Matthew 6: 25-35
“I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?
Can worry make you live longer? Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them. God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. God will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?
Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are constantly worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.”
Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.”
Repeated thoughts introduce worry into our minds, and our reactions to these worrying thoughts create different emotions.
The essence of Jesus’s words is that worry is driven by fear of the unknown and our lack of control over future events. So, one could say that we are fearful or afraid of what terrible events could lie ahead of us.
What is Jesus’ solution to our needless worry and fear?
Jesus reminds us that only people who don’t know God have a reason to worry; if we know God, we have no reason to worry.
In principle, Jesus is saying if God takes care of the birds of the air and flowers of the field, even if their lifespan is much shorter than ours, how much more will God meet our needs? After all, we are the masterpieces of God’s creation, so how much more would God place us first over all the others in terms of creation? If you are uncertain about this statement, consider that our human lifespan is far longer than that of other living creatures.
You say, ‘I know God, but I can’t help worrying.’ I say. ‘You are not alone – it’s a big club, and I’m still a member!’
Back to Jesus. Jesus finishes his discourse by saying: “But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” A means of solution coupled with a promise. Isn’t that magnificent?
Back to the ‘rubber on the road.’ But before I get into the nitty-gritty, let me state something:
There is a worldly statement that says, “Some people are so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good.” Whether you or I accept this statement is irrelevant because the following words of Jesus confirm it:
“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”[1]
We all know these words, but we may not realize that both the priest and the Levite represented the religious people of the day. But their hearts were so caught up in practicing their religion to the letter of the law that they had no space for the heart of God.
Yet the Samaritan displayed the heart of God, and Jesus said:
“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”[2]
The rubber on the road is this: Jesus said His solution was:
- “…And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”[3]
- “…But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants.
But this is not all. Part Two will explain how Jesus’s solution (1&2) is carried out.