be gone. Let the pagans and the unbelievers run after what passes away; for their destiny is the same as the grass in the oven. But you, child of God, cling to what endures and set your heart on the heavenly Father, who knows all your needs. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Repent of focusing on yourself. Repent of worrying about things over which you have absolutely no control. Repent of not trusting your Lord Jesus to address and take care of your most important needs. Repent of putting yourself first. Repent of living and acting like an unbeliever when Christ has made you His own child.
God’s kingdom and His righteousness endure forever because they come to us through Him who is the everlasting ruler of kingdom, Jesus Christ. In order that we might be delivered from our bondage to decay, the eternal Son of God entered into this passing world; the Creator became a part of His fallen creation. Jesus took upon Himself all the temporariness that our sin brings, all the deterioration and the degeneration and the death. And He Himself passed away on the cross for us. And, in so doing, Jesus caused death itself to die. He made all that is passing pass away.
Jesus came out of the grave in power, bringing with Him mercy without limit and life without end. From the empty tomb flows a new creation that will never deteriorate, never fall, never perish. And this new creation finds its source in the risen body of Christ. And it is written, “Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Rom. 6:9). This Jesus is the center and substance of a new and everlasting creation, one of which we are made partakers through faith in Him. For St. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Through God-given faith and trust in Christ and knowing all that He has done and prepared for us, our worries and fears are calmed. For if God has provided so bountifully for our eternal needs, certainly He will care for us in all the necessities of this life. Our hearts are set at ease as we reflect on the words of Romans 8:32, “(If God) did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things?” You see, if we have Christ, then we have everything; for all things belong to Him, and in Him all things hold together.
Through Christ we need not be anxious about our lives. It is written, “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Pet. 5:7). That is the way to be rid of worry and anxiety; not to hold onto it as if you are in charge and the one who has to come up with all the solutions, but to put it in the Lord’s hands, to trust in Him who is the Creator and the Master of all, the One who stretched His hands out in love for you. That is what it means to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that whatever else we need will be provided.
Our Lord has even provided us with access to His kingdom and His righteousness through ordinary, created elements, so that we may lay hold of them by faith. Just as He did in His birth in the manger, Christ brings us His heavenly gifts in earthly wrappings, in His words and His Sacraments. It is through these lowly things that Christ the King comes to be present with each of us and puts us right with the Father. To seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness is to set your heart on Christ, to meditate on His words, to be devoted to His gifts of Word and Sacrament.
Listen again to what Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink.” Don’t be anxious about such things, because Christ faithfully gives you to eat of His body and drink of His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. How can you worry about daily bread when you are given to partake of the Living Bread which came down from heaven? Any anxiety you may have about your life fades into the background as you hear Christ’s words, “Take, eat… take, drink… this is My body and blood given and shed for you.”
Likewise, Jesus says, “(Do not worry) about your body, what you will put on.” You need not be anxious about clothing, either, for it is written, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Christ’s righteousness is your clothing which He gave to you at your baptism. Don’t you dare fret about having the latest fashions when you have been given such royal garments to wear. Your value and worth come not from your earthly clothes, but from the fact that Christ has made you eternal children of the heavenly Father by giving His life for you and giving you the gift of faith to believe in His work on the cross for you.
Indeed, we look forward in great anticipation to the day when we can be rid of our mortal clothing – this perishable flesh and blood – and put on our new and everlasting clothing in the resurrection of the body, as it is written, “The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. . . Then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ . . . Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. 15:53-54)
Therefore, brothers and sisters, set your hearts not on what is passing but on what endures. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” And here in the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus gives you His kingdom and righteousness. Here at the Baptismal font He made you His own child and delivered you from death and the devil. Here in Holy Absolution He delivered His forgiveness to you through the mouth of your pastor.
Therefore, you have everything you need not only to live and survive this life, but also everything you need to bring you to the life of the world to come.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
