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

 

 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 12:22-31 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

  

  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?"  My study Bible advises here that Jesus is warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  It notes that our physical well-being is directly dependent on God, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things, it adds, demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.

 

"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."  Because the Gentiles (the nations of the world) served pagan idols, my study Bible says, they were consumed by dependence upon earthly things.  Those who follow God, it notes, can be freed from this dependence. 

 

 "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  My study Bible comments that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' teaching.  As we are called to be freed from anxiety regarding earthly things, Jesus teaches us to look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings. 

 

 Why are we completely dependent upon God?  What is Jesus' purpose in teaching us to be so?  In the first place, opening up to the reality and presence of this Kingdom is a way of entering into an identity.  In the ancient world, identity was formed not by theories of racial lineage or heritage in that sense, but by the sense of the "code" one belonged to.  The ethos, if you will, of Athens made one an Athenian.  The law of Rome made one a Roman, hence St. Paul, a Jew and a Roman citizen was not crucified, and he was entitled to demand a hearing before Caesar.  Law of Moses made one a Jew, and the Old Testament Scriptures are filled with foreigners who became a part of the people of Israel (the story, for example, of Ruth and Naomi comes to mind).  In St. Matthew's Gospel, these teachings we find in today's reading come just prior to the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus gives us the Nomos, or Law, so to speak of the kingdom of God.  In the context of St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus is addressing His disciples, and will heavily emphasize courage, faith, and confidence in the missions they are about to undertake, preparing them for their future in establishing the Church.  Jesus' gospel is precisely that, a "nomos" or body of law that governs the kingdom of God.  We, as faithful, with the disciples, enter into and bear that Kingdom into the world, just as they are sent out as apostles to bear that Kingdom -- the gospel message -- into the world.  Jesus is telling us to bravely and courageously do so, relying on God in faith, and placing our values, our code we live by, into the proper order.  We seek the kingdom of God first, and then to that all things are added.