Step back and see the whole passage as one argument. Matthew 6 opened with a question about audience, who are you performing for, and it ends with a question about trust, who do you believe will take care of you. They are really the same question. Both ask whether God...
Here is the resolution of the whole chapter. Seeking first the kingdom means living under God’s direction and control. The verb is a present imperative, which means a constant state of preoccupation, a daily reorientation of the heart back to God. This is why...
Jesus draws a sharp contrast. The Gentiles, the unbelievers, seek after all these things, and their anxiety is perfectly rational. If you have no Father who knows, then survival really is on your shoulders, and you had better manage it yourself. The pagans babbled...
Jesus escalates the argument. The birds are fed, which is provision. But the lilies are not merely fed, they are clothed with a beauty that surpasses even Solomon in all his royal splendor. And these flowers last barely a week before they are thrown into the oven. If...
The word therefore is doing heavy lifting. Jesus has just said that no one can serve both God and money, and now He draws the line straight from that truth to our worry. If God is our Master, then anxiety about whether He will provide is a logical contradiction. The...
