For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
– Matthew 6:25-34
I must admit, this passage has been a source of tension for me. The reason is because it does not resonate with the values handed down to me by my parents and other responsible adults in my life. If you were taught to “plan for tomorrow,” this passage oozes with contradiction. The advice offered creates images of a happy-go-lucky Jesus content to live day to day without a care in the world. For most of you, that isn’t the way you were taught to live, and I’m guessing that over the years the value of future planning has proven itself to be beneficial.
Am I on target so far?
It is obvious by the way this passage begins that Jesus is continuing a thought already in motion. As mentioned in the previous post on Matthew 6:19-24 (Treasures and Masters), Jesus spoke to an audience that included both wealthy and poor people. While people in such an audience share many things in common, they come from very different places when it comes to the matter of wealth and daily needs. When Jesus says, “don’t worry about tomorrow,” we can imagine a person of significant wealth taking his advice without a second thought. Laying aside worry about tomorrow should be pretty easy when one’s tomorrow is covered by a storehouse of goods. But when Jesus says “don’t worry about tomorrow” to a person who has next to nothing, the response might be something like, “That’s easy for you to say, bud. I have no idea where my meal for tomorrow will come from.” We must remember, some of the people listening to Jesus at the time were in exactly such conditions. Yet whether wealthy, poor, or anywhere in between, there is something that all demographics of people experience.
In our modern society there are several things you can find in abundance. One of those is anxiety. Granted, there are many factors contributing to an anxious society. Since Jesus is focused on what we might call “essential needs,” I will focus on those. Out of curiosity I did some quick data research (emphasis on “quick”) on how the United States compares to the rest of the world on two factors: food security and reported anxiety. As you might expect, the U.S. ranks among the regions of the world with better food security. We are by no means the highest, but still on the higher end of the spectrum. It also may be no surprise to find that the U.S. ranks among the regions of the world with higher reported anxiety. Intuition might lead us to conclude that people with a sense of security regarding their basic needs of life would experience low levels of anxiety. Apparently this is not the case. While they may be worried about a number of things other than essential needs, we can at least conclude that storehouses of food and clothing are not a shield against anxiety.
While Jesus’ teaching in this passage may seem like simple encouragement meant to lessen stress, I believe there is something deeper being offered. He begins by saying “do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.” Can you think of a time in human history when a man and woman (hint hint) had no worry about such things? Hopefully your mind goes back to Eden. When in perfect fellowship with God, Adam and Eve were not afflicted with worry about essential needs. They could focus on God and not be concerned about whether there would be food the next day. In fact, this is the meaning we usually miss when the Genesis text describes their fall from fellowship. “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil (or sorrow) you will eat of it” (Genesis 3:17). “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread…” (Genesis 3:19). We usually think of the phrase “by the sweat of your face” meaning what happens while working in the Texas summer sun, but the message to Adam here emphasizes anxiety. No longer will you work the garden with confidence; now your work will be marked by worry. So when Jesus teaches not to worry, he is doing more than attempting to lessen our stress. He is inviting us into the movement of God’s redemptive work.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus is inviting us into a relationship where our focus is solely on God, one founded on trust in the Creator, where anxiety has no soil in which to grow. I would go so far as to suggest that such a trusting relationship with God through Christ can alleviate not only our stress and worry about life’s essentials, but all things that are producing enormous levels of stress, fear and anger in our society. And before you accuse me of utopian thinking, let me assure you that I am not suggesting this happens in our current world. Finding our rest in Jesus doesn’t mean that suddenly Fox News and CNN will have no dirty laundry to report. It means that we know a Savior who is making all things new—taking us back to Eden. And regardless of when it happens, how long it takes, and the circumstances that get us there, we are safely in his hands. Isn’t that what matters most?
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 