SOTM 28—Darkness

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

In today's talk (13 mins) we continue to make our way through Jesus' teachings about wealth. It is closely connected with tomorrow's lesson on Mammon.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great that darkness is! (Matthew 6:22-23)

Comment:

• Mixed metaphors can be difficult; work at it.
• Jesus is trying to get the point across clearly, using three illustrations for one point:
  • Treasure in heaven, or treasure one earth
  • Darkness, or light (focus)
  • God or Mammon (two masters)
• In effect, the SOM contains extended teaching against materialism.
• People who look at life through a defective spiritual eye assign an imaginary, high value to possessions.

Anxiety over money

• John Chrysostom: “Among other things, the wealthy tremble at the thought of poverty. In fact, they fear not only poverty itself—but even a trifling loss of their possessions. Those who lack necessary food do not grieve as much and bewail themselves as much as rich people do when they lose some small possession. In fact, many of the rich have even hanged themselves when they lost their possessions, not willing to bear such an ill turn of events.” Homilies on Matthew 20.4.
• When some people would rather die than to live without wealth, the eye of their soul is dark indeed! As Jesus said, they are full of darkness.
• Do we obsess over money? Are we conflicted in our soul between serving the Lord and striving for wealth and comfort (or maintaining it)?

Conclusion

• “Wealth, it happens, is only the most conspicuous example of that which can distract from true discipleship. Only the rarest of individuals can possess much of the world’s wealth without becoming enslaved to it and without letting it cut the nerve of true discipleship.”—Donald Hagner, in the Word Biblical Commentary 33A: Matthew 1-13 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1993), 160.
• Let's focus on what is truly important.

Next: Mammon