Luke 12:26-30
Luke 12:26 (KJB)
If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for
the rest?
Then Jesus gives a statement that should cause much thought. If we are unable to
add one cubit to our stature or height, then why should we be anxious about the
other things in life which we are unable to control. Now this is not advocating
some type of Christian fatalism but it is meant to provide a basis for placing
our trust in God for all the necessities for this life. The word for “thought”
in the Greek text carries with it the idea of “be anxious.” It is the same word
used in verse 22 and 25. Jesus is trying to quell any anxiety that His followers
may have in this life wanting us to know that all is under His control. Anxiety
and faith cannot co-exist.
Luke 12:27 (KJB)
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say
unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Jesus now picks another example from the world of botany. He asks the question,
why would you be anxious for the clothing that you need? He points to the lilies
of the field, and states that they grow and they grow without toil. They don’t
spin either, that is, they do not make their own clothes. The lilies grow
according to the way God created them and in the environment He created for
them. In other words, the lilies grow without any effort on their part. God
brings the rain and the sunshine and the combination allows them to grow without
them doing one bit of work. In the same manner, God supplies our clothing as
well. He knows how He created us and the needs we have to sustain our lives and
He will not forsake us.
Then Jesus brings up King Solomon of which all the people would have been
familiar. They would have known about his wealth and his wives and his opulent
lifestyle. Yet, the possessions which Solomon had and all that surrounded him
could not amount to the beauty of one of the flowers. When you look at the White
House in Washington, D.C. and then see an Arizona sunset over the prairie, you
tell me which would offer more beauty and inspiration? God’s natural creation
always outshines the things created by man. What offers more beauty, a picture
of Lower Manhattan in New York City or the Grand Tetons in Wyoming? What God
creates, God can sustain without any problems.
Luke 12:28 (KJB)
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is
cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Jesus now takes the most common item being grass and states that God clothes the
grass of the field with the beauty of the color green and then soon after it is
cast into the oven when it is dry. In that area of the world, people used to use
dry grass and straw to fire up a furnace or a stove to cook with. So one day,
the grass is green and the next day it is dry, usable only for fire, and since
God allows this cycle to continue, would He not clothe His children. Then Jesus
makes it a question of faith because anxiety and anxiousness are totally opposed
to faith in God. One cannot claim to have faith in God while they are anxiously
toiling for the world’s goods, even the necessities of life. If one can have
faith that God can save you for eternity, don’t you think He could supply
clothes and food?
Luke 12:29 (KJB)
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of
doubtful mind.
Jesus continues on and states that since He has just given examples of how the
heavenly Father cares for His creation, it should teach us that we must never be
in a state of anxiety for food, drink, clothing, or for anything for that
matter. God’s creation is huge compared to our needs and if He can take care of
it, He can take care of us. When was the last time the sun did not rise on time?
When was the last time Springtime came late? God has everything under control
and as a result of that knowledge, it should quash any anxiety we have.
Luke 12:30 (KJB)
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father
knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Jesus gives two excellent reasons for rejecting any anxiety on our part. First
of all he states that the anxious of the world who concern themselves with as
much wealth gathering as they can are the godless unbelievers. They can only
believe in what they see. The true believer sees what they can believe.
Secondly, God the Father, because of His omniscience knows what each and every
individual believer needs. He knows we need water, food, clothing, and other
necessities of life and therefore will care for us as He has proven daily caring
for the other parts of creation.