With simplicity to good character
Series: Metamorphosis | Bible text: Matthew 6:19–24
The way out of the treadmill of worry, that is, out of the fixation on myself, is through the «single eye», that is, through a reorientation of the gaze. And this happens through prayer. It becomes clear that the metamorphosis of man exceeds human possibilities and efforts. The Prayer of the Unfather leads him beyond himself into the encounter with the heavenly Father. Thus he finds simplicity. In the process, the two cardinal virtues of serenity and single-mindedness are cultivated.
There is an unfathomable potential in following Jesus. It is about transformation into the good virtues and good character after the example of Jesus. Hypocrisy and pious performance are obstacles on this path and corrupt character. The Sermon on the Mount offers deliverance from these wrong ways to the people in the Jesus School. In fact, there is a small hint of what promotes good character immensely, through the crack in the door of a small inconspicuous word.
Simple-minded eye
«Your eye is the window of your body. A clear (haplous) eye lets the light penetrate into your soul. A bad eye, on the other hand, blocks out the light and plunges you into darkness. If what you think is light is darkness in you, how dark will the darkness be!» (Matthew 6:22–23 NLB).
The secret of cultivating a Jesus-like character is hidden in the inconspicuous German word clear (Greek: haplous). Our eye should haplous then the whole of life will be fine. But when the eye bad then the whole life runs into darkness. If man wants to overcome his being a stumbling block and become a God-dancer again, he must pay attention to his eye. This is not so much about the outer eye, but rather the inner eye. We must gain control of what the eye imagines, because «what we have in mind, that shapes us, into it we are transformed»(Robert Spaemann).
What does haplous? The dictionary says «simple, plain, sincere, simple-minded». This last translation – simple-minded – is etymologically most appropriate. If we take a sheet of paper and fold it once lengthwise, we have a simple Paper. This is how our eye should be. Simple. Straight. Aligned. Clear in orientation. However, Jesus is not simply announcing a general principle here, but is speaking of the simple-minded Eye in a very concrete context: «Do not accumulate riches here on earth where moth or rust can eat them away or where thieves can break in and steal them. Gather your riches in heaven, where they will not be eaten away by moths or rust and will be safe from thieves. For where your wealth is, there your heart is also. Your eye is the window of your body. A clear eye lets the light penetrate into your soul. A bad eye, on the other hand, blocks out the light and plunges you into darkness. If what you think is light is darkness in you, how dark will the darkness be! No one can serve two masters. He will always hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and detest the other. You cannot serve God and money at the same time» (Matthew 6:19–24 NLB).
Last safety
So the simple eye is about our inner direction of vision with regard to securing life through material possessions. The first three verses speak of the thésauros the talk, what with Riches was translated. Thesaurus is familiar to us, we use it for an electronic word store. Schatzkammer, Speicher and Tresor are corresponding German words. The power of this treasure is life-defining. «For where your treasure is, there your heart is also»(V.21 LUT). There, where we seek our ultimate security, that is also our centre of life, that is where our life is ultimately directed to.. It is about safety and security. It is the primordial human question of how I can secure my life. Do I have enough? Will it be enough for tomorrow and even more so in old age? Then there is the concern about health. How can I protect myself against accidents and illness? Yes, ultimately, in view of the inevitability of death, life itself is at stake. What Jesus is ultimately concerned with becomes clear in v.24. «One cannot serve two masters at the same time», says Jesus, «God and Mammon». Those who ultimately rely on material possessions serve Mammon. Material security becomes a real idol. Citizens of rich nations, such as Switzerland, are particularly at risk. That’s why all votes are sunk here where there is a danger that our wealth could be scratched.
The message of Jesus liberates from this enslavement. The redeeming phrase is: «Your heavenly Father knows your needs»(6:32 NLB) and he will take care of you. So you don’t need to «destroy» yourselves by throwing yourselves into the arms of Mammon and becoming slaves to material goods. To put it bluntly, Jesus says: «Can all your worries prolong your life even for a single moment? No»(6:27 NLB). The realisation that my life cannot be secured, but that every hour depends on God’s care, may seem threatening, but is ultimately liberating. When we stop dancing to the music of Mammon, we are set free to dance to the music of Heaven. The way to this is to become simple-minded, inwardly focused on the right, wholesome place of security in life..
Man becomes a stumbling block because he looks in the wrong direction for that which gives his life ultimate support. Worried about himself, he hangs his life on the nail of material security – but the nail is unable to bear the weight of life. Life cannot be secured in the end. The way out of the treadmill of worry, that is, from the fixation on myself, leads via the «simple-minded eyethat is, through a redirection of the gaze. And this happens through prayer – the centre of the Sermon on the Mount. Wolfgang Goethe tells us: «One day, fear knocked on the door. Courage got up and opened it, but there was no one outside.» The simple-minded look is the path to this courage, which finds that all fear is in vain and dissolves into bliss.
Fat booty
It becomes clear that the metamorphosis of the human being exceeds human possibilities and efforts. The Prayer of the Unfather leads him beyond himself into the encounter with the heavenly Father. Thus he finds simplicity. The two cardinal virtues of serenity and determination are cultivated.
- SerenityPrayer creates space to place worries, guilt and fear, which can seize life, in the hands of the heavenly Father in order to find a holy serenity. This lives from the promise of the Father in heaven, who gives our lives ultimate support. It is about an inner peace that has its basis in the deep experience of acceptance, security and being carried.. I no longer have to rush and hunt to secure my life – neither through religious efforts nor through material striving. Serenity must not be confused with indifference or even laziness. Serene people have their heads, hearts and hands free for essential things. Healthy serenity frees one to devotional engagement, to dance the music of heaven.
- Determination or commitment: This second virtue is described in the first clause of v.33: «Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness» (6:33 LUT). From the identity as a child of the heavenly Father and the experience of His acceptance and security, we are liberated from self-circumcision. Courage, determination and goal orientation is the result. Corrie ten Boom: «Courage is fear prayed for.» Of course, this virtue can be directed towards good and bad goals. Here it is focused on the righteousness of the Kingdom of God. The prerequisite is that the jammers of worry, guilt and fear are turned off. The Unservater offers the space to put them in God’s hands and turn up the Kingdom of God transmitter loudly to dance to that music.
These two virtues should be seen as a pair. They keep each other in balance and prevent unhealthy one-sidedness. Serenity can become indifference and commitment can become doggedness. As calm commitment or committed composure a combined virtue grows up which is in fact the pivot of all the virtues presented in Matthew 5.
Last week I visited my father. As he is very ill and weak, I don’t know if I saw him for the last time. We talked the way a son talks to his father when it’s time to say the final goodbye. For me it was a very sacred moment. I felt a great peace coming from my parents. They exemplify to me what a simple-minded look at the heavenly Father could look like. Trustingly they throw themselves into his arms and live a holy serenity and determination even in the face of dying. Everything material recedes completely into the background. It becomes clear, our life hangs exclusively on the nail of the heavenly Father. Our dance follows the music of God alone. This freedom, this peace, this serenity, this freedom from worries, this determination is ready for you here and now. Through faith in Jesus Christ and a single-minded eye on the heavenly Father, all this is yours!
Possible questions for the small groups
Read Bible text: Matthew 6:19–24
- What could Jesus do with the simple-minded eye what did you mean? What should the simple-minded look focus?
- How do you ultimately secure your life? What role does Mammon play in this? Do you agree with the thesis that we Swiss are in great danger of throwing ourselves into the arms of Mammon?
- How can we experience liberation and reorientation? Why does Jesus offer the Prayer of the Unfather as a solution?
- What do the two cardinal virtues of serenity and determination/commitment mean? Are these virtues in balance for you? What happens when one of them predominates?
- Prayer is the key to metamorphosis into the model of Jesus Christ. What role does prayer play in your life? In the small group?
