This post is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:25-34. These verses are about reorienting our perspective to things above. These verses are a perfect summary of this goal and even of the entire Sermon on the Mount.
The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
I. Scripture
A. Matthew 6:25-34
25 Because of this, I tell you: do not worry about your life, about what you should eat or what you should drink, nor about your body, what you should wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Observe the birds of the sky: they do not sow nor harvest nor gather in barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you much more valuable then they? 27 And who of you by worrying is able to add one cubit to your height? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Observe well the lilies of the field: how they grow and not labor nor spin, 29 But I tell you that Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 If therefore God in this way clothes the grass of the field which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, “What should you eat?” Or “What should we drink?” Or “What should we wear?” 32 For all these things the pagans pursue. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. The trouble for each day is sufficient on its own. (Matt. 6:25-34)
B. Comments
1.. Verse 25:
Osborne insightfully translates the first part of v. 25: “Because of this I am telling you, do not ever worry ….”
“Because of this”: it also refers to the previous post, we should serve God and not mammon.
“I tell you”: this clause also denotes a solemn and authoritative pronouncement that may surprise the listeners or make them uncomfortable.
“worry”: it means, depending on the context: “to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned” In other contexts, it can mean “to attend to, care for, be concerned about” (BDAG). Here it clearly means the first definition.
This verse could be translated something like this: “don’t worry, in regards to your life, what you will eat, and in regard to your body what you will wear.” Here Jesus makes a distinction between food for sustaining your whole life—life could be translated as soul—and the body. Whether food or clothing, they don’t matter. Life and body are more important than these exterior material objects. In other words, Jesus is about to teach us: focus on more important things, like our relationship with the Father. Fads comes and go every five years or so. But on what basis can he issue such a radical statement? God our Father is the basis of his statement, as the rest of pericope says.
Jesus uses the “how much more” argument. Since God gives us life, how much more will he give us food. Since God gives us a body, how much more will he give us clothing (and food). (Osborne, on 6:25).
2. Verse 26:
Then he probably saw a flock of birds fly overhead or land nearby, and he used them as object lessons. He tells his disciples to “look at” or “observe,” or “notice” them (all in a spiritual sense). He observed their nature in a spiritual sense and related them to our lives, in a sharp contrast between them and us.
Do birds sow seeds of grain and harvest the crops? Do they own a storeroom or a barn? Obviously not. Yet God feeds them—as the Greek literally says—but usually translators say that God provides food for them because God does not literally throw out refuse or dead animals or seeds for them to feed on them.
Instead, we are to understand that God allows nature to take its course, and the crows on their own can feed on the throwaway or dead things. God has set up the world of nature in this way. Allowing nature to take its course is called secondary causes, as distinct from the Primary Cause (God himself) directing everything in detail.
We are supposed to learn from this verse that we are much more valuable than birds, yet God cares for and feeds them. The argument again goes from the lesser (birds) to the greater (we humans). How much more will he feed and provide for us, his highest earthly creation (Ps. 8), made in his image (Gen. 1:26-27)!
One day, while I was needing work, God whispered to my heart to apply at such-and-such a college. By then, I had been abused by colleges many times because I’m conservative in my politics, and the authoritarian left dominates colleges and universities, so I got squeezed out. However, in this latest round of job searching I was not filled with anxiety about God’s provision. He saw the injustices committed against me. Through practice I learned he would take care of me. I delayed in applying to the college, so the Spirit urged me to “apply, now!” I did, and they hired me. It’s amazing to think he clearly led me to apply at that specific college that was closer to home, because he could see in advance that I would be accepted by them. My need for an income was met. He provided. I’m happy to report at the time of this writing that my recent student evaluations were through the roof. The dean was thrilled. God is faithful.
3. Verse 27:
Jesus is deploying the obvious truths about what worrying cannot accomplish. We cannot add a cubit to our height by sitting in a rocking chair—a symbol of worrying, because we do a lot of moving, but we go nowhere! (Incidentally, a cubit is about 18 inches or .462m). Can we accomplish anything meaningful by worrying? Of course not! Jesus uses this absurd idea of adding a cubit because we can’t come anywhere near that height, despite all of our most strenuous efforts, though we might be able to add a couple of inches with platform shoes, like they used to wear in the 1970s! Or maybe we could add more than cubit if we walked on stilts, but then we cannot live life that way!
All humor aside, if we can’t do a small or minor thing like adding a cubit to our height, which is an ironical idea Jesus poses, then we mustn’t worry about the rest of the things. In other words, stop worrying about big or small things.
I should add that some scholars drop the idea of adding a cubit to one’s height and instead translate it that we cannot add one hour to our lifespan. That makes sense. Either way, we should not expend energy worrying about things that we cannot change or control.
4. Verse 28-29:
Lilies were beautiful, but since they are equated with grass, they were probably wildflowers.
Solomon was a very rich man, the richest of his time (1 Kings 10:14-29). After describing his wealth in gold and ivory, but not silver because “silver was not considered anything in the days of Solomon” (v. 21, ESV), the historian of 1 Kings writes: “Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom” (v. 23, ESV). No doubt he ordered weavers and spinners to makes clothes for him. But lilies do not work or spin. Yet Solomon in all his splendor could not match them in their natural, delicate beauty.
“spin”: the verb is used only here and in Luke 12:27, which parallels this verse. The lilies don’t spin out threads to make clothing for themselves. Their Father provides for them.
“I tell you”: see v. 25 for more comments.
5. Verse 30:
“grass”: it could be translated as “blade” or “stock of grain.” Whichever one you go with, it is here today and gone tomorrow.
He calls us “you of little faith.” Faith and worry are opposites. If we spin our minds to make threads that we don’t use—mental, useless threads, then we do not have faith. Let’s not exhaust our mind with anxiety, but instead learn who the Father is. What is he willing to do for us? Verses 31 and 32 will tell us, but here in v. 28 God provides for the lilies, so he provides for us. Again, it is the lesser to greater argument. He provides for the lilies (lesser), so he will provide for us humans, made in his image, his highest earthly creation (the greater).
6. Verse 31-32:
Then Jesus circles back around and repeats his commands not to worry about food or clothing.
Once again, he exhorts or strongly urges and advises us not to pursue the basics, like eating or drinking. Of course, he does not mean we should never go grocery shopping, for example, but we should not pursue such things with anxiety.
Don’t hang in midair, between doubt and the solid earth. People who float around cannot be settled in their walk with God. Walking with God happens on the ground.
The pagan nations of the world pursue such trivial things. Jesus is speaking to kingdom citizens, and he contrasted their life under God’s watchful care against the pagans or Gentiles around their (known) world. He did see differences between pagans and God’s kingdom subjects. Jesus is telling his disciples that they were copying the pagans in their anxiety, and his followers had to up their game.
But why should they raise their sights without anxiety? On what basis? He tells them—because their Father knows that they need those things. God is omniscient, a big word meaning “all-knowing” (omni– means “all,” and scient– stem is related to “knowing”). He sees and knows exactly what you need.
Do I Really Know God? He Is Omniscient
Recall my own story (see v. 26). God saw and knew the injustice that was about to happen to me. He spoke to me to apply at a college, and the door opened up. He rescued me.
7. Verse 33:
This verse from Jeremiah is relevant: “Then you call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you” (Jer. 29:12-13, ESV).
“kingdom”: see v. 10 for more information.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We are supposed to seek God’s righteousness, not the kind of righteousness that we can generate.
France translate the clause “seek first” as “make it your priority to find” the kingdom (p. 270). Excellent. Place the kingdom as your top priority.
Consider Jeremiah 29:13-14: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (Jer. 29:13-14, NIV).
8. Verse 34:
This is a great command, but only mature kingdom citizens can carry if off, after they have entered God’s kingdom. Let tomorrow worry about itself.
II. Application
A. Questions to ponder
1. This section of Scripture is all about anxiety and God’s providence. How has he taken care of you?
2.. Read Philippians 4:6-7. How does Paul recommend we purge out anxiety?
3.. Go back to Matthew 6:33. How does Jesus recommend that we purge out anxiety? Where should our priorities lie?
SOURCES
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 