Luke 12:22-31
22He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 26If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you — you of little faith! 29And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
We had a time when your television was only able to project a single image onto your screen, first in black and white and then in color. Then the manufacturers invented a television which could have two split screens, so you could watch two shows simultaneously. Now, technology has evolved to the point where you can watch two shows on your television, while watching a show on your phone, tablet, and computer all simultaneously. I have heard of rabid sports watchers and rabid gamblers who do so, to monitor their fantasy football teams and/or their favorite soccer teams. But we have gone from the point of watching a single show to watching as many as you have devices to show them, and broadband internet to stream them.
In our text from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is teaching his disciples about having not a split television screen but having a split or divided focus, therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. The Greek word for worry in a quite literal sense means divided or split in attention and emotions; torn between focusing on God and focusing on our necessities. We split our attentions and devotions from God being the priority to worrying and becoming anxious about the lesser things: food, clothing, and shelter. Instead of focusing on God, we focus instead on the basic elements of existence, and we worry.
But Jesus reminds his disciples that life is both basic elements like food and clothing but also greater elements like faith and obedience unto God. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Most certainly, life requires the necessities, but also the greater possibilities. And if God tends to all the necessities of lesser creatures, (lesser only because they lack the Image of God), then how much more will God tend to the greater creatures. We have great value in the heart and will of God, how much greater will be the providence of God? We should not worry about the less important things, still important, but instead focus solely on the greater things.
But Jesus also reminds his disciples that worry doesn’t add anything to life, and can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? If we cannot do the small things, then neither can we do the large things. This doesn’t mean that we don’t do anything, but it means that as creatures we have limits, we simply cannot do what the Creator can do, nor should we try. We should not worry about the things that we have no power or control over. We should instead trust the one who does and do what we can do.
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you — you of little faith! These verses remind us that God does provide for all of creation, and as God’s covenant partners, how much more does God clothe and provide for us? Perhaps the problem is not the greatness of our God, but the smallness of our faith. We just have trust issues that God will keep his word and provide, and he can and wants to do. Instead, we focus our attentions and devotions like the split-screen on God and the basics. Instead of focusing on what God has already given, we instead stew over what we lack. And we worry instead of trust.
Perhaps the solutions for our worries and anxieties are the removal of the second split screen and focusing solely on God: strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” We don’t need to split our attention, energy, and devotion from some on God’s Kingdom and some on our daily things. Instead, we can focus and strive for God’s Kingdom and the daily things will be added also. Not the lesser but the greater. Not trying to do the impossible but focusing on our possibilities. Not having little faith in God and much in our own ability to scrounge or buy. Not splitting our screens but focusing everything that we have and everything that we are onto the Kingdom of God, and all that other stuff can come as it will, because God promised. Strive for the Kingdom “First,” and all the rest will come.
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