Anxiety In Matthew Chapter Six

I love going through the Gospel's using this beautiful book my wife gave me (Ariel's Harmony of the Gospels). I am at Matthew 6 and it is mostly about prayer, fasting, money and anxiety.

Later in His ministry, He will say this...

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:26-27 ESV

But here in Matthew 6 close to the start, He says...

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6:25-34 ESV

Jesus leaves His peace with us like someone who leaves their coat in our car. He is not bodily on Earth at the moment but we have something that belonged to Him.

He also gives us reasoning to use.

I was looking at different artwork last night and I saw this painting of a woman gazing at nature and the artist used the colors and textures in the nature scene around her in her color palette also. It was as if she had unity with the scene as she was gazing at it. I was thinking of that as I read this passage. I am not a sparrow or a lily but I can look at them and access the peace God has given me.

The 'kingdom of God and His righteousness' are a refuge to us from anxiety.

We can look at Jesus and take on His color palette. We can wear the coat He left in our car. He won't mind. He left it there on purpose. Funny that it fits us perfectly.

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The Wise Men Arrived Later

In my book ('Ariel's Harmony of the Gospels') Dr Fruchtenbaum puts Matthew 2 (the arrival of the wise men / Persecution by Herod) categorically and chronologically after Christ birth, circumcision and presentation in the temple to Simeon and Hannah (Luke 2:22-38) and it makes a great deal of sense to me. It took a few weeks for word to get around. The parents waiting eight days before circumcision.

Theologically it works but in a way it messes up my Christmas story idea of the wise men walking into a barnyard scene the night of the birth with angels still singing in the background.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek... Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:" - Romans 1:16; 2:9-10 KJV

In one sense this is a fulfilment of this idea. Salvation, Jesus, was presented to these older Israelites first and then the wise men came and saw Him afterwards.

I love when the Bible breaks my structures. Ideas can crystallize but the Bible is a living book. Just being in the Bible gives God this wonderful opening to access our soul by His Spirit in an objective way.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." - John 14:26 ESV

What a great promise for those who are available to be Spirit taught. God will bring what He has taught us back. He uses people, preaching, reading, meditating and other methods to teach us but once we have it we can never lose it. God can access it at any moment and bring it 'out of storage' for us to communicate when the moment is right.

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Starting Ariel's Harmony of the Gospels

I have a new study book. It was a Christmas present. It is a hardcover and bound very well. This morning I carefully opened the book from the front and then the back. Then I flipped through all the pages and wrote my name and the month and year in the front of the book. A study book needs to lay open flat with other books. I have found that doing this helps the binding in the long run. I also wrote that it was a gift and the person's name. I treasure these books. To me, they represent hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours of study, preparation, meditation and editing. I plan to read this book from cover to cover but we know how that goes don't we? Many study books never get read. The binding of the last chapters or middle chapters never gets 'broken'.

Many Bibles are treated like that also. People cherry pick passages quoted by someone else but never read the book cover to cover. A list of names or the account of battles become a mountain range that never gets crossed. It is so easy to skip ahead to familiar chapters or concepts of interest. What treasures are missed when we take that approach? I want every drop of what God has to say.

One of the great things about this book I am starting ('Ariel's Harmony of the Gospels' by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum) is that it follows the order of Jesus' life as presented in the Gospel of Luke then correlates parallel scripture references from the other Gospels. As you read it you move through the life of Messiah in the order that events happened with a full view of what happened in Christ's life during His incarnation.

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." - Luke 1:1-4 ESV

Yes! Here we see Luke's Spirit led motivations. He is writing to give clarity. He sees the generation he is living in just like we see ours. People need certainty and clarity where it can be found and Jesus provided that for so many things to His disciples. Luke wants the foundations to be preserved so that we could have what was given to him in 'an orderly account.'

Luke writes to Theophilus. The account is written to one person but that name translates as 'God lover'. Luke wanted each 'God lover' to have an account of what happened and was seen by eyewitnesses.

I was taught by my pastor that a man is only as strong as his study habits. I believe that is true. Personality, talent and inherited wealth will only carry us so far but if the middle chapters get the same treatment as the rest of the book we have substance in our soul that can be gained no other way.

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