Lectionary Reflection: 8th Sunday after Epiphany

Matthew 6:24-34
6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

6:26 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?

6:27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

6:28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,

6:29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

6:31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'

6:32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

6:33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

6:34 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

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Of all the bishops in the early church, John Chrysostom spoke most forcefully about the economic issues of his day. In his church at Constantinople, he witnessed a tremendous disparity between the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. As the capitol of the Byzantine empire, Constantinople was home to some of the wealthiest persons in the world, and it also attracted the poorest.  So naturally we should not be surprised that he had some strong comments to offer on this passage.

Chrysostom's first task in his homily on this passage is to reassure those who had wealth that merely possessing riches does not condemn one.  He notes that many of the Old Testament patriarchs were wealthy, but were not accused of making their wealth their master.  Abraham and Job, in particular, ruled over their wealth, rather than being ruled by it. 

Thus it is vitally important that we conduct ourselves with an awareness of our soul's condition in regard to money. He exhorts us against coveting, and to give what we have.  Such practices aid us in relying upon the providence of God to provide for our needs. Only by relying upon God to provide for our needs will we serve God as our master, rather than our money.