Matthew (written)

Monday, 20 January 2025

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; Matthew 6:28

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And about apparel, why are you disquieted? Fathom the lilies of the field, how it grows. Not it labors, nor it spins.” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke about the inability of anyone to add a single forearm to his maturity. Because this is so, He next asks an obvious question, “And about apparel, why are you disquieted?”

The words refer back to verse 25 –

“Through this, I say to you, not you disquiet your soul – what you may eat and what you may drink, nor your body – what you may don. Not more, it is, the soul the food and the body the apparel?”

Apparel for protection is essentially a basic human need in most parts of the world. In very few places are there natives who do not cover a sizeable portion of their body. It is also something intended for an individual’s privacy. So basic is this understanding, that it goes back to the very first thing ever recorded as having been fashioned by man –

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Genesis 3:6, 7

And more, until the historically recent industrial age, clothing took a lot more effort to make. Thus, it was expensive, even being considered as a part of one’s wealth. Because of this, people would get anxious or bent out of shape when something interfered with their possessing or retaining their apparel. In response to such an occasion, He next says, “Fathom the lilies of the field.”

Here is a word found only once in Scripture, katamanthanó. It signifies more than learning, but grasping “something conclusively by considering it carefully” (HELPS Word Studies). Most translations use the word consider or observe. But it is more than that. The idea is to plumb the depths of what is being considered. Thus, the word fathom hits the nail on the head. The word signifies to penetrate to the truth of something or comprehend it fully.

Jesus is telling His disciples to stop and look at the lilies in a way that brings forth an understanding of how majestic God’s handiwork is. And the lily, or krinon, is truly majestic. The Greek word is found only here and in the comparable passage in Luke 12. It is equivalent to the Hebrew word shushan, lily, which is especially highlighted in the Song of Solomon. Of the lilies of the field, He asks them to fathom “how it grows.”

The word in Greek, auxanó, grows, refers to becoming greater in size. He wants them to fully consider how lilies come to maturity, explaining, “Not it labors, nor it spins.”

The verbs kopiaó, to feel fatigued and thus to labor, and néthó, to spin, are first found here. The word néthó will also only be found again in the comparable passage in Luke 12. Such lilies are found in many places in Israel in great abundance. They come up without any tending to or care, and they brilliantly adorn wherever they appear. Jesus will continue with His words about the lily in the next verses.

It should be noted that in some texts, the last three verbs are singular: it grows, it labors, and it spins. In other texts, the verbs are plural, they. The verbs in Luke 12 are singular, as they are here. Jesus has gone from the plural, lilies, to the singular, it. This is a way of saying that all lilies are identical in this manner. They were created by God and they are one example of the many amazing workings of God found in the creation.

Life application: When walking down a concrete sidewalk, you can often see life growing up in any crack that occurs. Life is working its way out of the most inhospitable places. First, there is not a lot of soil in such a place. There may be less water, more heat, or other disadvantages in such a place as well. And more, there is often a constant pounding of feet and rolling of skates down sidewalks.

And yet, in the morning, when a little dew has been on the area overnight, beautiful flowers will pop out of these cracks. Some have dazzling colors or shapes. But you have to get close to notice all the details. Imagine that. God has organized the world where life will pop up and grace our eyes with beauty in the most unexpected places if we are just willing to stop and look.

Consider how good God is to have woven such intimate beauty into His creation. What a wonderful, loving, and tender God to have done this for people like us.

Lord God, we praise You for Your goodness to us. How blessed we are to be in Your presence and to share in Your wisdom as it is displayed in an infinite number of ways in Your creation. Thank You for allowing our eyes to behold and our minds to grasp Your amazing works. Amen.

Sunday, 19 January 2025

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:27

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And who from you, disquieting, he can add upon his maturity one forearm?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the birds of the air and how our heavenly Father tends to them. He then noted that man excels the birds. Therefore, it is to be understood that man should be able to rely on the gifts from our heavenly Father in a manner greater than the birds. Understanding this, He next says, “And who from you, disquieting.”

He uses the same word found in verse 6:25, translated here as disquieting. The Greek signifies to be anxious. A single English word to meet that intent is disquiet. In this case, it is a present participle. The person wasn’t just anxious, but he is and continues to be so. He is a worrywart who sits and frets over every issue of his life which is beyond his control.

“What will I have for dinner? What if I don’t have food? What if a snake crawls into the house? What will happen when my children grow up and move out? Who will take care of me? Will the sun rise tomorrow? What if the sun doesn’t rise tomorrow?”

Such a person can never live joyfully in the present because the cares and worries of the world around him mentally hem him in. He is trapped in a cycle of pointless fretting over things he has absolutely no control over. He tosses on his bed at night, and he sits and shuffles his feet during the day, pondering whatever disaster his mind suddenly brings forward. Of such a person, Jesus says as an interrogative, “he can add upon his maturity one forearm?”

The word translated as add is first found here in Scripture, prostithémi. Depending on the context, it can signify to increase, proceed, add, etc. One can see the etymological root of our modern word prosthesis. A prosthetic device is something added to a person, like Steve Austin’s bionic arm.

The next word, translated as maturity, is hélikia. It is derived from hēlix, an adult comrade. Each of these is akin to hēlios, the sun, because the sun is the great marker of time for humanity. Day by day, it arises, counting man’s days into years as he develops into maturity. The word hélikos, therefore, is rightly translated as maturity, but it signifies in size, years, stature, etc.

The last word of note is péchus. It signifies the length of the forearm, from the elbow to the end of the fingers. This corresponds to the Hebrew word ammah, the mother measurement, meaning a cubit. Jesus is saying that a person has no ability to add a single forearm of length to his stature.

As he cannot do this basic thing that God has genetically instilled into the aging process of man, then should he be fretting about the other things God has control over but which we have no ability to control?

Life application: People get illnesses, cancers, and other afflictions. People get into car accidents. Car accidents can affect people who are not even on the road. An out-of-control car can veer right into someone’s house while the family is having dinner. Meteorites have been known to land in people’s houses.

There is nothing we can do about such things. To worry about what “might” happen is a giant waste of time. And more, it demonstrates a lack of faith in God for those who are saved. If Jesus has truly saved us, then whether in life or in death, we will be brought home to Him someday. This is a promise in His word.

To worry about all the what-ifs of life reveals a lack of faith that everything will be ok in the end. It is damaging to one’s life, it is annoying to the people who have to hear such things, and it takes our eyes off of Jesus. If we have our eyes fixed on Jesus, as the Bible instructs, why should we worry one iota about the things we cannot control?

This doesn’t mean we cannot grieve over getting cancer. The thought of going through the treatment process is unappealing at best. To see someone we love going through it can be almost debilitating because we mourn for their trials. God has given us the ability to mourn and be grieved for a reason. But to worry and fret is pointless. Let’s heed the word of the Lord through Paul –

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7

Lord God, help us to not be worrywarts, anxious Annies, or fretting Franks. Instead, may we live calmly in Your presence, understanding that we just have to trust You with the things we cannot control. You are God, and You have saved us through Jesus’ shed blood. He didn’t worry about the process of His passion. Rather, He entrusted Himself to Your care. May we do likewise. Amen.

Saturday, 18 January 2025

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? Matthew 6:26

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“You gaze at the birds of the heaven, that not they sow nor they reap, nor they collect into barns. And your Father, the heavenly, He nourishes them. Not more, you – you excel – them?” (CG).

The previous verse conveyed Jesus’ words concerning not worrying about one’s life, what you will eat or drink or wear as apparel. Now, as a practical example of why this should be so, He continues with, “You gaze at the birds of the heaven.”

Here the word emblepó is introduced. It is derived from en, in, and blépō, look. Thus, it is more than simply looking. Rather, it is to look intently, in a sustained and concentrated way. The word gaze, to look steadily and intently, suitably translates this word. Jesus is telling them that if they consider birds, they will understand what He will next describe.

The peteinon, a bird or fowl, is also introduced. Some translations say fowls, but in English that word refers to domesticated birds raised for meat or eggs, something not intended by Jesus. Rather, the word birds describes any member of this animal class. Because they are the birds of the heavens, they are not merely domesticated fowls. Of these, He says, “that not they sow nor they reap.”

Both of these words are also new. The first, speiró, meaning to sow, comes from spaó, to draw, as in drawing a sword. One can imagine the farmer reaching into his bag, drawing out a handful of seed as if he has a sword in there, and then casting it out to the soil. The word therizó, reap, is derived from theros, heat. This then is translated in Scripture as summer. It thus speaks of the summer harvest. From there, the idea of reaping is derived.

Birds don’t draw out seed, intentionally dropping it in a specific place with the intent of coming back later to harvest the grain. And more, Jesus says, “nor they collect into barns.”

Rather than storing up in barns, birds go out each day and look for food. They then feed their young with what they find. There are no cabinets or cupboards in the nest. Despite the seemingly hard existence of looking for food each day, the world is filled with birds of all sorts. They keep on mating and reproducing. As such, they obviously have their daily needs met. If not, their extinction would quickly come about. But how does this process happen? Jesus explains it, saying, “And your Father, the heavenly, He nourishes them.”

Again, a new word is seen, trephó. It conveys the idea of providing sustenance. This can be literal or figurative. To nourish is a most appropriate translation to convey the full intent. The birds feed, the food is sufficient, and thus, they are nourished by what they have received from our heavenly Father. He has ordained the creation to produce in a certain regular and expected way.

He created birds whose needs match this regular cycle of produce. Therefore, they can continue generation after generation. The cycle has continued steadily so that we can look upon the creation and marvel at the variety of birds that fill the earth, and yet none of them have a barn set aside. Rather, the earth itself, with its daily provision, is God’s storage house for these creatures. Understanding this, Jesus next says, “Not more, you – you excel – them?”

In this short question, two more words are introduced into the New Testament. The first is mallon, an adverb signifying more, as in a greater degree. As such, Jesus is saying that though God meticulously cares for the birds of His creation through what He has set up, He has more care for humans than He does for birds. This is seen in the next word, diapheró, a word literally meaning “to bear through.” In this context, it thus signifies to excel or be better than.

One can think of God carrying through His birds. Day to day, He gives them food, and they are successfully brought through each day. And yet, God attends more carefully to man, carrying him through each day.

How does this happen? It is because He has endowed man with the ability to increase knowledge, figure out difficulties, plan ahead, etc. Birds have been endowed with the knowledge of how to get food each day. But they don’t have the sense to build a barn and store up grain. Man does. Therefore, why should we worry?

God has tended to the bird. He has tended to us more than the birds. Therefore, we should use our brains to increase through what He has already provided.

Life application: Jesus has not departed from the thought of storing up treasure in heaven. He is building upon that idea with His continued words. If we can see that God tends to His creation through how He has set things up, and if we acknowledge that God has placed a special stamp of His creative efforts upon man, then we should have faith that God intends good for us.

The treasures in heaven to be attained from this understanding are based on our faith in Him, His creative decisions, His provision for us in His creation, our acknowledgment that these things came from Him and not ourselves, and so forth. Paul says it this way –

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7

In the end, everything that we possess, whether physical or spiritual, is ultimately derived from God, who created all things. What we have, be it ability, intelligence, inheritance, etc., came from beyond ourselves. Therefore, why should we boast?

Rather, we should acknowledge God in all ways and at all times for everything we have and for everything that comes our way. In doing so, we are living by faith. Nothing done in faith will lose its reward.

Lord God, thank You for Your open hand of grace from which every blessing flows down upon us. We know that all things are from You. And so, Lord, may we be faithful in acknowledging this, praising and thanking You for Your kindness to us. How great, wonderful, and kind You are to us, O God. Amen.

Friday, 17 January 2025

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Through this, I say to you, not you disquiet your soul – what you may eat and what you may drink, nor your body – what you may don. Not more, it is, the soul the food and the body the apparel?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the unrealistic nature of serving two masters. Now, still speaking in the same general context, He says, “Through this, I say to you, not you disquiet your soul.”

Jesus uses the verb merimnaó, disquiet. It is derived from the noun merimna, signifying care, worry, anxiety, etc. Thus, the verb signifies the act of such things as being anxious, worrying, etc. The single word disquiet gives the proper sense. It would be comparable to saying, “Don’t get your soul all riled up over this.” Next, He tells what to not be disquieted over, saying, “what you may eat and what you may drink.”

How do these words fit the context of serving two masters? The answer is that if one is serving money, meaning he is seeking earthly treasure, he will naturally worry about his food and drink. It doesn’t matter how rich one becomes, he learns to live at that level of wealth. For a millionaire to decrease in wealth by a dollar is more painful than for a poor person who has nothing to lose.

The poor saved person has to trust in God for his daily needs, whereas the wealthy millionaire trusts in his riches to provide them. He is serving the master mammon. In the case of food and drink, the poor person will be willing to eat whatever comes his way, whether off the tree or off the ground.

He is satisfied with the nourishment. On the other hand, the rich person would not dare to eat something without it being washed, properly sliced, laid out in a nice pattern on a plate, and set with the appropriate utensils. He cares less about the nourishment than the setting in which it is provided. He forgets that the food is ultimately being eaten for its nutrients, regardless of how it is obtained and set forth. Continuing on, Jesus next says, “nor your body – what you may don.”

This includes another new word, enduó, to put on clothing. It is derived from en, in, and dunó, to sink. Thus, one gets the sense of sinking into a garment. Therefore, it is to don one’s clothing. One can see the etymological connection to our modern words endue and endow.

The same truth exists with wearing apparel as it is with eating and drinking. A rich person will worry about every thread being perfect, keeping the garment perfect, and having lots of garments that he anxiously must choose from to impress others.

On the other hand, a poor person may have just one garment. It may be torn, filthy, stinky, etc. When it rips, he will hand mend it, not caring what type of stitch he uses or what color thread was obtained to do the repair. He is grateful for the blue thread on his brown garment, whereas the rich man would be in a fit if the seamstress did such a thing.

He may yell at her, threaten her in some way, and go home skulking that his beautiful garment was treated so poorly. He may toss and turn all night about the situation. On the other hand, the poor man will sleep sweetly in his stinky old rags.

Jesus then says, “Not more, it is, the soul the food and the body the apparel?” The answer is obvious, it doesn’t matter what kind of food you eat or what type of garments you wear. They don’t make the person. Each is a temporary part of his existence that will pass away in due time.

Life application: Of the new word enduma, apparel, a word derived from enduó, noted above, Strong’s Lexicon says –

“In the ancient Greco-Roman world, clothing was an important indicator of social status, occupation, and identity. Garments could signify wealth, authority, or religious devotion. In Jewish culture, clothing also had religious significance, with specific garments prescribed for priests and other religious functions.”

Nothing has changed. The quest for wearing the best clothing is the quest for popularity, fame, a following on social media, etc. In churches, priests and bishops are robed in super special cassocks that are highlighted with ratchets. On their heads, they wear big poofy, pointed miters, etc.

These and other garments supposedly set them off as pious men of God filled with super religiosity. With the ending of the Mosaic Law, there is nothing prescribed in Scripture to physically set a pastor, priest, or preacher off from the rest of the congregation. And yet, in order to set these people apart, they are given these garments.

Unfortunately, as has been seen throughout history, such garments often adorn people whose hearts are far from God. They are money grubbers, perverts, predators, and highly arrogant in their demeanor.

The exquisite garments of the social elite are often lipstick on pigs. They adorn people whose hearts are self-centered and filled with pride and haughtiness. But in the masses of people who just live their lives quietly in regular clothing and who humbly come before the Lord with their requests for the meeting of their daily needs, there is fellowship and closeness with God.

Who has the better standing? The answer is obvious. Be content with your station in life. Improve it if you can, but don’t fret over what you don’t have. Through Jesus, the Lord has given you all you need for an eternity of delight in His presence.

Lord God, we come before You with thanks for the many blessings of this life. You give us food to satisfy our bodies, You provide flowers on our path as we walk, and You give us rain, sunshine, cool breezes, and little puppies. How good You are to us, O God. Amen.

Thursday, 16 January 2025

“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. Matthew 6:24

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“None, he is able, to serve two lords. Or – for he will detest the one and he will love the other. Or – he will enclasp one, and the other he will disesteem. Not you are able to serve God and mammon” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that when your eye is bad, your whole body will be filled with darkness. He further exclaimed how great that darkness will be. Continuing on, He next says, “None, he is able, to serve two lords.”

The word is douleuó. It signifies bondage or slavery. It refers to the service of such a person. To think that one slave could have two masters whom he served is out of the question. This is both from a standpoint of practicality as well as fealty. In such a case, Jesus next says, “Or – for he will detest the one and he will love the other.”

His words again explain the matter of storing up treasures, whether on earth or in heaven. A slave will adhere to one master and reject the other. But if they are both his master, it would cause a real conflict for him, one that would come with insurmountable problems.

Such is the case with storing up wealth. If one is trying to store up treasures both on earth and in heaven, he will place his affections on one over the other. It is the inevitable result of divided allegiances. To reconfirm what He just said, Jesus next restates the matter, this time placing the positive first, followed by the negative, saying, “Or – he will enclasp one, and the other he will disesteem.”

The first word, antechó, translated as enclasp, means to cling to, hold firmly, or hold against. One can see someone embracing his favored master. The second word kataphroneó, translated as disesteem, gives the sense of despising or scorning. He will look down on the unfavored master and even actively insult him. It is the word the author of Hebrews uses when describing Jesus’ attitude towards the trial He faced in His passion –

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising [kataphroneó] the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2

Jesus embraced doing His Father’s will, despising the shame that He had to face in order to do as the Father sent Him to do. Jesus says that not having this attitude is what it is like when one tries to serve two masters. To fully confirm this as a precept, He next says, “Not you are able to serve God and mammon.”

HELPS Word Studies defines mammon as a Semitic term for “the treasure a person trusts in.” Thayer’s Lexicon associates it with the Hebrew word aman, to trust. When one places his trust in wealth, that is where his allegiance will be. As such, when serving mammon, a person will not trust God. Likewise, when one trusts the eternal God, the riches of this life will be understood for what they truly are, meaning temporary and fleeting.

Life application: As has been noted before, there is nothing wrong with having wealth. In fact, when one possesses wealth, it should be considered a blessing from God. However, the opposite is not to be considered true. When someone is not wealthy, it does not mean that God doesn’t favor them.

That attitude is a trap that too many fall into. Just because someone receives a blessing, such as finding a large gold nugget on the side of the road, it doesn’t mean God loves him more than the person walking with him who found nothing. It was simply a blessing that God laid out in His creation, and the person to the right happened to be there to find it.

Suppose two people started their own roofing businesses. They both start on a similar level with the same existing conditions. However, when one of them gets his first job, the home owner happens to be a very influential person. The roofer does a good job and the house owner uses his influence to recommend this new roofer to many people. He becomes successful and wealthy.

On the other hand, the second roofer gets his first job with a plumber. He does a job just as well as the first roofer, but the plumber doesn’t have any real influence. Likewise, all the others who hire him over the years are just regular Joe’s. He never gets the big contracts or the recognition that the other roofer did, even though he has faithfully done comparable work.

The first roofer received a blessing in life that changed the course of his company. Was it really his business prowess or just a grace that came upon him apart from himself? The answer is obvious. Who will each give their credit to for what they have? Seeing how people respond to the incidents in life that happen to them will show where their true loyalties lie.

In the end, no matter how little or much we are blessed in this life, we should give honor, thanks, credit, and glory to God for what we do have. This is how we will earn our rewards in heaven. Faith is the key. When we demonstrate faith, God will be pleased to reward us accordingly.

Lord God Almighty, our days are numbered and You have seen them all before the first came to pass. But we are living in the stream of time, unknowing of what lies ahead. Help us to have faith in You during this walk, understanding that You are always there with us, carrying us along until the day we stand before You for our rewards because of trust in what Jesus has done. Amen.