(a) What did Jesus teach about any of the following during His sermon on the mount? (i) Earthly possessions; (ii) Anxiety. [10 marks] (b) In what five ways ...

(a) Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-34):

(i) On earthly possessions:

• "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal."
• Rather, "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," which are imperishable and secure.
• "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
• The eye is the lamp of the body; a sound (single) eye fills the body with light, but an unsound eye fills it with darkness.
• "No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth)." One must choose between devotion to God and slavery to money.

(ii) On anxiety:

• "Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on."
• Consider the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, yet the heavenly Father feeds them, and you are of more value.
• Anxiety cannot add a single cubit to one's span of life.
• Consider the lilies of the field: they neither toil nor spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass, will He not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?
• Do not be anxious like the Gentiles, for your heavenly Father knows your needs. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Do not be anxious about tomorrow.

(b) Five ways the misuse of wealth can lead to serious consequences for a nation:

• It breeds corruption and embezzlement, draining public funds meant for development.
• It widens inequality, creating a gulf between rich and poor that leads to social unrest.
• It fuels injustice and oppression, as the wealthy bribe their way and deny the poor justice.
• It promotes materialism and moral decay, encouraging greed, fraud, and neglect of godly values.
• It leads to insecurity and violence, as poverty and resentment drive crime, kidnapping, and instability.