Matthew 6:24-34
The Daily Office
“Set your mind on God’s kingdom and his justice above everything else, and all the rest will come to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33, Rev. Eng. Bible)
In the ESV, it is the “righteousness” of God that we must seek. And in truth, both “justice,” and “righteousness” are correct ways of translating the Greek. For what is required of us is, in truth, both personal righteousness and broader action on behalf of others.
In the Church today, I sense that one of the many things that Christians find to fight about is over the meaning of righteousness. For some, the key to salvation is maintaining personal holiness; holding to right teaching, going to church every Sunday and worshiping in the right way, avoiding evil. For other Christians, nothing, not doctrine nor worship or personal virtue, is more important than feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, and changing the political structures which they believe cause those things.
Again, it is not either/or. It is both/and; righteousness/justice. At the end of a reading in which Jesus calls us to trust God to give us whatever we need, he reminds us that we are not lilies just waiting to be clothed by the spring bloom, or birds waiting for food to appear. We are partners in the kingdom of God. God gives us what we need to clothe and feed ourselves, and those who need it. Be not afraid!
No comments:
Post a Comment