Matthew 6:25-34 Do Not Worry (Luke 12:22-34)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”
No matter how insightful all of Jesus’ teachings have been up to this point, they have been merely prologue. Now Jesus is getting to the heart of things. Jesus is pointing to the birds flying overhead, to the grass and flowers on which his listeners might be sitting, and reminding them that God cares for birds and grass and flowers, so why won’t He also care much more for His children? No matter the problems Jesus is addressing during his teaching, the underlying theme is God’s love and care for His children. This message has been lost for hundreds of years. Repeatedly, God has sent prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah to plead and warn the Jews that God loves them and that they should do those things that please Him. But few people have listened.
For centuries, the psalms have been chanted in synagogues. Psalm 103:11-13 says, ”For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him.” But the love driving those words has been lost in the haze of religiosity.
Religious leaders have concentrated on developing ever-increasing numbers of regulations to be observed if one is to be truly faithful. God has been portrayed as a stern Taskmaster, ready to pounce on anyone committing the slightest infraction of these rules. Things have become so complicated that the poor and those who toil for a living lack time and resources to fulfill the demands of these laws. For many, attending synagogue is something they do out of habit but not because it gives them any joy. Another synagogue meeting, another reminder of how much these people are failing God. Worshiping God has become a weekly burden. Suddenly, Jesus is preaching a message of love and joy and portraying God as a loving Father rather than a forbidding deity ready to strike down those who flout religious regulations. Little wonder that the crowd is murmuring in excitement; their hearts have been longing for this message even though they haven’t realized it.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus knows those in his audience are worried about many things. Will the farming season be successful this year? Will the weather cooperate or will there be a drought along with hordes of insect pests infesting the area? Small-town merchants worry that the camel caravans won’t arrive, leaving them without anything to sell. Housewives always struggle to care for husbands, children, elderly parents, etc. And everybody worries about taxes. Now Jesus’ message is simple: leave the worries to God; He’s the only One who can really handle them. Worship God and desire His will and righteousness; these are the only things worth concern.
In February 1994, our area was convulsed by a small ethnic conflict. Our tiny clinic suddenly became the only source of medical care for roughly 100,000 people who had nowhere else to go. My husband and I were the only clinic workers who could safely travel out to buy medicine and medical supplies. Sometimes we brought back hand-cranked sewing machines and bread flour in addition to the drugs and consumables. Once when bread was unavailable in town, we brought back 22 packages of tea bread for the 22 workers in the clinic. We had to trust God for everything-fuel for the vehicle, funds to buy supplies for the hospital, and funds for our own support. Our village was under military occupation. Many mornings we awoke to the sound of gunfire and had to listen for screaming to determine if we were being attacked. As a surgeon, I had to learn how to do many procedures under local anesthetic or ketamine training nurses to give the ketamine. Throughout this ordeal, God faithfully provided for us, keeping us safe. To comfort ourselves, we repeated these verses from Matthew regularly.
Times change but worries don’t. If you are struggling, print these verses from Matthew out and post them where you can read them regularly and memorize them. The more you study them, the more you will find yourself concentrating on God instead of your problems.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You, that You can supply all our needs and that we are worth far more than the grass and birds on which You lavish Your genius of creation. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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