New: 30 January 2025
To seek the Kingdom
of God first
Matthew 6:33
But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
Question
Why did Jesus say to seek first the Kingdom of God?
Context
Jesus said, 'But seek first His [God's] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you' (Matthew 6:33). This statement came at the end of a discourse on having a right attitude towards money and trusting God for His provision so that a worry-free life becomes possible (Matthew 6:19-34). The promise that 'all these things' will come to us when we seek His kingdom and righteousness as our first priority (v 33), speaks of God’s provision of clothing and food and a life without burdening worry: God knows that we need these things, but we shall not seek them like other people do, who live without God or serve other gods (vv 25-32, 34). We are not to pray like them, trusting in repetitions or ritualistic prayers (v 7), but to pray by trusting God the Father who knows our needs before we even ask (vv 8ff). If our hearts are in the right place (vv 19-21) and if we are generous (vv 22-23), if God is our Lord and Master, and not Mammon (v 24), and if God's kingdom and righteousness is truly our first and highest priority in life (v 33), all things will be well, provision will be given and worry will vanish (vv 33-34). Peace will be our portion and God's provision our blessing. But why seek God’s kingdom in this context?
Answer
The kingdom of God is God's rule and reign, the domain where His will is done—one earth as in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). Jesus came to bring and proclaim the Kingdom (4:17), as well as to manifest its power (12:28). He came to call people to turn to God and live a life pleasing to God (5:17-20). His salvation would transfer believers from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13-14). Jesus Himself lived to please God as the beloved Son (Matthew 3:13-17). He came to do the will of God (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; cf., Hebrews 10:5-7), so powerfully expressed in the famous words during His prayer in aguish before the betrayal and crucifixion: 'yet not as I will, but as You will… Your will be done' (Matthew 26:36-42). Jesus lived for the will of God and thus expressed the kingdom of God. Living according to God's will is living in His kingdom and with it enjoying the blessing of God's faithful provision.
In that lifestyle of trusting God and living according to His laws and principles, there would be His provision and a life without worry, hence of peace and provision. Jesus doesn't want people to just seek God when they are in trouble or have needs; He wants true disciples to follow His example and embrace everything God has to offer. Jesus wants believers to live the life God has planned for them. He saved us by grace through faith so that we live for the 'good works' which God has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:8-10), and these are to be expressed in such a way that God will be glorified (Matthew 5:16). Living for worldly things is contrasted with living for the will of God (see 1 John 2:15-17). We must choose between worldly things and God's Kingdom, just as we must choose between Mammon and God (Matthew 6:24). We shall have no other gods (Exodus 20:3) and serve God only (Matthew 4:10). God's provision comes with living for God’s will (His kingdom) in God's ways (His righteousness), not by pursuing worldly things (lust, pride, greed) in worldly ways (Mammon).
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:24-25
The expression 'Mammon' comes as a transliteration from the Aramaic 'mamona' which refers to 'wealth and profit,' including possessions and money; it appears in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:9, 11, 13. 'Mammon' is a concept, describing the power (mastery, lordship) money can have over a person, even enslavement. As one NT scholar stated: 'Christ sees it in an egocentric covetousness which claims man's heart and thereby estranges him from God (Mt 6:19f): when a man "owns" anything, in reality it owns him'; Christ calls it 'unrighteous mammon' (Lk 16:9) and 'dishonest gain,' or 'gain from self-centred motives.'* Christ uses the strongest of words to explain our attitude towards God and mammon: 'hate' and 'despise,' verses 'love' and 'devoted'; every believer must choose either God or Mammon as 'master.' It is a matter of religious devotion, there's no grey zone or middle ground here. Note the many contrasts in this passage (Matthew 6:19-34): heavenly vs earthly treasures; generosity vs greed; God vs Mammon; the ways of God's people vs the ways of the Gentiles; trust vs worry. We cannot have any other god beside Yahweh (Exodus 20:3) and shall worship our God and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10; cf., Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20).
It is also important to note that the two Hebrew idioms used by Jesus further underline this point. The expressions 'good eye' and 'bad eye' (Matthew 6:23-23) are Hebrew idioms for being 'generous' (see Proverbs 22:9; Hebrew, tov 'ayin) and for being 'stingy' (Proverbs 28:22; Hebrew, ra’ ‘ayin): the generous person will be blessed, but the stingy one chases wealth in a wrong way and will come to ruin. Being stingy or greedy of heart fills us with darkness and blurs our vision in life. Generosity, on the other hand, brings light, goodness and clarity. Christ wants us to be generous and trust God by living according to His will.
Paul warns that 'the love of money,' or greed, is the root of all evil that causes destruction (1 Timothy 6:10ff). Covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5). Our character and conduct should be free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5). Honest work and the blessing from it, even materially, are encouraged in Scripture. We are to share from it with others (Ephesians 4:28). Yet one has to avoid all greed and not trust in the uncertainty of riches. Being 'rich in good works' is the biblical way (1 Timothy 6:17-19; cf., Psalm 62:10). Life is more than money. By making sure our heart is free of greed, our treasure is in the right place (Luke 12:22-34). Being rich in this world but poor towards God (Luke 12:13-21) is a destructive long-term strategy.
Conclusion
The reason why Jesus called His disciples to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness was to instruct them to embrace a life of surrender and dedication to God and His will and lordship, which is life under His reign and under His rule in His righteousness with His blessing and provision.
Accepting God's rule in our lives is to live for His will. Embracing His righteousness is a lifestyle pleasing to God and the right way to live according to His word. By seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we are embracing His rule and are living according to His will, and, as a consequence, His provision and blessing will be our portion in life. Thus, we can live in peace and please God. Living according to God’s will is a life of wisdom which brings stability in the storms of life (Matthew 7:24-27; Ephesians 5:15-17). It gives us a healthy perspective that life is more than material wealth (Luke 12:15).
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*New Bible Dictionary. I. Howard Marshall et al (eds.). Third Edition. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996. 720