Matthew 6:25-34
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| Clear Water in Haiti |
do not be anxious about
your life,
what you will eat or
what you will drink,
nor about your body,
what you will
put on.
Is not
life more than food,
and the body
more than clothing?
26 Look at
the birds of the air:
they neither sow
nor reap
nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them.
Are you
not of more value than they?
27 And
which of you by being anxious
can add a single hour to his span of life?
28 And why
are you anxious about clothing?
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| Day Lilies at Multnomah University |
how they grow:
they neither toil
nor spin, 29
yet I tell you,
even
Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes
the grass of the field,
which today
is alive and
tomorrow
is thrown into the oven,
will he not much
more
clothe
you,
O you of little faith?
31 Therefore
do not be anxious,
saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or
‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows
that
you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God
and his
righteousness,
and all
these things
will
be added to you.
If
I was to ask you to tell me the theme of the passage you just read, what would
you say? Pretty simple right? Do not be anxious! Jesus uses the word anxiety
(Greek, merimnao) four times; two
times showing its futility and twice commanding his disciples not to allow it
to control their lives. However, giving a command to not be anxious is
something like telling a little boy not to run, or a Gen-Z not to check
their phone. While there are some people who don’t worry about much, for the rest
of us, ever since the fall of mankind, it seems to be our very nature when
faced with stressful circumstances. So how should we understand this section?
Are we supposed to gut it out, willing ourselves not to worry about the pink
elephant in the room? No. The context helps us immensely. Remember that this
section is part of a larger discourse. Not only is it part of a larger message,
but it begins with that wonderful word, “therefore”.
As all
expositors will tell you, when you see the word “Therefore” in the text you
need to ask the question, “What is it there for?”
Therefore serves as a logical and literary connection
to the previous section 6:19-24 (See my previous post “Don’t you Be Hound-dogging!”) and to all of this great sermon up to this point.
I love
D. A. Carson’s summary of the connection between this section on “do not be
anxious” and the previous one about serving only one master.
Because transient earthly treasures do not satisfy
and do not last (6:19-21),
Because moral and spiritual vision is easily
distorted and darkened (6:22-23),
Because a choice must be made between God and Money
(6:24),
Because the kingdom of God demands unswerving
allegiance to its values (6:19-24),
Therefore do not worry, and in particular do not
worry about mere things. (D.A. Carson, Sermon on the Mount, 87)
Do Not Be Anxious about your life…
What is it we value most? What captures our attention?
The previous paragraph warns us that we can only serve one master—so who will
it be?
In his teaching Jesus began to ask a number of rhetorical
questions that if not rhetorical might ironically produce some test anxiety!
But this teaching by asking questions was normal within the rabbinic tradition.
Let’s walk through his question-and-answer argument against anxiety.
Jesus
asks some “anxious questions”, not because he was worried, but because we tend
to be. These questions are quite philosophical, theological, and practical.
1) Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing? (v.25)
Jesus is teaching his
disciples that we are more than what we consume. We are not merely creatures of
consumption. Likewise, Our body is more than our appearance in the eyes of
others. If as Carson pointed out, we belong to the kingdom of heaven then we
must not allow worldly things to control or enslave our lives.
2) Are you not of more value than they? (v.26)
3) And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to
his span of life? (v.27)
The word translated “life” in
this verse can refer to the length of one’s life or to their physical height.
Carson translates it in light of both meanings like this, “Who of you by worrying can add to the pathway of his
life a single cubit?” (Carson, Sermon
on the Mount, 97).
4) And why are you
anxious about clothing? (v.28)
While
clothing was counted in your net worth in the time of Christ, it had been so
since at least the time of the conquest under Joshua when Achan stole the
Babylonian garment that resulted in the defeat at Ai (Joshua 7). Jesus is the true
source of our covering and our attractiveness. He covers our nakedness and
cleanses our impurities. Jesus uses the wildflowers of Israel as an example.
After a rain the valleys bloom quickly with color but soon they are burned by
the heat of the sun. So…
5) But if God so clothes the grass… will he not much more clothe
you?
Flowers are beautiful…but
only for a moment. This is a literary device arguing from the lesser to the
greater. Flowers are clothed in splendor beyond any way we might try to “array”
ourselves. But God will clothe us more gloriously if we will trust him to do
so. Is this not applied meekness? We like to look good in front of our peers,
but will we allow God to clothe us? It is appropriate that Jesus addresses this
passage to, “O you of little faith.” I think that means it is for us!
Two Conclusions:
Therefore…
Do
not be anxious in your attitude or your speech … [“for out of the
heart the mouth speaks” Luke 6:45] Do we sound like fearful people who are always
in a panic at the latest news, chattering rapid-fire, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What
shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ or are we people of peace—not because
of ideal circumstances but because of an ideal Lord? The beatitudes point us in
the direction of the kingdom of heaven and here Jesus gives two reasons why we
should be filled with peace rather than anxiety.
- The Gentiles seek these things. In other words, the people without knowledge that they have a heavenly Father chase around focused on these things. You are to be different.
- Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. And we can trust Him to take care of us. We are to work and be responsible to steward wisely our money and our lives, all the while trusting in a Heavenly Father who loves us and calls us to peace in the midst of an anxious world. We are people who are to be known for our hope.
Ultimately, the “therefore” gives us the key to living
free from anxiety. The key to avoiding anxiety is to put our first love first. (v.33)
But seek first the kingdom of God [present imperative= command,
unceasing quest]
and his righteousness, [committed to finding & doing God’s will]
and all these
things [material needs]
will be added to you.
Do
not be anxious about your outlook for tomorrow
Why? Tomorrow will be anxious for itself. You can only be
faithful in the moment. You only need to overcome the "right now". Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble (v.34). Hope for tomorrow, trust for today…
34 “Therefore
do not be anxious about
tomorrow,
for tomorrow
will be anxious for
itself.
Sufficient
for the day is its own trouble.
"Do we realize that we are more valuable than birds? The value is in the price that God in Christ was willing to pay for us. Do we live as though we believe what Jesus and the kingdom of heaven say about us?" This verse has always impacted me. We know we are more valuable than birds, yet at times we doubt God as though we are not valued by Him. God sees all of our needs, dreams, and hopes. He knows all about us. It is Satan's deception that we often doubt this and think he cares for birds more than us. Thanks for your teachings on this passage Greg!
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