Luke
12:22–34 What
we will study tonight in No Worries…01. Examples From Creation (Luke 12:22-28); 02. The Anxious Heathen (Luke 12:29-32); and 03. Treasure in Heaven (Luke 12:33-34),
where we will see Jesus connecting the Kingdom of God with the proper attitude
toward possessions.
01. Examples From Creation (Luke 12:22-28)
Luke
12:22 “Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore” Jesus now goes from addressing the crowd in Luke 12:13-21,
to now turning His attention back onto His disciples, and giving them an
explanation about His parable on The Greedy Rich Fool “Because life does not depend on riches.”[1] (Luke 12:15) Possessions can be a
distraction for the disciple of Jesus, especially in the world that we live in
today. We are bombarded by ads and peer pressure giving the impression that if
we don’t have the newest and greatest, than others will look down on us. People
in the world like to show off their wealth by the cars that they drive, the
house that they live in and the clothes that they wear. Matthew the tax collector
records for us in his Gospel these words of Jesus in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 6:19-21
and Matthew 6:25–34),
except for what Dr. Luke records in Luke 12:32-33.
Luke
12:22 “I say to
you” Here again (cf. Luke 12:4) Jesus
speaks with authority as the Word of God in flesh (John 1:14).
Luke
12:22-23 “do
not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will
put on. Life is more than food, and the
body is more than clothing.”
Here we see the first of 10
commands found in this section (Luke 12:22-“do not worry”; Luke 12:24-“Consider”; Luke 12:27-“Consider”; Luke 12:29-“do not seek”; Luke 12:29-“nor have”; Luke 12:31-“seek”; Luke 12:32-“Do not fear”; Luke 12:33-“Sell”; Luke 12:33-“give”; Luke 12:33-“provide”).
The Greek word for worry here is (G3309 μεριμνάω mĕrimnaō) to be anxious about,[2]
to be apprehensive, have anxiety, to be (unduly) concerned.[3] Biblical
Greek scholar A.T. Robinson in his book Word
Pictures in the New Testament (Matthew 6:25) says that “do not worry” is
written in the present imperative with the negative,
a command not to have the habit of petulant worry about food and clothing...The
command can mean that they must stop such worry if already indulging in it.[4]
He also writes that the Greek verb that is used for worry here (G3309 μεριμνάω mĕrimnaō) is from (G3313 μέρος mĕrŏs) which means to distract or divide[5]...because
care or anxiety distracts and divides. It occurs in Christ’s rebuke to Martha
for her excessive solicitude about something to eat (Luke 10:41).[6] Solomon wrote “Anxiety in the heart of man
causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25) We saw this same
word for worry in Luke 12:11 when
Jesus said “Now
when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not
worry (G3309 μεριμνάω mĕrimnaō)
about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.” Paul writing to the church at Philippi under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit said to “Be anxious (G3309 μεριμνάω mĕrimnaō) for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
to God;” (Philippians 4:6) Matthew records for us words that Jesus spoke before this
section in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve
two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he
will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.” The Greek word for serve in Matthew 6:24 is (G1398 δουλεύω dŏulĕuō) and it means to be a
slave.[7] [8] Slavery was common during the time of Jesus, so when Jesus
makes this statement, all there knew what He was talking about, for they all
knew that a slave was the property of the owner, for his master had complete
authority over him in all things. If you are a slave of God (doúlos
theoú),
you are serving Him; we should not worry because He bears all responsibility to
take care of us. So in that light, we “do not have to worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the
body, what you will put on.” (Luke 12:22) because as a master cares for his
slaves, how much more does our Heavenly Father care for us? Now this does not mean that we are not to be responsible to
work etc., for Paul addresses this issue in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” In Genesis 2, we are told that God put man in the
Garden of Eden, in a perfect environment before sin had entered the world, and
He told Him to “to
tend (in Hebrew it can mean to
cultivate, to work, or to serve, H5647 עָבַד ʿâbad, aw-bad´[9]) and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) Then
after the sin of the man, God cast out Adam and Eve from the perfect
environment of the Garden and said that their work now was going to be difficult,
dealing with thorns and thistles and it will be hard sweaty work (Genesis 3:17–19). The point is not that we don’t work for that would be irresponsible;
for God has had man working since before sin (Genesis 2:15), but
instead that we are not to worry in our work! When Jesus says, “do not worry about your life, what
you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food,
and the body is more than clothing.” (Luke 12:22-23) He is
saying that because God has given us life, can He not take care of the lesser things,
such as food and clothing? So
worry is a lack of faith in the provision of our Heavenly Father, for He has
given us our life, we are slaves of God (doúleuein
theoú),
and He is our master who can and will take care of us. Paul writes in Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” In
view of this supreme act of God’s grace, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Since God gave the greatest Sacrifice of all, His own Son, He
will certainly not hesitate to give believers all other things pertaining to
and leading to their ultimate sanctification (cf. 2 Peter 1:3).[10]
Here we see Jesus instructing His disciples and making the connection
with the previous parable of The Greedy Rich Fool that worrying is foolish because Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing
(Luke 12:23)
and because of that we are to “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not
consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15)
Luke
12:24 “Consider the ravens, for they
neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds
them.” (The
2nd Command) The land of Israel is the intersection of three
continents, and because of this, it has one of the largest bird migrations in
the world. Each year, one billion birds soar above this tiny stretch of ancient
land, where Africa, Europe and Asia meet. Second only to Panama, this
geographical intersection is one of the world’s largest bird migration paths,
with more than 540 species traversing the airspace each autumn and spring. Dr
Yossi Lesham, director of Israel’s International Centre for the Study of Bird
Migration, explained that per square mile, the country has one of the highest
concentrations of bird traffic in the world. “In one morning, we can see maybe
10,000 eagles. Just in one morning,” he said.[11]
[12]
Jesus now gives an example from the lesser to the greater, using the ravens that
are scavenger birds. Jesus is saying to His disciples to Consider, or in the Greek, “to
immerse oneself in, to study intently”[13]
the ravens who don’t
worry because Life is more than food, and the body is more than
clothing (Luke
12:23). God feeds the ravens, and because the disciples are “of more value than many sparrows.”
(Luke 12:7),
how much more will He take care of us! Birds are
continuously active, they are up early in the morning, gathering food, building
nests, taking care of their young, But have you ever seen a bird flying around
anxious like, worried that because they don’t make enough money that they can’t
afford the next mortgage payment on their nest? Or because
they don’t have a job, how will they afford to feed their growing family?
Jesus says, “Of how much more value are you
than the birds?” (Luke 12:24) For “not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will.” (Matthew 10:29) and as David said
in Psalm 104:27–30
that God takes care of all of the animals (cf. Psalm 145:15–16; Psalm 147:9). These birds are constantly at work, but they do not worry, but
instead they trust that their Creator will provide for them what they need each
day (cf. Matthew 6:11;
Luke 11:3), yet Jesus says that we are more valuable than the birds (Luke 12:24)! This is why Jesus says to Consider, or in the Greek, “to
immerse oneself in, to study intently”[14]
the ravens.
Luke
12:25 Jesus now brings up the foolishness of worry
because it cannot change the situation.[15] A cubit is a unit of measurement, usually measured
from the elbow of a man to the tip of his fingers, which is usually about 18
inches.
Luke
12:25 “to his stature”
(ἐπι την ἡλικιαν αὐτου [epi tēn hēlikian autou])
here in the Greek can refer to either height
(stature) or length of life (age).[16] This is where many Bible
scholars differ, for you will have some (i.e. A.T. Robertson) who claim that “probably
“stature” suits the context best.” [17] An
argument for that could be that Jesus used the
cubit, a unit of about 18” in reference to the increase of the height in crops
of The Greedy Rich Fool’s crops
in Luke 12:16-17.
On
the other hand, there are others (i.e. Mounce, Plummer) who argue that this is
in reference to adding to your length of life. Those who say that stature here is in
reference to length of life, because it was prolongation
of life that the anxiety of the rich fool failed to secure. Not many people
give anxious, thought to the problem of adding to their stature; and the
addition of a πῆχυς
(the length of the forearm) would be monstrous…Many persons do give anxious
thought to the prolongation of their allotted age, and that by any amount,
great or small.[18]
Luke
12:26 Either way, we cannot add any more height to ourselves, or
extend our lives a minute longer, for only God knows the length of our days
(cf. Psalm
39:4–7; James
4:13–17).
Luke
12:27 (The
3rd Command) Depending
on which commentary you read, you will find a wide range of opinions on what
exact flower Jesus was talking about here when He said, “Consider the lilies”. Dr. Thomson, “The Land
and the Book,” believes the Hula lily to be meant: “it is very large, and the three inner petals meet above, and form a
gorgeous canopy, such as art never approached, and king never sat under, even
in his utmost glory. And when I met this incomparable flower, in all its
loveliness, among the oak woods around the northern base of Tabor, and on the
hills of Nazareth, where our Lord spent His youth, I felt assured that it was
this to which He referred.”[19] According to The
Trees, Plants, and Flowers of the Holy Land, the anemone has
traditionally been identified with Jesus’ “lilies of the field”: Green hills adorned with thousands of crown
anemones announce spring’s arrival. The flower blooms from December to April.
Although blue, white, purple, and pink anemones exist, red is by far the most
common. The anemone typically has six petals which close in the evening and
reopen with the morning light. Traditionally, these are the lilies of field to
which Jesus compares Solomon in all his glory (Matthew 6:28, Luke 12:27). So these wild flowers,
whatever they might be, bloom for the day and by the next day they are dead. So Jesus says that
these flowers who only live for a day surpassed the glory of Solomon, who “surpassed all the kings of the
earth in riches and wisdom.” (1 Kings 10:23; 2 Chronicles 9:13–22)
Luke
12:28 “If then
God so clothes the grass with
the beautiful flowers,
which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,” Because wood was scarce
in Israel, oftentimes grass would be used in its place to fire the ovens.
Luke
12:28 “how much
more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?” Jesus
is pointing out how beautiful creation is, so much more so than the richest
king! This is why Jesus says to Consider
(Luke 12:27),
or in the Greek, “to
immerse oneself in, to study intently”[20]
the lilies. So
how can we be of little
faith that we do not need to be submitted to fear and anxiety, for we
are “of more value” (Luke 12:7). Jesus shows a great juxtaposition between The Greedy Rich Fool, whose purpose
was to make life easy for himself and live in luxury (Luke 22:13-21), while the birds of
the air are fed abundantly by God and He dresses the flowers of the field like
royalty! Remember, our Heavenly Father “cares for you”
which is why you can cast “all
your care upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7).
02. The Anxious Heathen (Luke 12:29-32)
Luke 12:29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should
drink,” (The 4th Command) Here again we see Jesus
alluding to The Greedy Rich Fool, whose purpose
was to make life easy for him and live in luxury (Luke 22:13-21).
Luke
12:29 “nor have
an anxious mind.” (The 5th Command) (και μη μετεωριζεσθε [kai mē meteōrizesthe]). Μη [Mē] and present passive imperative (stop
being anxious) of μετεωριζω [meteōrizō]...to be tossed like a ship at
sea, to be anxious, to be in doubt...[21] to have an unsettled
mind; put off your balance.[22]
Luke
12:30 “For all
these things” The heathen seek anxiously after
all these things, because they know nothing of God’s providential care.[23]
Luke
12:30 “and your
Father knows that you need these things.” But
you, who know that you have such a
Father, have no need to be disturbed about these wants.[24] The heathen of this world are so concerned
about these things, always pursuing more in this material world because they
are not concerned with what will happen to them after they die.
Luke
12:31 (The 6th Command) The Greek word for But here can mean, “dismissing
all this useless anxiety continue to seek” [25] God.
Luke
12:31 “seek” here
is verb,
present, active, imperative, second person, plural, which means that Jesus is
commanding all of His disciples to seek the kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33 has “seek first the kingdom”. Both Dr. Luke and Matthew record that Jesus places the Kingdom of God and His righteousness before temporal
blessings (food and clothing).[26]
Luke
12:32 (The
7th Command) The Gentiles at this time had many gods; in fact they
even made an altar “TO
THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23) for fear that they might have missed one!
Most of their gods caused great fear, for they were gods who stole, lied, cheated,
murdered, and even lusted! They were made in the image of the creators, yet the
people were fearful of their gods, and thus worshiped them out of fear and
anxiety. They were afraid of them. Go today to the back parts of this universe
of which we are apart, and you’ll still find some individuals who have this
same attitude toward their gods. But the Lord Jesus says we have a heavenly
Father a heavenly Father, think of it and yet, we’re anxious.
Luke
12:32 “little
flock” Here Jesus compares His disciples to a group of defenseless
sheep that are easy prey, but they were not to fear because “it is your Father’s good pleasure
to give you the kingdom.” Here the
Good Shepherd assures His flock that, while the anxious seeking of the ὀλιγόπισται (G3640
the little in faith) after god and raiment is vain, their seeking after the
Kingdom of God will not be vain. He gives the Kingdom to those who seek it, and
with it gives the necessaries of life. Whereas those who neglect the Kingdom
that they may secure the necessaries, may lose both. Κύριος
ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει (Psalm 23:1).[27]
We in the church (Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-9; Revelation
21:1-2) have taken upon ourselves the characteristics of the heathen
today, for we really don’t believe that God can and will provide. We talk about
it, we profess it, but in our hearts we don’t think that He is sufficient and
capable.
03. Treasure in Heaven (Luke 12:33-34)
Luke
12:33 “Sell
what you have and give alms” Matthew
has this in Matthew 6:19–21. Here we have the 3 final commands of Jesus, Sell, give and provide. Not all our possessions to possess us,
but instead possessing our possessions to the point where we can give or sell
them for the furtherance of the Kingdom are all signs that we are seeking the kingdom of God (Luke 12:31).
When we put our treasure in Heaven, we have not fear that if the stock market
collapses we will lose all our money, and in Heaven, it is safe because it is the
place where money bags
which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no
thief approaches
nor moth destroys.
Luke
12:33 “nor moth
destroys.” οὐδὲ σὴς διαφθείρει In σής (moth) the reference perhaps is to costly garments, which are a
favourite form of wealth in the East.[28] With regard to the wicked,
Isaiah says[29]
in Isaiah 51:8 “For the moth will eat them up like a
garment, And the worm will eat them like wool…”
Luke
12:34 Jesus
is saying that whatever is important to you has all of your attention and care,
and His words here will reveal to His disciples both present at this time, and
here today, where our treasure is.
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states this:
The NT realizes that life is
swayed by care. Concern is unavoidable but it is given a new orientation.
Liberation from it comes as one casts it upon God, not because God grants every
wish, but because prayer grants freedom from care. To be anxious about food or
clothing is opposed to concern for the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:26-34; Luke 12:22-34).
Naturally we have to work (1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians
3:10 etc.), but we cannot secure life
by care; our concern must be for the kingdom. To care for the world is to fall
victim to it. If care gains control over us, it leads to apostasy (Luke 21:34).
We must focus on the one thing needful (Luke 10:41–42), confronting worldly ties with a hōs mḗ (1 Corinthians 7:29-35). We
belong to the coming aeon and must be ready for it (Luke 21:34). But this entails care
for others as members of the same body (1 Corinthians 12:25). In Matthew 6:25ff. merimnán is self-concern relative to the future. The questions show
that worry is what is meant. It is this that makes a proper concern foolish by
fostering the illusion that concern for the means of life can grant security to
life itself. The future is not in our hands. We cannot add one cubit (either
length of days or stature) by worrying. The right course is to seek first the
kingdom, and God will see to other things, not removing uncertainty, but taking
the worry out of it. A bit of secular wisdom drives home the point in Matthew 6:34.
It is ridiculous to add tomorrow’s worry to that of today.[30]
[1] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(p. 326). London: T&T Clark International.
[2] Strong, J. (2009). A
Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible
(Vol. 1, p. 47). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[3] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament
and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 632). Chicago: University
of Chicago Press.
[4] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 6:25). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[5] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 585). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[6] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 6:25). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[7] Strong, J. (2009). A
Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible
(Vol. 1, p. 24). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[8] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 182). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[9] Strong, J. (2009). A
Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible
(Vol. 2, p. 84). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[10] Witmer, J. A. (1985). Romans. In J. F. Walvoord &
R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 475). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
[13] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 639). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[14] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 639). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[15] Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R.
B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 238). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
[16] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 6:27). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[17] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 6:27). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[18] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(pp. 326–327). London: T&T Clark International.
[19] Thomson, W.M. The
Land and the Book [London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1890], p256.
[20] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 639). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[21] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 12:29). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[22] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the
Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 111). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[23] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(p. 328). London: T&T Clark International.
[24] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(p. 328). London: T&T Clark International.
[25] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(p. 328). London: T&T Clark International.
[26] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Mt 6:33). Nashville, TN:
Broadman Press.
[27] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(pp. 328–329). London: T&T Clark International.
[28] Plummer, A. (1896). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke
(p. 329). London: T&T Clark International.
[29] Evans, C. A. (1990). Luke (p. 202). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[30] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.
(1985). Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (p. 584). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
