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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Luke 12:22 - 12:26
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Of Trust in God and Preparation for Christ's Coming.
Warnings against care:
v. 22. And He said unto His disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat; neither for the body what ye shall put on.
v. 23. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
v. 24. Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
v. 25. And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
v. 26. If ye, then, be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
There is a close connection between the warning spoken to the people in general and that addressed to the disciples in particular, for covetousness may have its root in care and worry for the matters of this earthly existence. God has given life to us, therefore He will also provide food to sustain it; He has given us our body, and therefore He will also provide the clothing to shelter it. He has given the greater, that which has more value in His sight, and therefore He may be trusted to take care of the smaller and less important also. The ravens, the birds of the air, are our examples for perfect trust in the providence of God. They neither sow nor reap; they have neither storehouse nor granary; and yet God takes care of them. So we should heed the lesson they teach. "There the birds fly past our eyes, with little honor to us, that we might well take off our hats to them and say: My dear doctor, I must confess that I do not understand the art which thou knowest. Thou sleepest through the night in thy nest, without care. In the morning thou arisest, art happy and joyful, sittest on a tree, singest, praisest, and thankest God; then thou seekest thy food and findest it. Why, what have I, for an old fool, learned that I do not act in the same way? If the little bird can desist from worrying and acts in such a case like a perfect saint, and yet has neither land nor barn, neither box nor cellar; it sings, praises God, rejoices, and is happy, for it knows that it has One that cares for us, whose name is Father in heaven: why, then, do we not also act thus, we that have the advantage that we can work, till the ground, gather the fruits, put them together, and keep them for the time of need? And yet we cannot omit the shameful worrying. Do as the birds do; learn to believe, sing, be happy, and let your heavenly Father care for you. " All the worrying of a person will also not succeed in doing what God can easily do, add a cubit to the stature. And if we cannot even do what seems so self-evident and simple according to the laws of nature, why should we worry about things which are entirely in God's hands, and which He has always taken care of for our welfare?