Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The stories in the Gospel of Mathew focus on the life of Jesus, particularly His sermons and preaching’s. Matthew emphasizes on five major lessons given by Jesus throughout the Gospel. These lessons include discipleship, humility, brotherhood, hypocrisy, and ethical conduct. Chapter Six puts emphasis on these lessons through eight important teachings by Jesus. These lessons include teachings about almsgiving, prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, fasting, the treasure in heaven, the light of the body, God and money, and dependence on God. These teachings must be followed, performed, and entwined in a person’s heart in order to gain the title of kingdom dweller.
Many individuals tend to meander from the true definition of almsgiving. Some individuals perform good deeds only for personal gain. This type of person does not get the whole picture, and is a hell dweller. If there is no personal benefit for them, then this individual sees no reason to perform truly righteous deeds. Kingdom dwellers perform deeds out of the goodness of their hearts and do not expect any collateral. Kingdom dwellers know that the Father is watching down upon them. When giving alms, Jesus tells us an individual should be modest and not blow a trumpet when performing the good deed, or else it will not be righteous. Alms should be given quietly. God watches you in secret and will repay those you perform righteous deeds.
Jesus tells his people that when they pray, it should be meaningful and in secret. An individual’s prayers are a personal transmission to God, and should not be shouted on street corners only for the purpose of being noticed. Jesus also says that it does not matter how long you pray, but how you pray. Praying should be a personal conversation with the Father. There is no vocal response from Him, but the kingdom dwellers know their Father is listening. They also know He will repay them. Jesus teaches his followers The Lord’s Prayer, and tells them that this is how they are to pray. This prayer is about praising God and forgiveness. The prayer contains a lesson. The lesson is “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” This quote from Mathew means that forgiveness is the way of the kingdom dweller. A kingdom dweller always forgives, and will be repaid by God. A hell dweller lets anger and vengeance prevail over forgiveness and in turn God will not forgive them for their transgressions.
Jesus’ next lesson dealt with the period of abstinence from eating and drinking known as fasting. When an individual fasts, it is to show their love and devotion to God. Jesus tells his people not to be hypocrites, and show off their suffering to the public. The suffering should be a secret pact between the individual and God. A kingdom dweller knows God is looking down on him/her and will repay him/her for their suffering. A fasting kingdom dweller will clean up and veil his suffering when in the public. Hell dwellers only want attention, and are not truly connected to God.
The next of Jesus’ teachings is about materialism. Jesus tells his followers not to succumb to the materialistic treasures on Earth, but to concentrate on storing up treasures in heaven. Individuals who surround themselves with material things are hell dwellers. They are using these material things to fill the gap inside themselves, but instead keep making the gap bigger, causing them to want more and more. A kingdom dweller can find happiness through a non-materialistic