by Ann Johnstone

Created on: April 06, 2011   Last Updated: June 18, 2011

The words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 could well have been spoken specifically to Christians in the twenty-first century. Possibly more than at any other time in history, the western world today is suffering the consequences of stress and worry. There is now an increasing awareness that many physical conditions and diseases are caused by stress. As a result there are many who seek stress-relief through New Age practices such as meditation, believing that emptying one’s mind holds the answer.

Yet people throughout the ages have always been prone to worry and anxiety. It was Jesus who taught the futility of such thinking. Firstly he contrasts the small-mindedness and distracting anxiety of faithless men and women with the birds and flowers which are intrinsically of far less value. The birds work hard at building their nests and obtaining food for their young, and yet they do not worry about such things as seed-time and harvest but live their lives unconsciously fulfilling the purpose for which God created them. The wildflowers instinctively put all their energy into producing the colourful display which is their glory, and yet no effort or stress is involved in doing so. Despite this, God clothes them with unparalleled beauty. In the same way Jesus, the master of metaphorical illustrations, tells his followers to note God’s meticulous care for his creation. How much more, then, will he care for men and women, created in his image?

In verse 27 Jesus stresses the uselessness of worry. It cannot add a single hour to one’s life. In fact, as we know today, it can considerably shorten it. More importantly, it is a mark of faithlessness and a symptom of wrong priorities. ‘What will I eat?’ ‘How will I pay the bills?’ ‘How will I have a happy marriage?’ ‘How will I have a successful career?’ Everyone seems to be preoccupied with these kinds of concerns. When such things assume supreme importance, we are acting like the godless, who do not know a heavenly Father who values each one of his children and cares for their every need. Jesus calmed his disciples by giving them a higher purpose. He told them not to worry about their needs in this world, but  instead to seek God's kingdom, having the promise that their heavenly Father would then also meet all those needs

The distinctive mark of the Christian is that his whole attention is focused on the Kingdom of God, and his energy employed in pursuing its

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>