22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the
body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have
neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you
than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the
least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they
grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the
grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how
much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should
eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations
of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and
all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give
alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the
heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Commentary
Vs. 22-23 22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the
body is more than clothing.
Jesus then in warning us all about covetousness,
through the parable of the rich fool, now tells us His disciples that we are
not to worry about our lives, that is food and clothing. For as Jesus says life
is more than food and the body more than clothing (vs. 23). And one’s life can
be consumed in the pursuits of these things (and or worrying about having enough
of these things) if one is not careful.
To help alleviate our fears about following Him in
discipleship, which may require us to leave our daily sustenance to God. Jesus
now draws an analogy from God’s creation, using the ravens, a bird which does
not sow and reap, nor does it build a barn to store all its goods in, and yet
none of them starve to death, because God always feeds them. Therefore, Jesus asks
us how much more value to God are we than the birds? His point being that if we
step out in faith and follow Him God will provide our sustenance for us. Therefore,
having enough food should never limit us from doing what God is asking us to
do. Now does this mean that we should stop working and wait for God to start feeding
us? Obviously not, but what it does mean is that we should not live our lives
in endless anxious pursuit of our daily sustenance, because if we do we will
never step out in faith, because we will always be concerned about not having
enough food for ourselves.
Vs. 25-26 25 And which of you by worrying can
add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious
for the rest?
Jesus now addressees all our fears and worries about this
or that. Essentially all the deficiencies that we (and even others see in us).
For worrying about all the things that we cannot change about our persons and
lives, will change nothing about our persons and lives, as Jesus says, “And which of you by worrying can
add one cubit to his stature? Therefore, since we cannot
change anything about our persons, our past, our ancestry, our families etc.,
nor can we add to the length of our lives (maybe we think were to “old”) to now
be of service to God. And so, worrying about these things, or whatever else we
worry about ourselves is only self-limiting. For consider Moses when God called
him to go to Pharaoh and be His spokesmen to him, Moses was initially very
hesitant because he lacked the speaking ability to do so, (for Moses probably
thought that neither Israel, nor Pharaoh, would not listen to him because of this),
nonetheless God insisted that he go, for He had chosen him to go. And so, to
alleviate Moses anxiousness about this God gave Moses Aaron his brother to act
as his spokesmen to them (see Exodus 4:10-16). Therefore, Jesus also says to
us, if we are not able to do the least, that is the least important things, why
are we anxious for the rest, that is all the other stuff. For all the attributes
and abilities that we lack are the areas where God by His Spirit works most
mightily through us, when we step out in faith and follow Him (consider 1 Cor.
1:26-31). Therefore, no believer should ever disqualify themselves from the
Lord Jesus Christ’s service because they’re worried that they lack this ability
or that. For having redeemed us by His shed blood, the Lord Jesus Christ now by
His Spirit equips us to do all the things that He has set before us to do (Eph.
2:10). Therefore, don’t look at yourselves (and what you lack), rather look to
God and be confident that His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses (2
Cor. 12:9).
Vs. 27-28 27 Consider the lilies, how they
grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the
grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how
much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
Again, Jesus now returns to one of people’s main concerns,
and that is clothing. Now living in Canada, I appreciate how important
clothing, especially winter clothing is. That said, our stepping out in faith
and serving the Lord Jesus Christ should never be hindered by our own worries about
how we are going to get this or that. For just as God clothes the lilies of the
field so that they adorn a majesty that rivals Solomon in all of his glory, how
much more will He clothe us, just as Jesus has said and promised.
Again, Jesus is warning us all about the crippling of
our faith and our stepping out in faith when we focus on the basics of life. For
one’s life can be consumed in the endless pursuit of these things and or
worrying about this or that, so that one never does, nor achieves all that they
could’ve. For a Christian then running after and worrying about all the things
that the world worries about, and runs after, is a nonstarter if one wants to
be useful for the Kingdom of heaven. For our Father in heaven knows that we
need food and clothing and shelter, and He will provide all of these things for
us, when we seek first the kingdom of God, Jesus promises all these things will
be added to us.
The Lord Jesus now brings home just what He has been
telling us all, and that is do not fear (not only for the least things) but now
also for the Kingdom; because as Jesus says, it is our Father’s good pleasure
to give us the Kingdom (vs. 32). Therefore, in seeking to free us from worrying
about both the earthly and the heavenly, Jesus now says to us all, “Sell what you have and give
alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the
heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” vs. 33-34
Vs. 24 24 Consider the ravens, for they
neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds
them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
Vs. 29-31 “And do
not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious
mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your
Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and
all these things shall be added to you.
Vs. 32-34 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give
alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the
heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
Now Jesus radical statement is a strong counter to
worlds materialism and money driven focus, which only enslaves people to it.
For true freedom is only found when one is free to do and pursue the virtues
and values and pursuits of the Kingdom of heaven. Something one cannot do if
they are bogged down in the quagmire of acquiring more and more. Therefore,
Jesus’ antidote is the selling of what one has, and turning what was once
enslaving one, into generosity towards the poor (i.e. giving alms). For then
one lays up their treasures in heaven where as Jesus says they neither rust nor
rot, (and thus lose all value), nor does any thief break in and steal them
away. Because as Jesus warns us all, “For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Therefore, having one’s
treasures on earth means one’s heart and life will be focused on keeping and
preserving them down here. While having them in heaven means one’s heart and
life will be focused on the Kingdom of heaven, and not on what is perishing and
passing. On those things that have no eternal value or significance.
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson
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