I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49–59 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus taught, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  My study Bible comments here that fire is a reference to the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it purifies virtue and destroys sin (see Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  Baptism is a reference to Christ's Passion (Matthew 20:22).   

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three."   My study Bible explains that there are two kinds of peace.  There is a false peace -- to which Christ is referring here -- which is a shallow harmony resulting from ignoring issues of truth.  Genuine peace, it says, is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19). 

 

"Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Here Jesus speaks of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.   In addition to the literal meaning, which my study Bible says has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation being divided from the younger generation also symbolizes, first, the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second, the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"  This time is Christ's time of the Incarnation -- the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ. 

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."  My study bible explains that just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with an opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing God's judgment.  In our reading from Thursday of last week, at the beginning of chapter 12, Jesus taught, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"

 

Jesus speaks of truth as something that will cause division.  Specifically, His truth -- the spiritual truth of the reality of the kingdom of God -- will work to divide people between those who accept it and those who do not.  He says, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  This fire, my study Bible says, is the proclamation of the gospel, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Both are linked to the presence of the kingdom of God, within which we may dwell and participate even in this world, and which also dwells in us (see Luke 17:20-21).  We may also look at images of fire found in Scripture and consider what they indicate to us.  There is the burning bush out of which Moses heard the voice of God -- a bush that was aflame with a fire that didn't consume the bush, didn't burn it (Exodus 3).  This sense of division or split can also be understood in the effects of that fire, and how people respond to it.  Fire is also representative of energy.  But the same fire of the Holy Spirit is the one that "burns" those who will experience hell, and it is the flame that also purifies.  This understanding is part of why it is so important to accept the power of repentance.  To change our minds about clinging to the things that burn in that purifying fire is to repent, to change who we are in an important spiritual sense, just as to evolve and grow turns us into quite different persons than we were once upon a time.  The fire of God is the same one that both vivifies and gives life, and also purifies and burns away what cannot stand in its energies -- and this is the fire of the truth of Christ, who also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  In this sense, Christ's gospel of the Kingdom becomes the fire that will cause division -- and His baptism the baptism of the Cross, scandalizing some and for others the door to eternal life and salvation.  So frequently we seem to be given the message that it's our job as Christians to embrace everyone.  After all, Christ tells us to love our enemies.  But we need to consider what it means to love; love does not mean denying the truth of Christ and the gospel.  In St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, in his unforgettable passage on love, St. Paul writes, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  For our purposes in today's commentary, we pay specific attention to St. Paul's word that "love . . . does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth."  To love others, then, does not preclude division in terms of our respect for and love of truth, neither does it ask for a false peace such as my study Bible describes.  Christ's fire is also the fire of the love of God, and we should not and must not forget that.  He has come into the world not to do something just to make us all feel good, but to do something monumental to the point that it will transform and transfigure all of creation, taking our suffering, our sin, our struggle with all the elements of evil that can afflict this world -- and make even that transfigured into an outcome of the good.  This is not simple or easy, but rather His own tremendous sacrifice (His "baptism" on the Cross), and the fire of the gospel that will (and did) transform the world.  That transformation and transfiguration is ongoing, even as we also may join in with Him, repenting within the effect of that fire, seeing and embracing the truth He brings of His redemption for us, and letting go of the things that will burn in the great fire of His love.    For nothing is had without sacrifice, but all is gain in the love of the Lord.

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  

 

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  

 

"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32–48 

 

Yesterday we read that one from the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  My study Bible comments that do not fear is a recurring theme in this discourse.  Little flock is a reference to all believers.  They are "little" in two ways.  First of all, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world, and second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation.  Let us consider what it is to have treasure in the heavens:  what we sacrifice from an earthly perspective, we gain when done for the kingdom of heaven.  Of such is money bags which do not grow old,  treasure where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 

 

 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately."  This is a call to be vigilant, says my study Bible.  It echoes the imagery of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  In Christ's time, one would "gird one's waist," hitching up and fastening clothing in order to work, so that it would not interfere nor be soiled; here Christ uses this expression as a metaphor for readiness to do virtuous action.  Lamps burning indicates active spiritual discernment (see Tuesday's reading, in which Jesus teaches, "The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness").

 

 "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."  My study Bible comments that the mark of a true disciple is vigilance in performing the work and exemplifying the virtue of the master.  To be watching is to be alert, vigilant, ready to act -- especially upon the commands of the master as a servant.  Note that Christ says such servants will find that the master will gird himself for work and serve them, as Christ did when He washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper (see John 13:1-17).

 

"And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."  The second and third watch is between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m..  According to my study Bible, these are interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  Therefore those servants are the most blessed who remain faithful during the night.  Let us note also that this can be interpreted as a time of metaphorical spiritual darkness and difficulty, when the Light is no longer with them or seems far away from our lives (John 12:35).  It's also a time when all others are sleeping -- again, metaphorically understood as a time of falling away and forgetfulness, with a lack of spiritual awareness or zeal.  

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into."   Again, we can understand this metaphorically, with the thief as the devil and the influence of evil (see John 10:1-10).  

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Here is the sobering, straightforward call for constant vigilance and quickening of our spiritual awareness.  My study Bible comments that it is not the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man, but rather to remain faithful and to be ready at every hour.  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."  Here my study Bible comments that the previous parable was to all people, but this parable is to the apostles and their successors,  the rulers and teachers of the Church.  These exhortations and principles of virtue, it says, and the warnings against corruption, apply specifically to those entrusted with spiritual leadership.  Note that Jesus gives images of the abuse of those other fellow servants and selfish indulgence and exploitation of the master's household.   

"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  My study Bible says that the judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  The many stripes (formal punishment by lash, given in specific number) given to those who are willfully and knowingly disobedient is a symbol of condemnation.  The few stripes are for those who are disobedient out of ignorance, and indicate chastisement or correction.  

Jesus speaks to His disciples, telling them that they must continue in vigilance as His servants (servants to the Master in the parable), even after He is Ascended and no longer with them as the Jesus the human being.  The vigilance He asks, therefore, is also asked of us as the descendants of these faithful to whom He speaks in the Gospel.  So we must ask ourselves what it means to be vigilant, what it means to be watching ("Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching").  It's important to note that this word "blessed" is the same one used in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.  This kind of blessedness isn't about worldly blessings, but a state of being associated with participation in the kingdom of God ("Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom").  The word for "watching" in the Greek of the Gospel passage is γρηγορέω/gregoreo, which is highly correlated with action and quickness.  It means to be alert, watching, staying awake.  If one is a servant to a master, it stands to reason that we can infer Jesus is speaking about following His commands the He has given while He is in the world as Jesus, and practicing His worldly ministry.  At the Last Supper, Jesus teaches the disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).  So, to be watching, to be vigilant, is to always be on the alert for ways that we follow His commands, within the circumstances in which we find ourselves at all stages of our lives.  Note how this includes caring for the others in His Church specifically addressed to those in leadership.  Jesus asks, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."   A steward is one in charge of a master's household and his goods.  To give His household their portion of food in due season is to "Feed My lambs" as Jesus said to Peter in His final appearance before His Ascension (John 21:15-19).  But to abuse and exploit others in the Church, to abandon responsibility, to be self-indulgent and ignoring the commands of Christ, all of that is to forfeit the name of a disciple or apostle.  We are guaranteed, in this language found here in Luke, that Christ will come at an hour we don't expect, and therefore it is constant vigilance that is asked for, not forgetting what we are to be about as good servants to the Master.  He says, "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."   Note Christ's fairness:  those who do not know will not be held to the higher standard, but those who have been given much in the way of the spiritual truth and teachings of Jesus, will be responsible for much.  Let us therefore be prepared and vigilant, learning and growing, watchful and wakeful and alert to the call of our Lord and Master.  Let us do as we're asked as good servants.  Let us not be complacent, but be prepared to grow in the living of our faith. 

 

 

 

 

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13-31 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was speaking to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.   Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  My study Bible comments that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  But a dispute over an inheritance can be detrimental to salvation.  This greed is pure idolatry, my study Bible comments (Colossians 3:5) and unfitting for those who know God.  Notice how incompatible this question is with what Christ has just finished saying, in yesterday's reading, above. 

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  My study Bible says that the question, "Whose will those things be which you hae provided?" is the key to understanding the saving up of material goods.  St. John Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have:  "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in our closet belong to the one who has no shoes; and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  St. Ambrose teaches, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  My study Bible says that even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41) it was for the benefit of the whole nation.  These teachings apply to parishes as well as to each person. 

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  Here my study Bible comments that Christ is warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent upon God, it says, and only indirectly on food and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things can demonstrate a lack of faith in God's care.  The nations of the world is a reference to the Gentiles, who served pagan idols, and remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  My study Bible says that those who follow God can be freed from this dependence.   The kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching.  As we are freed from excess anxiety about earthly things, Christ guides us to look to how we please God (seek the kingdom of God) and be secure in the faith that God will provide our needed earthly blessings. 

What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God?  Christ has given us prescriptions, so to speak, in all of His teachings, about how to do that.  We are to pray, we are to seek God's righteousness.  We are to love God with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength -- and to love neighbor as oneself, extended that love through practice.  To dispute over an inheritance does not seem to indicate that one is seeking a righteous judgment but rather contesting something legitimately given out of greed and covetousness.  Let us think for a moment about what such disputes entail, the expense and effort and time, not to mention the family dynamics of such a circumstance.  This indicates that one has not sought God's will in such a dispute but rather values material wealth first over the kingdom of God.  We make such choices all the time; we are presented with such choices all the time -- and in today's passage, Jesus is clearly coming down firmly on the answer for us all.  We're to seek first the kingdom of God, in all things, and at all times.  This may seem difficult, if not impossible to do in a world obsessed with material goods and consumption.  It's exacerbated through modern conditions of comparison to others and being offered all kinds of goods through images, advertising, social media.  Social media often offers to us what we supposedly "should" be seeking in life, because everyone else does it, because all our friends do, or even family members.  But this is not where the Christian heart must be focusing.  These are all great distractions to seek something else and take our mind and our focus off of God, and Christ's teaching for us and for our lives.  There really is no compromise on this; Jesus teaches that we cannot serve both God and mammon.  We have to make a choice.  Note that Jesus does not say that we must live without blessings of a material kind -- what He does say is that we need to seek the kingdom of God.  He tells us that "your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."    Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, applies to all times and circumstances.  We seek God's will through prayerful life, putting all things -- our troubles, concerns, worries, needs, and choices -- before God and seeking the discernment to find God's way.  Sometimes I have found that an important practice in life is seeking to give control up to God, to accept what comes with gratitude.  Regardless of circumstances, I find that letting go to God helps me with clarity and also with charity; sometimes those in need are brought to me with what God thinks I can offer, even if that's just a kind word or smile.  So often, we forget what blessings we really have to share; a focus on the purely material blinds us to the other things people need and desire for their hearts as well.  Let us seek that Kingdom and God's blessings, and we will find that we have so much more than we know.