Prosperity in Hidden Paths

Matthew 6:

²² `The lamp of the body is the eye, if, therefore, thine eye may be perfect, all thy body shall be enlightened,²³ but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that [is] in thee is darkness -- the darkness, how great!

 

The good or perfect or generous eye appears to best be understood in connection with the three aspects of teshuvah, which according to Jewish scholars are repentance, prayer, and charity. These, we can see in the teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6. The words repentance, prayer, and charity are the English words, but there's a problem. The Hebrew words do not mean what the English words do. Here is the discussion at length: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4453/jewish/Teshuvah-Tefilla-and-Tzedakah.htm

What I have done below is draw out the Messianic implications of historic Jewish understanding of the words teshuvah, tefillah, and tsedekah (from the link above), words traditionally translated repentance, prayer, and charity.

In Matthew 6, Jesus promised freedom from all the worries of the world as our hearts return to God. Similarly, in Jewish understanding, returning to God brings true wellness and wellbeing. It has the result of averting evil and filling all aspects of life with God’s goodness. Through teshuvah comes the promise of life with blessed descendants, health, and prosperity. 

Jesus spoke of God’s kingship, power, and glory with being rescued from tribulation and being kept from the evil one. We draw near to God in our secret chamber, serve God in secret, and experience His manifest blessings in the nitty-gritty of life. In other words, the millennial Messianic reign of Jesus manifests in our being kept from the evil one. The well-news of Jesus is the secret to enduring until the end in the realm of God's blessing in this crazy world. 

Teshuvah, translated as repentance, does not mean choosing a new direction but rather returning to the old, to one’s true being in connection with God. That place is where we find who we were made to be in the image of God. We are called to stand in the ancient paths with those who have gone before us. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 6: 

Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls

That good way is how Elijah, Noah, Enoch, Jacob, and the rest of the patriarchs, and Jesus Himself of course, walk with God. 

In Christ, we can be the full expression of ourselves apart from evil. It’s the place of rest in God where our true character blooms, accepted, loved, and full of life. In our heart of hearts, we experience the goodness we have in the Anointed. As we have all been made in the image of God, we are fundamentally good in our connection to Him. God saw all He had made and said that it was good. And with our sin having been taken away by Jesus dying on the cross and rising for us, we can experience newness of life on the ancient paths. 

Along with this understanding is tefillah in Hebrew, which does not mean to request, as the word prayer means. The essence of the word means attachment as in attaching ourselves to God. This is in complete harmony with return. In Christ we become eternally attached to God in our inner being, our essence. The attachment, in the Hebrew understanding, occurs between us here below and God in heaven above. God provides His strength and renewal in our attachment to Him. He is our source of life. He delivers us from evil.

Tsedekah, interpreted charity, does not mean giving out of the goodness of our heart as we might naturally think of charitable giving. It means the righteousness of giving to others because of duty to God. What we have is not our own but rather what God has entrusted to us. For example, as Jesus told us to ask God to provide our food at the appointed times, He entrusts us to feed His people at the proper times. Another aspect of the word is based on how we expect God to treat us. We don’t expect anything from God because we deserve it but rather because of His goodness. We give to others who ask even though we do not owe them because this is how we want God to treat us. The Jewish example is giving to institutes for teaching Torah, where learners will become the foundation of Israel. 

In Matthew 6, Jesus contrasts serving money with serving God. The issue at stake is what will be the singular focus for life. All the things added to our lives come not from focusing on them but from the reign of God in our lives through our closeness to God. Our attachment to our heavenly Father through His holy Son Jesus Christ reinvents and invigorates all aspects of life. There is a flowing stream from the throne of God. In it, we are cleansed and made whole and perfect. Our drawing from the waters of life produce the leaves which are for the healing of the nations. 

Walking with God is the right focus for life. He navigates our lives through paths He has hidden in the sea for us.