Luke 12:22-32

Luke 12:22-32
22 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. 23 “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 “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! 25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 “If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 “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. 28 “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! 29 “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Worry, like greed is another sin that sprouts naturally in our fallen hearts.  We all have a desire for self-preservation.  We care very deeply about both the quality and the quantity of our lives.  This care can easily turn into anxiety when circumstances seem to threaten our life or our comfort.  Jesus wants to replace His follower’s fear with faith.  Gratitude and faith must be cultivated in our hearts as means of combating greed and worry.  This passage is very similar to the teaching of Christ on the sermon on the mount.  The wording is a little different and the context is different.  This is another incidence in which Jesus taught the same truths at different times in different ways.  This is not a case of different authors recording the same event in different ways.  It is different authors recording different events in which Jesus taught similar truths.

INSTRUCTION ABOUT PROHIBITING ANXIETY:  Jesus has just finished speaking about the dangers of greed and pride over possessions.  In some ways He continues the same subject by instructing His hearers not to be anxious over their possessions.  Jesus simply states that we are not to worry about the basic provisions of life such as eating, drinking and the clothes we wear.  These are the basic necessities of life without which we will be unable to survive.  Jesus is not minimizing the importance of these things; by mentioning them He is actually doing just the opposite.  He is saying these things are so important that we should trust God to take care of them instead of worrying about them ourselves.  God has given us great purpose in life, which is to serve Him, worship Him and represent His kingdom on earth.  These things should be the focus of our efforts.  It is hard not to worry about the basic needs of our bodies, but God calls us to leave that worry behind and trust Him.

ILLUSTRATIONS ABOUT PREVENTING ANXIETY: Besides instructing His disciples not to be anxious, Jesus gives three illustrations that should prevent worry in our lives.  The first is an illustration about ravens or birds in general.  The birds have no ability to work in order to multiply their food supply.  It is not that birds are lazy, they must fly around in search of food, make nests and carry their food to their offspring.  They can work very hard, but they don’t have the ability to plant seeds or farm worms.  They are dependent on the Lord to make provision for their food.  The second is about human longevity.  We are not able to increase our life span by worrying.  One of our greatest fears is death, but death is inevitable.  If we exercise and eat good foods, we might be able to extend our lifespan in some way, but worry will never do this.  Worry is an exercise in futility and has a much better chance of reducing our lives than extending them.  The final illustration is the lilies that are dressed so beautifully, but they don’s make or purchase their clothing.  God dresses them so beautifully.  They have a very short life that is, by comparison with our lives insignificant, yet God lavishes beauty on them.  Jesus wants us to understand that we can trust God because He is more than capable of providing all our needs and has demonstrated His ability and His care for all His creatures.

INFORMATION ABOUT PRACTICING ANXIETY: God’s perspective on things is much different than our perspective.  We see worrying about our food and clothing as just a natural way to live.  God sees it as a lack of faith.  The truth is that it is very common for men to be anxious about their physical well-being, in fact the majority of people do just that.  However, the majority is not always right.  Jesus does not call us into a relationship with the Father so we can remain just like everyone else.  The nations of the world worry about food and clothing, but God calls us to be a light amongst the nations; not be just like the nations.  The conclusion of the matter is that God know all about our needs.  He created us to require food to sustain our bodies.  Eating is a pleasure God created us with the ability, even the necessity, to enjoy.  He takes great delight in meeting those needs.  He expects us to trust in His goodness and rest in His care.  When we trust God, our natural response will be to promote the kingdom of God.  Our primary concern in life should be considering how we can best promote the kingdom of God.  There is no need to fear that we will be abandoned or neglected when we stop focusing on ourselves and start focusing on Him.  We may suffer during this life because this world is a hash and sinful place.  But the God who delights in loving us and loves to see our delight takes great joy in giving us the eternal kingdom.  We have a glorious and delightful future.  If we are trusting God for a future kingdom, we can easily trust Him on this present earth.


APPLICATION: Confess worry and anxiety as sin and stop doubting Gods desire or ability to care for our basic needs.  Observe God’s faithful provision in nature and recognize the futility of worry.  Trust and rest in the provision of God because that is how believers live. Make the kingdom of God and how we can promote it effectively on earth the priority of our thoughts and efforts.

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