Read: Teachings on the Gifts of God

Overview

Although humans naturally worry, Jesus provided a different way of looking at life. He explained that people do not need to worry because God knows what everyone needs. Jesus taught that God gives gifts to all, not just the worthy or good.

Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

Worrying about the necessities of life is normal; nobody is guaranteed food, water, or clothing. Addressing everyday needs, Jesus said, “Instead [of worrying], seek first and foremost the kingdom of God and live as God designed you to live, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow will bring worries of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34). Jesus wanted his disciples to focus on their relationship with God more than worrying about the needs of life. He used birds and animals to illustrate this. He taught, “Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?” (Matthew 6:26). The birds and animals do not worry about where their food comes from because God provides for them. Similarly, people should not worry about where their food and shelter will come from, as God will provide. Since Jesus knew God was the creator of the universe, he knew God had the resources and knowledge to care for and give the gifts humanity needed.

Ask, Seek, Knock (Matthew 7:7-12) (Luke 11:1-13)

Luke recorded Jesus telling his disciples to ask, seek, knock, and God would give them gifts. If humans, who can be evil, know how to give good gifts, then God, who is good, will give even greater gifts. Jesus compared this to a man who had unexpected company arrive. He went to a friend's house in the middle of the night asking for bread to help feed his unexpected guests. The friend was irritated since it was late, but the man persisted and eventually received the bread. In the same way, Jesus wanted his followers to continue to ask, seek, and knock when praying to God for good gifts.

To further teach his disciples how to speak to God, Jesus taught them how to pray. The prayer he taught them is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” It says, “‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom. Give us the bread we need for today. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us. And don’t lead us into temptation.’' This is one way Jesus taught his disciples to ask and seek God.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

Regarding prayer, Jesus told his disciples to “pray continuously and not to be discouraged” (Luke 18:1). He told them a parable about a widow who continually sought justice from an unjust judge. Widows in first-century Israel had few options to make a living and had to rely on male family members to provide necessities. If a widow had no male family members to care for her, she could easily become destitute. When this widow was taken advantage of, she sought justice. When the unjust judge would not give her what she was due from her adversary, she continued to ask again and again. Finally, the unjust judge gave the widow the justice she needed. Jesus used this parable to show that in contrast to this judge, God is just. The passage reads, “Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice quickly” when the time for justice comes (Luke 17:7-8).

The Parable of the Laborers (Matthew 20:1-16)

Jesus taught a parable revealing God’s generous character and the kingdom of heaven. A landowner hired laborers to work in his vineyard early in the morning. As the day progressed, he hired more people to work. Some worked all day, others part of the day, and others just the end of the day for the last hour. When it came time to be paid, the man who hired them paid all the laborers the same. The laborers who worked all day and the workers who worked just at the end were paid the same. Some workers were upset about this. The man who hired them responded, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I’m generous?” (Matthew 20:15). Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is similar to this parable. God does not determine rewards in human terms. He is like the man who hired and paid the workers. His generosity and grace to the undeserving should bring joy, not jealousy. After all, God showers all his people with good gifts they do not deserve.

Expand: The Righteous and Unrighteous

Discover

The terms righteous and unrighteous are used in the Bible to describe someone's status in God’s eyes. First-century Jews believed that righteousness was seen by practicing certain religious customs. If someone followed the proper religious traditions, then they were considered righteous. Those who did not follow these requirements were considered unrighteous. However, Jesus defined these terms differently.

Who is Righteous?

According to Jesus, righteousness is living as God desires his people to live. It is believed that God blesses and gives to those who are worthy, righteous, and do good. During Jesus’s time, religious leaders thought they were the only ones who received gifts from God. They kept the laws of God and worshiped at the Temple. They felt they were righteous because of what they did outwardly. They considered those who were not Jewish or did not do as they did unrighteous. They looked down on non-religious people, the poor, the outcast, and Gentiles. But according to Jesus, the religious leaders were not the righteous ones but hypocrites.

In the New Testament, Jesus opposed the ideas of religious leaders and taught a different meaning of righteousness. Jesus looked at a person’s heart to determine righteousness and unrighteousness. He also taught that God desired to give good gifts to all people, even the enemies of his people. In the parable of the laborers, all were paid equally. Humans judge others based on worldly standards, for example, someone’s economic worth, social status, or religious practices. However, God does not judge based on these standards but standards of his own. In this, God reveals he cares for all and wants to do good to all.

God Generously Gives to the Righteous and the Unrighteous (Matthew 5:43-48)

Jesus continued to reveal the character of God to his followers and encouraged them to reflect his character in their treatment of others. If God is the source of good gifts and gives good gifts to all people, then his followers should do the same. His followers should treat others how they want to be treated.

Some might see some of Jesus’s teachings as controversial. For example, Jesus told his followers to “love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. [God] makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45). Many people do not want to care for their enemies or those who have wronged them, but Jesus taught that God gives the good gifts of sun and rain, both needed for life, to both the evil or unrighteous person and the good or righteous person. God is generous and cares for all kinds of people, including those who do not love him.

Module 4 Lesson 3 of 4