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Bible Book: Matthew / Matteus
Chapter: 6
Verse: 24
Verse (to): 34
Text: Matthew 6:24-34
Does Jesus expect from his disciples to live a life without money (verse 24), food or clothes (verse 25)? For He Himself says in verse 32, “… and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Money, food and clothes are practical necessities.
Jesus’ conversation with his disciples in Matthew 6:24-34 is not in the first instance about much food or little food, about many or few clothes. What Jesus is weighing up against each other, is on the one hand our worries about our food and clothes and on the other hand our calling to search and serve the Kingdom of God.
Worrying about our food and clothes paralyses our enthusiasm for God’s Kingdom. Who serves mammon, cannot serve God.
To us whose basic needs for food, care and shelter may easily become an all-important obsession, Jesus is saying that our Father takes care of his people (verse 30). And He is calling us to be enthusiastic about his Kingdom. We can overcome our worries by directing our attention, our plans and our hearts towards a case that is larger than our personal needs: the kingdom of God.
Zeal for the Kingdom and its justice often brings us back to money and food and clothes – not our own, but those of others. If the King assures us that He knows that we “need them”, we as citizens of the Kingdom must surely also know and remember that those around us “need them”.
The way in which God’s care for people (his Kingdom) comes to life, very often is when his children are taking care of people in need. The story of the AIDS pandemic contains wonderful stories about God’s children who help and care. Those are true signs of the Kingdom of God!
But there are also stories about these things not happening…
What am I worried about today?
Author: (Unknown)
Language: English