The righteousness of the kingdom is still the great subject; for the
reading of the Revised Version in the first verse of the chapter is
evidently the correct one. The illustrations of the preceding passage
have all come under the head of what we call morality as distinguished
from religion, but it is important to observe that our Lord gives no
sanction to the separation of the two.
Morality divorced from religion is a flower without root, which may
bloom for a while, but in the end must wither away; religion without
morality is--nothing at all; worse than nothing, for it is a sham. It
is evident, of course, that this great word "righteousness," as used
by our Lord, has a far wider scope than is given to it by those who
take it merely as the equivalent of truth and honesty, as if a man
could in any proper sense of the word be righteous, who was ungenerous
to his neighbours, unfilial to God, or not master of himself.
Again, we have a principle laid down: "Take heed that ye do not your
righteousness before men, to be seen of them" (R.V.). It is the same
great principle as before, though the caution in which it is embodied
is different. For if we compare ver. 20 of the preceding chapter, and
remember its subsequent development in the verses which follow, we
find that it agrees with the warning before us in insisting on
righteousness of the heart as distinguished from that which is merely
outward. The difference lies in this, that whereas, in the cases
already dealt with, external conformity with the law is good so far as
it goes, but does not go nearly far enough ("except your righteousness
shall exceed," exceed, _i.e._, by reaching back and down to the
deepest recesses of the heart), in the cases now to be taken up
external conformity is not good in itself, but really evil, inasmuch
as it is mere pretence. Accordingly the caution now must needs be much
stronger: "_Be ye not_ as the hypocrites."
It is not, however, the being seen which is condemned, otherwise the
caution would be at variance with the earnest counsel in chap. v. 16,
and would, in fact, amount to a total prohibition of public worship.
As before, it is a matter of the heart. It is the hidden motive which
is condemned: "Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men,
_to be seen of them_."
The principle is applied in succession to Almsgiving, to Prayer, to
Fasting.
_Almsgiving_ is no longer regarded as distinctively a religious duty.
Nor can it be put under the head of morality according to the common
idea attached to that word. It rather occupies a kind of borderland
between them, coming under the head of philanthropy. But whence came
the spirit of philanthropy? Its foundation is in the holy mountains.
Modern philanthropy is like a great fresh-water lake, on the shores of
which one may wander with admiration and delight for great distances
without discovering any connection with the heaven-piercing mountains.
But such connection it has. The explorer is sure to find somewhere an
inlet showing whence its waters come, a bright sparkling stream which
has filled it and keeps it full; or springs below it, which, though
they may flow far underground, bring the precious supplies from the
higher regions, perhaps quite out of sight. If these connections with
the upper springs were to be cut off, the beautiful lake would
speedily dry up and disappear. Almsgiving, therefore, is in its right
place here: its source is in the higher regions of the righteousness
of the kingdom. And in these early days the lakes had not been formed,
for the springs were only beginning to flow from the great
Fountain-head.
The general object our Lord has in view, moreover, leads Him to treat
the subject, not in relation to those who receive, but to those who
give. There may be good done through the gifts of men who have no
higher object in view than the sounding of their own trumpet; but, so
far as they themselves are concerned, their giving has no value in the
sight of God. Everything depends on the motive: hence the injunction
of secrecy. There may indeed be circumstances which suggest or even
require a certain measure of publicity, for the sake of the object or
cause to which gifts are devoted; but so far as the giver is
concerned, the more absolute the secrecy the better. For though it is
possible to give in the most open and public way without at all
indulging the petty motive of ostentation, yet so weak is human nature
on that side of it, that our Lord puts His caution in the very
strongest terms, counselling us not only to avoid courting the
attention of others, but to refrain from even thinking of what we have
done; for that seems to be the point of the striking and memorable
words "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth."
The trumpet-blowing may be a great success. What the Master thinks of
that success is seen in the caustic irony of the words "Verily I say
unto you, they have their reward." There it is--and you can see just
how paltry and pitiful it is; for there is nothing a man is more
ashamed of than to be caught in even the slightest attempt to parade
himself. But if the praise of men is never thought of, it cannot be
said "they have their reward." Their reward is to come; and though it
doth not yet appear, it will certainly be worthy of our Father Who
seeth in secret.
Under the head of _Prayer_ two cautions are given. The one may be
dismissed in a few words, not only because it exactly corresponds with
the preceding case, but because among us there is scarcely any
temptation to that against which it is directed. The danger now is all
the other way. The temptation for true children of the kingdom is not
to parade their devotion for show, but to conceal it for shame. Still
there are some directions in which even yet the caution against
ostentation in prayer is needed--as, for instance, by those who in
public or social prayer assume affected tones, or try in any way to
give an impression of earnestness beyond what is really felt. Of the
sanctimonious tone we may say that it has its reward in the almost
universal contempt it provokes.
The other caution is directed, not against pretence, but against
superstition. It will be seen, however, that the two belong to the
same category, and therefore are most appropriately dealt with
together. What is the sin of the formalist? It is that his heart is
not in his worship. What is the folly of the vain repetitionist? It is
the same--that his heart is not in his words. For there is no
discouragement of repetition, if it be prompted by genuine
earnestness. Our Lord again and again encouraged even importunate
prayer, and Himself in the Garden offered the same petition three
times in close succession. It is not, then, repetition, but "_vain_
repetition,"--empty of heart, of desire, of hope--that is here
rebuked; not much prayer, but "much speaking," the folly of supposing
that the mere "saying" of prayers is of any use apart from the
emotions of the heart in which true prayer essentially consists.
To guide us in a matter so important, our Lord not only cautions
against what prayer ought not to be, but shows what it ought to be.
Thus, incidentally as it were, He hands to us this pearl of great
price, this purest crystal of devotion, to be a possession of His
people for ever, never to lose its lustre through millenniums of daily
use, its beauty and preciousness becoming rather more and more
manifest to each successive generation.
It is given especially as a model of _form_, to show that,
instead of the vain repetitions condemned, there should be simplicity,
directness, brevity, order--above all, the plain, unadorned expression
of the heart's desire. This main object is accomplished perfectly; a
whole volume on the form of prayer could not have done it better, or
so well. But, besides this, there is instruction as to the
_substance_ of prayer. We are taught to rise high above all
selfish considerations in our desires, seeking the things of God
first; and when we come to our own wants, asking nothing more than our
Father in heaven judges to be sufficient for the day, while all the
stress of earnestness is laid on deliverance from the guilt and power
of sin. Then as to the _spirit_ of prayer, mark the filial
reverence implied in the invocation,--the fraternal spirit called for
by the very first word of it, and the spirit of forgiveness we are
taught to cherish by the very terms in which we ask it for ourselves.
All this and more is superadded to the lesson for the sake of which
the model prayer has been given.
The third application is to _Fasting_. In another place (ix. 14) will
be found the principle to be followed in regard to times of fasting.
Here it is taken for granted that there will be such times, and the
principle announced at the beginning of the chapter is applied to the
exercise. Let it be done in secret, before no other eye than His Who
seeth in secret; thus only can we have the blessed recompense which
comes to the heart that is truly humbled in the sight of God.
This principle plainly condemns that kind of fasting which is done
only before men, as when in the name of religion people will abstain
from certain kinds of food and recreation on particular days or at
appointed times, without any corresponding humbling of the heart. The
fasting must be before God, or it is a piece of acting, "as the
hypocrites," who play a part before men, and when they go home put off
the mask and resume their proper life. "Be ye not as the hypocrites;"
therefore see that your fasting is before God; and then, if the inward
feeling naturally leads to restriction of the pleasures of the table
or of society, or to any other temporary self-denial, let it by all
means be followed out, but so as to attract just as little attention
as possible; and not only so, but if any traces of the secret exercise
still remain when the penitential hour with God alone is over, these
are to be carefully removed before returning to the ordinary
intercourse of life. Our "penitence and prayer" are for ourselves
only, and for God. Before men our _light_ should shine.
* * * * *
The three illustrations cover by suggestion the whole ground; for
prayer may well be understood in that large scriptural sense in which
praise is included, and fasting is suggestive of all mortification of
the flesh and humbling of the spirit. The first shows true religion in
its outgoing, the second in its upgoing, while the third abases self;
and all three are mutually helpful, for the higher we soar God-ward in
praise and prayer, the lower shall we bend in reverent humility, and
the further will our hearts go out in world-wide charity.
All depends on truth in the inward parts, on the secret life of the
soul with God. How impressively is this stated throughout the whole
passage! Observe the almost rhythmical repetitions: "Be ye not as the
hypocrites," three times repeated; "Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward," the very words three times repeated; "Let thine alms be
_in secret_," "Pray to thy Father which is _in secret_,"
"That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is
_in secret_"; and once more, three times repeated, "Thy Father
which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee." No vain repetitions
these. They press the great lesson home with a threefold force.
4. _Duty in relation to the World and the things of it_ (vi. 19-vii.
12).
From this point onwards the plan of the discourse is not so apparent,
and some have given up the idea of finding orderly sequence in it; yet
there seems to be no insuperable difficulty, when the right point of
view is taken. The perplexity seems to have arisen from supposing that
at this point an entirely new subject begins, whereas all that follows
on to chapter vii. 12, arranges itself easily under the same general
head--the Righteousness of the Kingdom. According to this arrangement
of the discourse there is an introduction of fourteen verses (v.
3-16), and a concluding passage of almost exactly the same length
(vii. 13-27); while the main discussion occupies nearly three
chapters, the subject throughout being the Righteousness of the
Kingdom, dealt with, first as morality (v. 17-48), second as religion
(vi. 1-18), and finally as spirituality (vi. 19-vii. 12), beginning
and ending with a general reference to the law and the prophets (v.
17, vii. 12). The first of these divisions had to do with
righteousness as between man and man;[5] the second with righteousness
before God alone; while the third, on the consideration of which we
now enter, deals with righteousness as between the children of the
kingdom and the world in the midst of which it is set up. And just as
in the paragraphs already considered we have been shown that our Lord
came not to destroy but to fulfil the code of ethics, and the rules
for Divine service in the law and the prophets, so in this it will be
made equally apparent that He came not to destroy but to fulfil the
principles involved in the political code by which Israel was
separated from the nations of the world to be the Lord's peculiar
people.
The subject before us now, therefore, is the relations of the children
of the kingdom to the world; and it is dealt with--
(1) _As regards the good things of the world._ From the Beatitudes we
have already learned that the blessedness of the children of the
kingdom is to consist not in the abundance of the things they possess,
but in qualities of soul, possessions in the realm of the unseen. Yet
the children of the kingdom cannot do without the good things of this
world; what, then, has the law of the kingdom to say in regard to
their acquisition and use? The subject is large and difficult; but
with amazing clearness and force, comprehensiveness and simple
practical utility, it is set forth in a single paragraph, which is
also characterised by a surpassing beauty of language. As before, the
straight and narrow path is marked off by cautions on the right and on
the left. On the one side must be shunned the Scylla of _greed_, on
the other the Charybdis of _care_. The one is the real danger of
seeking too much, the other the supposed danger of having too little,
of "the good things of life."
It is not, however, a question of quantity. As before, it is a
question of the heart. On the one hand, it is not the danger of having
too much, but of seeking too much; on the other, it is not the danger
of having too little, but of fearing that there will not be enough. It
is a mistake, therefore, to say that the one caution is for the rich
and the other for the poor. True, indeed, the rich are in greater
danger of Scylla than of Charybdis, and the poor in more peril from
the pool than from the rock; still a rich man may be, often is, a
victim of care, while a poor man may readily have his heart far too
much set on the yearly or weekly increase of his little store. It
seems better, then, to make no distinction of classes, but to look at
each caution as needed by all.
(_a_) Against seeking the good things of the world too earnestly (vv.
19-24). It is important to notice the strong emphasis on the word
"treasure." This is evident not only from the reduplication of it--for
the literal translation would be, "Treasure not for yourselves
treasures upon the earth"--but also from the reason against it
assigned in ver. 21: "Where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be
also." It is clear, then, that there is no prohibition of wealth, but
only of making it "thy treasure." But against this the law of the
kingdom is in the highest degree decided and uncompromising. The
language is exceedingly forcible, and the reasons marshalled are
terribly strong. With all faithfulness, and with growing earnestness,
the Master shows that to disobey this law is foolish, pernicious,
fatal. It is _foolish_; for all earthly treasures are perishable,
eaten by moth, consumed by rust, stolen by thieves, while the heavenly
treasures of the spiritually-minded are incorruptible and safe for
evermore. It is not only foolish, but most _pernicious_,--injurious to
that which is most sensitive and most precious in the life, that which
is to the soul what the eye is to the body, the darkening of which
means the darkening of the whole body, not the mere clouding of the
vision, but the condition suggested by the awful words "full of
darkness"; while the corresponding deterioration in the lower ranges
of the life is indicated by what follows: "If therefore the light that
is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" It is not only
foolish and most pernicious, but _fatal_, for "No man _can_ serve two
masters"; so that to set the heart on the world means to give up the
kingdom. It is vain to try to satisfy two claimants of the heart. One
or other must be chosen: "Ye _cannot_ serve God and mammon."
(_b_) Against anxiety about the things of the world. The Revised
Version has, by its correct translation, now removed the difficulty
which seemed to lie in the words "Take no thought." To modern ears
these words seemed to encourage thoughtlessness and to bless
improvidence. Our translators of the seventeenth century, however,
had no such idea. It is the result of a change of meaning in a current
phrase. At the time the translation was made, "to take thought" meant
to be anxious, as will appear from such a passage as that in the first
book of Samuel (ix. 5), where Saul says to his servant, "Come and let
us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and _take
thought_ for us," evidently in the sense of "be anxious about us."[6]
It is then, manifestly, not against thoughtfulness and providence, but
against anxious care that the caution is directed.
Although this evil seems to lie in the opposite direction from that of
avarice, it is really the same both in its root and its fruit, for it
is due to the estrangement of the heart from our Father in heaven, and
amounts, in so far as it prevails, to enslavement to the world. The
covetous man is enslaved in one way, the anxious man in another; for
does not our common language betray it every time we think or speak of
"_freedom_ from care"? We need not wonder, then, that our Lord
should connect what He is about to say on this evil so closely with
what He has said on the other, as He does by use of the word
_therefore_: "Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your
life."
But though, like the other, it is slavery, the sin of it is not
nearly so great, and hence the difference of tone, which cannot but be
observed as this new caution is given. It is no longer strong
condemnation, but gentle expostulation; not dark threatening now, but
tender pleading. As before, reason after reason is given against
yielding to the all too natural weakness of the human heart. We are
encouraged to remember what God has given already: the life, with such
amazing powers and capabilities; the body, with all its marvellous
intricacy and adaptation: and can it be supposed that He is likely to
withhold the food to maintain the life, the raiment to clothe the
body?--to remember how the little birds of the air and the modest
lilies of the field are not forgotten: how then can we think that our
Father would forget us, who are of so much more value than they?--to
remember that the very fact that we know Him as our Father should be
guarantee enough, preventing us from an anxious solicitude pardonable
in the heathen, who have no such knowledge of a Father in heaven Who
knoweth what His children need;--to remember also how vain and
fruitless is our care, seeing we cannot in the very smallest lengthen
the life for which we fret, while our times are wholly in the hand of
Him Who gave it at first and daily satisfies its wants. Such is a bare
outline of the thought in this passage, to attempt to expound or
illustrate which would be to spoil it. The best way to deal with such
a passage is first to study it carefully to see that its meaning and
the point of all its parts is clearly apprehended, and then quietly,
slowly, lovingly to read it over and let its heavenly music enter into
the soul. Then, when the reading is finished and the great lesson has
filled the heart with trustful love, we may look back upon it and
observe that not only is a great spiritual lesson taught, but
incidentally we are encouraged and directed to interrogate nature and
learn what she has to teach, to gaze on her beauty and lovingly look
at what she has to show. Thus we find, as it were by the way, in the
simple words of our King, the germ principles of science and of art.
But these are wayside pearls; no special attention is called to them.
These glimpses of nature come so naturally from the Lord of nature
that nothing is made of them--they "flash along the chords and go";
and we return to the great lesson which, now that the cautions have
been given, can be put in its positive form: "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you" (vi. 33.). Seek ye first _His_ kingdom, and
_His_ righteousness. Already, as we have seen, this lesson has
been implied in the Lord's Prayer; but it is well that it should be
expressly set down--this will insure that the treasure is above, that
the eye is clear, that the life is one: "and all these things shall be
added," so that to-morrow need not trouble you. Trouble there must be
in the world, but no one need have more than each day brings:
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
(2) _As regards the evil in the world._ The transition from the good
things of the world to the evil that is in it comes quite naturally
from the turn the Master's thought has taken in the close of the
preceding paragraph. It is important to observe, however, that the
whole subject of the evil in the world is not in view at this point.
Has not the evil in the world in the large sense been in view from the
beginning throughout; and has not the great subject of righteousness
had all along as its background the dark subject of sin? The one point
here is this: the attitude of the children of the kingdom to the evil
which they cannot but see in the people of the world by whom they are
surrounded.
Here, as before, there are two warnings, each against a danger lying
in opposite directions: the one, the danger of making too much of the
evil we see, or think we see, in others; the other, that of making too
little of it.
(_a_) As against making too much of it--the danger of censoriousness
(vii. 1-5). Here, again, the language is very strong, and the warning
given is solemn and earnest--a sure sign that the danger is real and
great. Again, too, considerations are urged, one after another, why we
should beware. First, there is so much evil in ourselves, that we
should be most careful how we condemn it in others, for "with what
judgment ye judge ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again." Moreover, severity is a sign not
of purity but of the reverse: "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye?" Our severity should be applied to ourselves, our charity to
others; especially if we would have any success in the correcting of
our neighbour's faults: "How wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast
out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye?"
(R.V.) Otherwise we are hypocrites, and we must thoroughly reform
ourselves before we have any idea even how to begin to improve others:
"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." Of what exceeding value is this teaching just where it stands!
The Saviour has been summoning His people not only to pure morality
and true godliness, but to lofty spirituality of mind and heart; and
knowing what was in man--knowing that dangers lurked on his path at
every turn, and that even the highest spirituality has its special
danger, its besetting sin--He points it out, paints it in all its
blackness, spares not the sin of the saint any more than the sin of
the sinner, calls the man that gathers his skirts about him with the
word or the thought "I am holier than thou" by the same ugly name with
which He brands the poor fools who disfigure their faces that they may
be seen of men to fast. Yet, severe as it is, is it not needed? does
not our best judgment approve and applaud? and are we not glad and
grateful that our Lord has warned us so earnestly and impressively
against a danger it might never have occurred to us to fear?
But there is another side to the subject; so we have another warning,
in relation to the evil we see in the men of the world. It is--
(_b_) Against making too little of it (ver. 6). Though we may not
judge, we must discriminate. It may be wrong to condemn; but it may be
necessary to withdraw, otherwise sacred things may be profaned and
angry passions stirred, and thus much harm may be done though only
good was intended. Such is the manifest purport of the striking
caution: "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."
* * * * *
The Saviour is now about to close what He has to say on the
Righteousness of the Kingdom in its relation to the Law and the
Prophets; and He does it by setting forth in most memorable words a
great privilege and a compact, comprehensive, portable rule--a
privilege which will keep the heart right with God, a rule which will
keep the heart right with man (vv. 7-12). The former is of course the
more important of the two, so it comes first and has much the larger
space. It is the mighty privilege of prayer. When we think of the
height and the depth, the length and the breadth, of the righteousness
of the kingdom--when we think of the dangers which lurk on every hand
and at every stage in our life-journey--we may well cry, "Who is
sufficient for these things?" To that cry of the heart this is the
answer: "Ask, and it shall be given you." We have had prayer before;
but it was prayer as a part of righteousness, prayer as a religious
duty. Now it is prayer as a power, as the one sure and only means of
avoiding the terrible evils on every side, and obtaining the
unspeakable blessings, the "good things" (ver. 11) of the kingdom of
heaven. This being so, it was of the greatest importance that we
should have faith to use it. Hence the repeated assurance, and the
plain strong language in which it is conveyed; hence, too, the simple,
strong and touching arguments to dispel our doubts and encourage our
trust (vv. 9-11).
Here, again, of what priceless value are these few words of our
blessed Lord! Just where they are needed most they come, bringing
"strength to the fainting heart" in view of the seemingly inaccessible
heights of God's holy hill, on which the city of His kingdom is set.
Why need we faint or fear, now that we can ask and be sure of
receiving, can seek and be sure of finding, can knock at door after
door of these halls of Sion, and have them, one after another, opened
at our touch?
Again as before, prayer to God is closely connected with our behaviour
to men. In the model prayer we were taught to say "Forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors"; and not only so, but a special
warning was added, that if we do not forgive others, we cannot be
forgiven. So here too we are reminded that if we are to expect our
Father to act in a fatherly way to us by giving us good things, we
must act in a brotherly way to our neighbours. Hence the golden rule
which follows, and hence its connection with the prayer-charter by the
word "therefore." And now that our relations to God and man have been
summed up in the filial relation embodied in prayer, and in the
fraternal relation embodied in the golden rule, all is complete, and
the proof of this is furnished in the appropriate concluding words:
"This is the Law and the Prophets."