Saturday of Trinity 5

No Worries

Matthew 6:24-34 (ESV) Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Jesus preaches His Sermon on the Mount to all believers in Him, those who are “poor in spirit” and therefore possess God’s kingdom by grace, through faith (Matthew 5:1-3). He has taught His followers to pray for spiritual, heavenly blessings in the Lord’s Prayer (6:5-14) and to find lasting treasure in heaven, not on earth (6:19-24). Then He assures His disciples that the Father cares for their physical needs as well and will give them everything they “need to support this body and life” (Small Catechism).

Worry, or being anxious, is sin because it demonstrates unbelief in God’s providential care. Faced with the accusation of God’s Law, our sinful inclination is to deny that we have a problem with worry, but making excuses will accomplish nothing before God’s judgment seat. Repentance is our only option, especially as we face up to the one unavoidable cause of anxiety in life: death. In fact, our preoccupation with food, clothing, health, and wealth is another sign of our unbelief, since temporary worries should recede into the background as we grow anxious under the demands of a holy God who expects unwavering faith and faithfulness from us.

Jesus, in His Incarnation, entered our stressful, anxious existence and was “tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He endured hunger, homelessness, and hatred from others but never worried about food, clothing, shelter, or safety. He always had perfect faith in His Father, so He wasn’t concerned in the slightest about proper medical care as He faced the cross for our sins. The Lily of the Field was thrown into the oven of God’s wrath to be burned up for all of our sins of worry and care and faithlessness. Therefore, He has overcome our greatest anxiety by dying to “destroy the one who has the power of death,” Satan (Hebrews 2:14). He has delivered us from slavery to the fear of death by promising us everlasting, resurrected life with Him.

Now the same Jesus authoritatively tells us, “Do not be anxious, but simply trust in Me.” His promises relieve our anxieties and reveal a gracious heavenly Father who just can’t wait to bless us. His analogies for this are vivid. Just picture a flock of geese tilling, sowing, waiting, and harvesting; or lilies picking cotton, spinning thread, and weaving garments. Both are ridiculous! The Lord cares for them! This does not mean that we can be lazy (see 2 Thessalonians 3:10), but as we live out our vocations, we have no cause for worry at all.

Yet to remain free from worry we must always put into practice Jesus’ admonition: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” That must be our top priority—if we can even call it a priority. What God has done and is still doing for us in Jesus Christ—the Gospel, the righteousness of God—goes beyond being a priority and actually must be all-encompassing in our lives. So we joyfully seek God’s kingdom in Word, Sacraments, and prayer. These are far more real and enduring than the stuff of this life. Jesus bids us look to Him as the focal point of all our life, to rest in His forgiveness, and to find in Him the secure ground of confidence for facing all of life’s apparent ambiguities and anxieties.

Prayer: O most loving Father, You want us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing except losing You, and to lay all our cares on You, knowing that You care for us. Strengthen us in our faith in You. Grant that the fears and anxieties of this mortal life may not separate us from Your love shown to us in Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.