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28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ~ Matthew 6:28-30
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 6. In this study we will discover the teaching of the Lord Jesus regarding the kingdom of God. In context, the Lord has contrasted His teaching with that of the religious leaders of Israel. In their teaching, emphasis was placed upon man's ability to get life right by applying the teachings of the Law of Moses. Through the Lord Jesus' teaching we discover a different approach. His approach starts with our hearts and the condition of our being. Once analyzed, we discover our lives are a mess, even though we have attempted to straighten them out many times. The answer the Lord Jesus offers us is the exchanged life. Literally, if we let Him, He will live His life to us and through us. Through this way we will discover the out-workings of the words of the Apostle Paul, "For me to live is Christ."
In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
In the previous verse, the Lord Jesus spoke about our inability to navigate our lives for ourselves. In today's passage He followed this conclusion up with how we go about meeting our daily needs for clothing. Until the recent emergence of the industrial age, clothing took a lot more effort to make. Thus, it was expensive, even being considered as a part of one’s wealth. Because of this, people would get anxious when something interfered with their possessing or retaining their clothing. The underlining item being highlighted here by the Lord Jesus is the whole idea of who do we trust. This is so very important because who we trust most defines us most.
It was at this point that the Lord Jesus directed the attention of His hearers to the "lilies of the field" which "neither toil nor spin." The word "consider" is very key for us to understand. It signifies more than learning, but grasping something conclusively by considering it carefully. The idea behind the word "consider" is to plumb the depths of what is important. Consider means to penetrate to the truth of something and to comprehend it fully. But, there is even a deeper point here to be grasped.
The Lord Jesus urged us to stop and look at the lilies in a way that brings forth an understanding of the majestic nature of God’s handiwork through creation. Lilies are detailed and are thus truly majestic. They are one-of-a-kind type of flowers based upon their intricate shape and detail. Lilies don't grow themselves for they are a product of rain, water, soil, and the sun. Lilies do not have to work to produce their clothing. Since God cares so much for short-lived springtime flowers, how much more does He care for the part of His creation that He made in His image?
Likening the lilies to the glory of Solomon who had the best of everything, the Lord Jesus pointed us to the most vulnerable of flowers clearly to teach us God looks out for all of His creation. And, when we align ourselves with His truth by obeying Him, we will recognize, realize and access His blessing in our lives. When the Lord Jesus told His disciples that the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, He did so to reinforce that He is the One who always clothes them, just as He does us. The key is that we exercise the type of faith that marks our creator as our God.
In v.30 of today's passage we read, "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
Here, the Lord Jesus went from lilies to grass, underscoring the short-lived nature of both. The oven here is the style of pot that is heated from the inside and then bread would be slapped onto the outside to be baked. The flat bread adhered to the side of the oven until removed by the baker when it was turned and heated on the other side. The point the Lord Jesus was making was this: Mankind is more important than the lilies and the grass, and so we can be assured that God will tend to our needs in a way that is commensurate with who we are in light of who He is.
The words "little faith" is one word in the Greek. It means when we worry about our needs being met, we reveal that we are of little faith in the God of the Bible. While we are found constantly worried about what might be, we should be found trusting that God orders daily the necessary things in our lives to accomplish what is needed. He even provides those necessary things through the unwanted moments of life. And, if we are being defined by Him, we will recognize the blessing even in the curses.
Underscored in all of this is the fact that mankind has importance in the eyes of God. Mankind, although tainted by sin, is the highest point of God’s creation, and we should conduct our lives in a manner that demonstrates that we believe it to be so. Not in arrogance or boasting, but in humility that God has given us such God-like wisdom and ability to believe in Him. And as we do, may we remember to thank and praise Him for allowing us the honor of bearing His image. In addition, we should praise Him for the ability to abide in His presence for all eternity because of what He has done to reconcile us to Himself through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word "faith" appears in the Bible some 247 times. It means "persuasion," "trust," "confidence," "assurance," and "belief." The word "faith" is a noun. Many inaccurately think of it as a verb. The word "believe" is a verb. It’s an action word. Believing is something we do, and faith is something we have or we could say something we are. This is what the Lord Jesus was getting to that day on the side of that mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Faith is choosing deliberate confidence in the character of God especially when we do not understand Him or His ways.
