“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:28-33

In these verses, Jesus is making a case to back up what He said, and what we covered last time, in the previous paragraph. So much has been written on this, and yet these verses are so very simple and easy to understand; why is this so hard for us to fathom?

The answer to that question is also simple: It is hard for us to fathom because it is completely counter-intuitive. Everything around us tells us not to believe what Jesus has taught here, our whole society tells us that this must somehow be metaphor or hyperbole, that Jesus is just talking about nasty rich people… Were the people who gathered to hear the Sermon on the Mount exclusively rich people? I highly doubt it.

I’m not suggesting that Jesus intends for us to sit on our couches and wait for food, water and clothing to simply appear by magic. No, sorry to say, we are in a fallen world in which our sustenance is gained by the sweat of our brows; we must work for it. Jesus isn’t telling us that we don’t work because God will provide, He’s telling us what our priorities should be. Of course, work and be productive in the community, and when we do we will come into contact with people who need to hear about Jesus. Be consumed with worry over “things” and nobody will see the love of Jesus at work in your lives, oh ye of little faith.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

Here is His conclusion: Stop worrying about the future. Each day will have its challenges, but you needn’t worry about those challenges, for worry won’t take care of them. Put God’s Kingdom first in your thoughts and priorities, and you will get through whatever challenge comes your way, for God will be at your side.

As we celebrate Christmas, may we keep in mind not just “that” Jesus came along, but “why” He came along; to set us free from the bondage of daily life in this world. I don’t know about you, but I think this is really great news, and we haven’t even gotten to the really great part yet!