re-Ver(sing) Verses

Matthew 6:27 | NIV (1984) | Other Versions | Context

Brief

The section of Matthew 6:25-34 is largely similar to Luke 12:22-34, with Jesus telling his disciples: Do not worry. Matthew 6:27 and Luke 12:25 are exactly the same — likely a reference to the same event by Matthew and Luke. In these two passages regarding worrying, Jesus advises his disciples that there is no use in worrying, for they have no power or control; but instead look at nature and see how God supplies for the wild – likewise, He will provide for us.

Analysis

If worrying can add a single hour to your life, would you worry? I’m not sure – I may actually feel more justified in worrying, but the ironic thing is, worrying wastes time. In order to earn that one extra hour, you may have spent more than an hour worrying. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Jesus asked. He knew the answer; the disciples knew the answer, we know the answer. None of us, by worrying, can add a single hour to our lives. In fact, the reverse is true – All of us, by worrying, will waste some time from our lives.

Time. What is time? With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day [2 Peter 3:8]. A single hour to us is insignificant in the Lord’s scale of time. Jesus claimed adding an hour to a life was a simple thing – Luke 12:26 – Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Well, Jesus is the Son of Man, and he surely thinks not like a man – He thinks in terms of the Lord’s clock, and to Him, a single hour is smaller than the worries we have. Jesus is making a comparison here, with us who cannot add a single hour to our lives, to the One who can, the Father. He reminds us that God is in control. Leave the worrying to someone who can change things (not that God worries, though). Why worry when you are not in control? Worrying won’t change things. Worrying wastes time.

In some translations, the analogy was not to time but to height. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (KJV) Similarly, it is something that man cannot do, but God can. God easily can. One cubit isn’t small, but it is but a little thing to the Lord. Be it adding to one’s height or one’s age, men are helpless. Likewise, men are helpless with their worries – so why worry, Jesus said, why worry if that’s the case?

We know that God is able; but why should we not worry? How can we trust him? 1 Peter 5:7 says cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. It’s simple. Don’t worry, but lift up all your worries to the Lord, and have faith because He cares for you, and will do something for you with regards to your worries.

Conclusion

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own [Matthew 6:34]. When we learn not to worry, it is when we truly understand the almightiness of the Lord and have sufficient faith to trust in Him despite the circumstances of what worries us. When we learn not to worry, the time that we often spend in useless fretting can be spent in worship of the Lord. Don’t get me wrong – it is human nature to worry. Anxiety, though discouraged by Jesus here, is often a show of love and concern. Why do you worry? You worry because you care. Is it such a bad thing to worry? Probably not, unless you worry so much that it affects you in more ways than you’re aware of. If worrying is a show of love, why should you not worry?

I believe what Jesus is trying to tell us through the passages of Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-34 is that by not worrying, it is a show of our faith in the Lord. Do you trust the Lord enough that you can place whoever you love enough to worry about into His hands and know for sure that the Lord has better plans than you do? Do you trust the Lord enough that you can place into His hands that million dollar project that will ruin your entire career if you screw it up? Is the Lord first and foremost in your priority list, and do you love the Lord more than you do others?

If you do, then you probably have no problems with anxiety. If you don’t, then Jesus was probably speaking to you. Let’s decide to put an end to our worrying today, and choose to feed our faith with the Lords words and God’s promises, filling our minds with hope instead of worries. It will be hard, we will need to consciously end our worries regularly – lets memorize this verse and keep it close to our hearts.

God bless,
Z.