Chiasmus / Literary Structure
The Chiastic Structure of Matthew 6:19-34
Matthew 6:19-34 (The Sermon on the Mount - Two Masters) is arranged as a chiasm— an ancient mirror pattern (A-B-C-B′-A′) in which ideas repeat in reverse order around a central pivot. The structure turns on its center: “NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS -- YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY”. Jesus' teaching on treasure and worry forms a chiasm with the impossibility of serving two masters as the central point.
The Mirror Pattern
- A
Do not lay up treasures on earth but in heaven
Matthew 6:19-20
- B
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be
Matthew 6:21
- C
The eye is the lamp of the body (good eye vs. bad eye)
Matthew 6:22-23
- X
NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS -- YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY
Matthew 6:24
Central pivot — the emphasized point
- C'
Therefore do not be anxious about your life
Matthew 6:25
- B'
Consider the lilies -- God clothes the grass of the field
Matthew 6:28-30
- A'
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
Matthew 6:33-34
Indentation shows the nesting toward the central pivot and back out — the hallmark of a chiasm.
Why the Structure Matters
In a chiasm, the author’s main point is placed at the center rather than the end. Reading Matthew 6:19-34 as a mirror pattern draws the eye to its pivot — “NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS -- YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY” — as the key the passage turns on. Recognizing the structure changes how the passage is read and preached.