The passage of the Bible that I come back to again and again is Matthew 6v25-34. Jesus is telling us not to be anxious. In order to do that he paints for us two pictures that are meant to be comical. Two pictures that are meant to make us think “That’s ridiculous!”.
He speaks of birds and asks us to picture them as farmers. Sowing and reaping and gathering their food into barns. And he asks us to consider the flowers of the field and to watch them as they sew and spin and the lovely dresses that make for themselves.
His point is that birds do not worry about storing up food and that flowers are not concerned about how they dress. Yet the birds are fed and even the greatest King in all his splendour was not dressed as well as simple wild flower. His point is that God is the one who feeds the birds and God is the one who clothes the lilies.
His point is that we are of more value to God than birds and than flowers. His point is that we need not be anxious as God is our Father in Heaven. We need not stress about food and clothing as our Father knows what we need and we are of great value to Him.
There is a lot of things that we can be anxious about in our every day life. Serious things that cause us grave concern. Yet 3 times in these 9 verses we are commanded to not be anxious. Is Jesus being really callous and insensitive here? Is he saying that any kind of anxiety is sinful? If not, what is he saying?
He does not mean have no consideration of these things and therefore be irresponsible. What Jesus has in view is a fixation on these things that ignores the Kingdom of God. A fixation that leaves no room for the sovereign goodness of God. We seek our security in them and become deeply anxious over them.
His point is that we need not worry as God is the great provider. The birds are fed and lilies are clothed with greater splendour than even Solomon himself. He is our Father in Heaven. The on enthroned in Heaven as the ability and the power and the sovereignty. Compare that to us? “Who of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” The point is that our worry and our stress it doesn’t actually help – it won’t make us live any longer. He is also our Father. He cares and is concerned for us, from the macro right down to the excruciating detail. He knows. He cares.
His point is that we should not worry about this life but be single minded in our focus on the Kingdom of God. It is the Kingdom of God that is our priority and that is what we are to seek first. Jesus here is telling us not to ‘hedge our bets’ and have some concern for and security in the matters of the here and now. Right before this, he has been telling us to store up treasure in Heaven and not here on earth. This passage follows on. Combined they tell us to put all of our eggs in the Kingdom of God basket. To secure our lives in God and His and Kingdom. And soon, he will tell us that to build our lives on this and on His words & promises is wise because they will never let us down, no matter what comes.
So, he says in v34, there will be trouble in this life. Each and every day. There will be things to cause us concern and anxiety, stress and fear. But we need not approach them as people who do not know God. We need not approach them as people for whom all our security in life is threatened by this trouble. We approach them as people who have a Father in Heaven. Who knows all our of our needs and is able to meet them. Not a promise that He will meet all the needs we think we have – He knows what they are. We approach them as people secure in Him for all eternity.
The flower wearing a dress is a comical image. The point is that the flower has gone to all that effort and stress when it is already clothed with more glory by God than the grandest of the Kings of old ever were. We are to be re-assured. We already have all the safety and security we would ever need in our Heavenly Father and His Kingdom. So when when I am anxious, I think of a flower wearing a dress and I am reminded that I am safe and secure. And that I always will be. I am reminded that serving the Kingdom of God is where my energies and heart are now free to be.
