“Be not anxious”
Covetousness. The Rich Fool. Be not anxious.
(The Gospel History, Section 99)
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto his stature? If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. Howbeit seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Commentary by J. R. Dummelow
Lk 12:22–34. Against anxiety about wealth and worldly things. Almost the whole of this section occurs in St. Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. The present context, however, is very suitable, and is perhaps correct.
Lk 12:22–31 > Mt 6:25–34. The Christian’s freedom from care and anxiety The worldly man is oppressed with care. He is always in fear that his deep-laid plans for the future will miscarry, that some object that he loves will be torn from his grasp, that his wealth will vanish, or that his health will fail so that he can enjoy life no longer. The actual failure of his earthly prospects makes him the most miserable of men, for those prospects were his all, and however little he may confess it to himself, he in truth loves nothing else. He seemed, perhaps, to be serving God much, and mammon a little, but he was in reality serving mammon with undivided devotion.
The Christian also pays attention to worldly things. He is diligent in his trade or profession. He makes all reasonable provision for the future. Often he prospers in business just because he is a Christian, and does honest work where a less scrupulous man would not. But his heart is not set on these things, nor is he anxious about them. He does his best, and leaves the issue to God: cp. Ps 37:25. Observe that the promise of sufficient maintenance is made not to the idle, the improvident, and the vicious, but to the righteous, who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33). Those who do this can never be idle or improvident: cp. 1 Tim 5:8.
Lk 12:22 > Mt 6:25. Take no thought] RV ‘be not anxious’: cp. 1 Pet 5:7. 26. They sow not] God provides for the birds without labour on their part, because labour is not natural to birds. But labour is natural to men, therefore God provides for men by blessing their labour. There is a close rabbinical parallel to this saying: ‘Have you ever seen beast or fowl that had a workshop? and yet they are fed without trouble of mind.’
Lk 12:25 > Mt 6:27. By taking thought] RV ‘by being anxious.’ One cubit unto his stature] Since no one would literally desire to have a cubit (a foot and a half) added to his stature, and the word translated ‘stature’ generally means ‘age’ (see RM), it is better to translate, ‘Which of you . . can add one span to his age?’
Lk 12:26 > Mt 6:28. Take ye thought] RV ‘are ye anxious.’
Lk 12:28 > Mt 6:30. Into the oven] Dried grass is used in the East for heating the baking ovens, which are holes in the ground rather more than 3 ft. deep and 2½ ft. wide, shaped like a jar. The walls are cemented to resist the action of fire. Grass is burnt in the ovens, until they are thoroughly hot. Then dough rolled out into thin sheets is spread on the sides of the oven, where it is baked in a few minutes, and is taken out in the form of wafer-cakes.
Lk 12:29. Neither be ye of doubtful mind] or, ‘neither be ye high-minded.’
Lk 12:32. Fear not, little flock] A beautiful and tender saying peculiar to Lk, intended to encourage the disciples who would be for so long in so hopeless a minority. The sense is, ‘If God is willing to give you the kingdom, much more will He give you food and raiment, therefore you need not be afraid (v. 33) to sell that ye have and give alms.’
Lk 12:33. Sell that ye have, etc.] Christ addresses not all the disciples, but those who, like the apostles, had received a call to leave all, and devote themselves to the work of the ministry.
Lk 12:33 > Mt 19:21. If thou wilt (RV ‘wouldest’) be perfect] Jesus, who knew what is in man, knew that love of wealth was this man’s besetting sin. He therefore urged him to abandon it, according to the precept, ‘If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.’ Jesus was dealing with a case of covetousness, and, therefore, prescribed a proper remedy for covetousness, without recommending its general and indiscriminate adoption. Treasure in heaven] see on 6:1–20.
Bags (RV ‘purses’) which wax not old] The purses which will keep your money safely are not your own, but those of the poor on whom you bestow your charity. Placed in those purses, your earthly treasure will become ‘treasure in the heavens that faileth not.’
Lk 12:34 > Mt 6:21. For where your treasure is, etc.] The heavenly treasure is the approval of our heavenly Father, which is represented as wealth stored up in heaven, ready to be enjoyed hereafter. The earthly treasure is not only wealth (though that is its most striking exemplification), but everything lower than God Himself on which men set their hearts,—honour, fame, pleasure, ease, power, excitement, luxury, animal enjoyment.
“Be not anxious”
(The Saviour of the World, Vol VI Book IV Poem XLVIII
Fret not for feeble days
Nor any care of life,—
For doubtings and delays,
For failure, loss or strife.
The life is more than meat,
The body, than its dress;
Why fret for that ye eat,
Why let your garb distress?
The ravens neither sow
Nor gather any store;
God feeds the famished crow,
Are ye not then much more?
Your fretting brings no gains;
Ye may not grow a foot
For night-long anxious pains;
To what doth fretting boot?
If such a little thing
As growing in a night
For your accomplishing
Forbidden is outright,
Why vex you for the rest,
Nor quiet troubled heart,—
“My Father knoweth best;
He setteth all my part.”
How do the lilies grow
In beauty all arrayed,
Not Solomon could shew
Himself so fair displayed!
If God thus decorate
The grass, so soon to die,
His care, will He abate
His child to beautify?
Let Gentiles cry for food,
For vesture of delight:
Yours is the higher good,
More fair shall ye be dight;
Doth God not know your need?
These things He gives to all;
The Kingdom is your meed
Who on the Father call:
Go, sell your little wealth,
Give what ye have away;
And none shall take by stealth
That good ye choose to-day!
St. Luke xii. 22–34.
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