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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Matthew 6:27 - 6:29
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How unprofitable is worry:
v. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
In whose case will the fact that he worries about the question continually be of any aid in increasing his height, or rather, in lengthening his life? Psa_39:5. It is simply impossible for a person, by taking thought of the matter, both to produce the growth that comes from food and to extend the days of his life. Why, then, not leave these matters to Providence? Christ even points to the inanimate creatures as examples of God's loving care:
v. 28. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin.
v. 29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
To worry about clothing to cover one's nakedness must seem strange in view of the thousand miracles surrounding us. Consider, observe well, take a lesson from the lilies, He says, including in this term all flowers, since those of Palestine are very beautiful. They grow, they become large; and yet they do nothing to provide a suitable dress for themselves; neither heavy nor light work is on their daily program. The situation demands a strong statement, and Jesus deliberately gives it. Solomon, whose riches and luxury were proverbial among the Jews as the climax and pinnacle of gorgeousness, in the very height of his glory and wealth and magnificence, could not be compared, in the splendor of his attire, with one of these flowers. Nothing on earth can equal the rich blending of colors, the velvety texture of the petals of some of the commonest blossoms that are overlooked as weeds by the heedless.