And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (12:22–34)

It is an amazing and ironic truth that while ours is perhaps the most affluent, indulged, and comfortable society ever, it is also the most stressed out, worried, and anxiety-ridden one. No worry goes unnamed, undefined, uncataloged, undiagnosed, or unmedicated; worries merely go unrelieved. It is frightening to believe one is trapped in an inexplicable universe; to be nothing more than the chance product of a blind, unguided, random, purposeless process of evolution that did not have man in mind. The thought that there is no one home in the universe results in a sense of cosmic alienation, loneliness, and angst. The anxiety that results takes many forms, to which humanistic psychology gives labels such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome, social anxiety disorder, general anxiety disorder, as well as specific phobias, such as fear of heights, enclosed places, mice, spiders, or snakes. Anxiety affects millions of people and treating it (usually by drugs) is a big business.

The best the world can hope for in superficially dealing with anxiety is to manage it and mask its impact. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, offers a radically different solution to anxiety—He promises to eliminate it. In this passage Jesus forbids worry concerning either the material world or the spiritual realm. In verse 22 He prohibited worry about the physical needs of life when He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.” In verse 32 He declared that those who believe in Him have nothing to fear in the spiritual realm either: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” The Lord also dealt with worry and anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:25, 28, 31, 34; cf. 10:19), indicating that this was a frequent theme of His teaching.

Worry stems from two things: ignorance and, especially, unbelief. Many Christians needlessly worry because they do not understand the depth of revelation on God’s gracious love and care. But there are others who understand God’s nature and promises, yet fall into worry anyway. To be needlessly ignorant is a sin, but to knowingly distrust God’s self-revelation in Scripture is an even greater sin.

In this passage the Lord Jesus Christ revealed six truths about God that if misunderstood or mistrusted result in worry: divine priority, provision, privilege, preference, paternity, and pleasure.

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PRIORITY

And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. (12:22–23)

The disciples, or learners, included the Twelve, others who had believed in Jesus, and those who were still undecided about Him (cf. v. 41). In this discourse (12:1–13:9) the Lord was teaching them about life in the kingdom of God. As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, Jesus was interrupted by a man who demanded that He order his brother to divide the family inheritance with him. Jesus refused, and then told a parable that illustrates the folly of greed (12:13–21). The phrase for this reason connects what Jesus was about to say with what He had just said. He had confronted His hearers with a choice. They could, like the foolish man in the parable, store up treasure on earth. Or they could be rich toward God and store up treasure in heaven (12:21; cf. Matt. 6:19–21). Jesus also expressed that truth in the Sermon on the Mount when He declared, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24).

The Lord’s teaching might have caused those listening to wonder how their earthly needs would be met if they stored up their treasure in heaven. Jesus reassured them that there was no need for worry about their lives, as to what they would eat; nor for their bodies, as to what they would put on. The present imperative form of the verb translated worry indicates that absence of worry is to continually characterize believers. They need not worry because their trustworthy and loving heavenly Father, the one who clothes the flowers and feeds the birds (vv. 24–28), will provide everything they need. Instead of worrying, they are to cast all their anxiety on Him, knowing that He cares for them (1 Peter 5:7; cf. Phil. 4:19). He may ask them to give up everything, as Jesus did the rich young ruler (Luke 18:22; cf. 9:57–62; Matt. 13:44–46), since those who would follow Christ must deny themselves (Luke 9:23; cf. 5:11, 28; 19:8; Matt. 19:27). But God will continue to sustain those who give Him their highest worship until His purpose for their lives is fulfilled.

Though ancient people, even those in first-century Israel, faced a daily challenge in merely obtaining enough food and clothing to survive (cf. 1 Tim. 6:8) life, Jesus told them, is more than food, and the body more than clothing. The priority for those in His kingdom is to glorify God by fulfilling the purpose for which He has called them.

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PROVISION

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! (12:24)

To illustrate His point that God will care for His people, Jesus urged His hearers to consider the ravens. As He did earlier in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:26), the Lord chose birds as an example of God’s care for His creatures. Christ’s hearers were very familiar with birds. In addition to its numerous native birds Israel, bounded on the east by barren desert and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, is a major fly-way for migratory birds. Hundreds of millions of birds seasonally pass through Israel each year.

Ravens were despised and unclean (Lev. 11:13–15), and are incapable of generating their own food supply, since they neither sow nor reap. Also, unlike humans and some animals (e.g., ants; cf. Prov. 6:6–8; 30:25), they do not store food for the long term, having neither storeroom nor barn. They survive solely because God has designed and made available the food they require to exist.

Scripture repeatedly speaks of God’s providential care for His creatures. Job 38:41 asks rhetorically, “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food?” The psalmist notes that all God’s creatures “wait for [Him] to give them their food in due season” (Ps. 104:27; cf. 145:15). Arguing from the lesser to the greater, Jesus then drove home His point. Because God’s children are much more valuable … than the birds, He will not fail to supply their needs until His purpose for their lives ends and He calls them to glory. “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger,” wrote David, “but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Ps. 34:10). Late in his life he added, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread” (Ps. 37:25; cf. Isa. 33:15–16). Those who disobey and forget God may temporarily be deprived of resources as a result of His chastening (cf. Hag. 1:1–11). Nor is God’s providential provision an excuse for laziness (Prov. 20:4; 24:30–34; 2 Thess. 3:10–12). But until their allotted lifespan is over (see the next point), the Lord will sustain those who are His. Thus the sheep of the Great Shepherd can say triumphantly with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PRIVILEGE

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? (12:25–26)

People have always been concerned about their health. That concern has in recent times mushroomed into a multibillion dollar industry of vitamins, food supplements, diet plans, health clubs, obsessive exercise, and medicines. It is certainly good to be disciplined and moderate in eating and to otherwise take care of one’s physical body. Doing so can aid the health that may enable one to make the most of God’s purpose for their life. But many—including some Christians—go beyond that reasonable concern and are obsessed with physical well-being. Paul, however, while acknowledging the benefits of bodily discipline (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25–27) emphasized the greater benefit of spiritual discipline, which leads to godliness (1 Tim. 4:7–8).

All of that worry is foolish and useless. Not only does it take believers’ focus off God’s priority in their lives, and deny His providential care, worry also ignores His privilege of sovereignly determining their lifespan. Jesus’ rhetorical question, Which of you by worrying can add a single hour (lit., “cubit”; used here metaphorically as in Matt. 6:27 to refer to the length of one’s life) to his life’s span? emphasizes that no amount of anxiety can add to one’s lifetime nor the lifespan that God has determined. Worry is destructive to health and well-being. Since people cannot do even the very little thing of adding even one hour to their lives, Jesus asked, why should they worry about other related matters such as food and clothing? Their heavenly Father will sustain the lives of those who obey His Word until the end of their God-determined time. On the other hand sin may shorten that time from what it might have been (cf. 1 Cor. 11:29–30; 1 John 5:16).

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PREFERENCE

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. (12:27–29)

According to evolutionary mythology, humans are nothing more than highly evolved animals. It is true that people share a common bond with plants and animals, since all were created by God. Only humans, however, were created in His image and have the capacity to love, serve, and worship Him. In this section of His discourse, our Lord turned from the issue of food to that of clothing. Having illustrated the former with God’s care for birds, Jesus used plants to illustrate His provision of clothing. He revealed God’s compassionate preference for those made in His image—especially His children—arguing in a typical Jewish way from the lesser to the greater.

Lilies is a generic term for flowering plants, not a reference to a specific species. They neither toil nor spin to make their own clothes, but freely and effortlessly grow within the order of earth’s life. Their delicate beauty, however, is unsurpassed by any man-made garment. Not even Solomon, the most lavishly dressed man in Israel’s history, in all his glory clothed himself like one of these ephemeral flowers. Yet they serve no spiritual purpose other than testifying that God is a God of beauty, goodness, order, design, and variety.

The point of the Lord’s illustration is that God prefers His people over the birds and plants that He cares for (cf. v. 24). Jesus asked rhetorically, If God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? The question reflects the common use of dried grass to fuel the clay ovens used for cooking. If God so majestically clothes the perishable grass that is alive one day and thrown into the fire the next, He will certainly clothe His children. Therefore to be consumed with fear, doubt, and worry is to be guilty of having little faith—a common rebuke by our Lord (cf. 8:25; Matt. 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20). Lack of faith expresses a lack of trust in God’s knowledge of His children’s needs, wisdom to know how to meet them, desire to meet them, or power to meet them. Such a weak view of the Creator and Provider dishonors God, produces worry, and restricts the flow of God’s blessings (James 1:6–8). Therefore the Lord commanded His disciples, Do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. The pursuit of food and clothing can never be the preoccupation of their lives, so that they live as if diminishing the glory of God.

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PATERNITY

For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. (12:30–31)

Here for the first time in this discourse Jesus spoke of God as the Father of believers. The fatherhood of God is encouraging, for it guarantees that He will supply all their needs (Phil. 4:19)—the very things (e.g., what to eat, drink, and wear) the nations of the world eagerly seek. Epizēteō (eagerly seek) is a strengthened form of the verb zēteō and means “to search intensely for,” “to seek diligently,” or “to strongly desire.” Those outside of God’s kingdom have no claim on Him—no promises, pledges, or guarantees. The only good in their lives comes from common grace. Their father, Satan (John 8:44), makes no promises and provides no benefits. Being dead to spiritual things (Eph. 2:1), “having no hope and without God in the world” (v. 12), and being “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them” (4:18), the unregenerate focus on material things. They even create false gods in a vain attempt to help them in their quest, but those gods are only a reflection of evil men and demons—wicked, devious, selfish, violent, untrustworthy, indifferent, capricious, and merciless. Far from expecting help from such gods, the best people can hope for is to placate them.

In striking contrast to the lifeless gods of the pagans, our heavenly Father knows that we need these material things that the unregenerate so desperately seek. Not only does He know, He also sympathizes, and has unlimited resources and power to meet every need of His children. Understanding God’s fatherhood removes any legitimate cause for worry, fear, or anxiety.

Paradoxically, believers do not receive the things they need by directly pursuing them. Instead they come indirectly; when they seek God’s kingdom … these things will be added to them. Simply stated, our focus is not to be on food, clothes, money, houses, cars, or other material possessions, but rather on worshiping, serving, and proclaiming Christ, living obediently to the Word, and pursuing truth, holiness, and love. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,” Paul exhorted the Colossians, “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1–2).

The consuming interest of the believer’s life is the kingdom of God, the sphere of salvation where God rules as King and Lord. Everything is to be done for the honor and advance of the lordship of Christ. The Christian life begins with the repentance, self-denial, humility, mourning over sin, and hunger and thirst for righteousness that accompany saving faith, and results in a life of worship, service, and obedience. Those who set their souls to seek the kingdom glories, Jesus promised, will find that God will meet their earthly needs.

The truth that God takes care of His people was well-known to the Jewish people, having been clearly taught in the Old Testament. In Psalm 34 David exulted,

Evildoers “will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb” (Ps. 37:2). But on the other hand, God promises to provide for all His peoples’ needs:

Isaiah also records God’s promise to care for His people:

God will abundantly provide for those who belong to Him, are faithful to Him, and seek His kingdom above all else (Matt. 6:33).

WORRY FAILS TO UNDERSTAND DIVINE PLEASURE

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (12:32–34)

This promise of giving His own the kingdom is the highpoint of our Lord’s teaching on this occasion. The Bible reveals that God was pleased to offer His Son as a sacrifice for sin (Isa. 53:10) and Jesus, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). For that reason, God also takes pleasure in His people, those whom Christ redeemed through His death and dwells within. Therefore there is no need for the redeemed, affectionately addressed here as the little flock, to be worried or fearful, for their Father has chosen gladly, not reluctantly, to give them the kingdom. Eudokeō (gladly) means “to delight in,” or “to take pleasure in.” It is God’s good pleasure to grant the kingdom in all its fullness to His children. All of its riches of righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17) are theirs as “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17), with whom He will “freely give [them] all things” (v. 32; cf. Matt. 25:21, 23, 34; Luke 22:29; 2 Cor. 9:8; Eph. 1:3–14; James 2:5; 2 Peter 1:3–4). Here is yet another reason that worry is foolish and unnecessary for believers. Since God has freely given them all the glorious riches of His kingdom, how much more willingly will He give them what they need to serve Him in that kingdom?

Knowing that some in His audience were not yet in the salvation kingdom, however, the Lord closed His discourse with an invitation to enter it. But His command, Sell your possessions and give to charity, must have shocked and puzzled many in the crowd, as did the one that followed: Make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. Those radical statements seem contrary to the gospel, as if salvation is earned by good deeds. But they merely reiterate a principle Jesus repeatedly emphasized. In the Sermon on the Mount He had made a similar statement:

What He said here is exactly what He said to the rich young ruler when He challenged him, “Go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21). Earlier in Luke’s gospel Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23; cf. 14:27), while in Luke 14:33 He declared, “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”

Jesus’ concluding statement, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, interprets and clarifies His meaning. Salvation comes only from embracing Jesus the Messiah by grace through faith (John 1:12; 3:16; 3:36; 5:24; cf. Eph. 2:8–9). Salvation is for the desperate, the humble, who mourn over their sin and hunger and thirst for righteousness. But how a person views money and possessions is a measure of the genuineness of repentance and faith. Anything that vies for a person’s allegiance to Christ is a roadblock to salvation. As Jesus succinctly put it, “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13). Those who would enter the kingdom of God must submit unreservedly to the rule of the King. They store up their treasure securely in heaven, rather than on earth, understanding that, as the missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” (Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty [New York: Harper & Row, 1979], 247).