SM #37: Simplicity
- BOO
- Jun 21
- 30 min read
Updated: Jun 23
Because of this I say to you, stop worrying about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look closely at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add any length to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn from the flowers of the field, how they grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ JESUS (Matthew 6:25-34)
CORE
(The heart of the message)
Simplicity is more than decluttering our closet and our calendar. It's a way of viewing God at work in the world, and our part in it all.
CONTEXT
(What’s going on before and after this passage)
We have been mapping out the last half of Matthew 6 this way:
A. The Two Treasures (6:19-21)
B. The Two Eyes (6:22-23)
C. The Two Masters (6:24)
D. The Two Anxieties (6:25-34)
Jesus has already told us to invest our treasure in heaven, reject the "evil eye" of envy (the very lense that fuels our "must-have-more" economy), and to "hate" Mammon as it tries to become our master.
Before that, Matthew 5 began with grace (the Beatitudes) and then went on to set the bar high - loving our enemies and being perfect like God. Now Matthew 6 has been teaching us how to develop the inner strength and hidden life we will need to live these lives of audacious God-like love.
Most of this section of Matthew 6 is also covered in a few places in the Gospel of Luke, (e.g., Luke 11:34-36; 12:15-34; 16:13) so we can also check Luke's record for double clarity when needed.
Our own lives provide part of the context for this passage. We all experience some form of worry at some points in our lives.
"Sometimes it is carved into our bodies by sores that we call ulcers. Sometimes it is etched into our faces by lines we call wrinkles. It may be pictured on our lips by the shape we call a frown. It can be heard in footsteps pacing back and forth across a floor late at night. Sometimes it is muffled by the silence of someone lying in bed staring at the ceiling without being able to go to sleep." ~ James Merritt (Don't Worry)
We could not be talking about a more universally relevant topic. And often, we self-sooth our anxiety through shopping for more stuff. For many of us, our "retail therapy" has just moved from the mall to the screen, making it possible to feed our greed all day every day.
According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian spends about $1,500 on just clothing per year ($60 billion annually divided by our population of 40 million). As families grow, this adds up to be a significant household expense. This phenomenon likely goes beyond our clothing needs to a perceived need to keep up with fashion or a sense of needing an excessive amount of choices for our shoes, coats, and everything in between.
Remember Jesus' earlier teaching about surprising even our enemies with such love that if someone sues us for our shirt, we should give them all our clothes (Matthew 5:40)? Now he is helping us cultivate the kind of mentality that we will need to make such instinctive, reflexive, and radical enemy love possible.
In this passage, Jesus will directly command us not to worry three times, and each time he will offer a different reason:
Because worry is pagan - what non-believers do who don't believe in a loving heavenly Father. These are the same people Jesus critiques earlier for babbling on in prayer to get their gods' attention (Matthew 6:7).
Because worry ignores and insults God's active involvement and care.
Because tomorrow can worry about itself - that is, worry takes us out of the present moment so we miss out on life here and now.
Jesus is teaching good theology and good psychology.
Anxiety dies hard, and Jesus is pulling out all the stops in this section. He uses many words to make a single point: worry is useless so don't do it. He gives multiple commands and offers multiple illustrations to appeal to our imaginations. Obviously this is a message that is both important and one that needs every opportunity to sink in.
"Anxiety is one of the sad symptoms of slavery to mammon. Just as the shackles of the bondslave prevent him from escaping from his master, worry over riches and possessions shackles the materialist to the master mammon and prevents him from enjoying real freedom." ~ Charles Quarles (Sermon on the Mount)
"Treasure cannot be found in food, for it will go stale if not consumed, and if it is consumed, well, we know where it ends up. And treasure cannot be found in clothing, for this year's fashion is next year's folly. One finds one's treasure elsewhere." ~ Amy-Jill Levine (Sermon on the Mount)
CONSIDER
(Observations about the passage)
Because of this. Not the usual word for "therefore" but a combination of words that suggests a restatement or summary is coming. Jesus is about to deliver the punchline that all of chapter 6 has been leading up to. Today we might say, after a pause, "Let me put it this way..." What Jesus is about to say is an extension of and expansion on what he has already been saying: We have a choice to make between seeking an earthly or heavenly reward, pursuing treasures on earth or heaven, living with bright eyes or the evil eye, serving God or Mammon, and now between seeking God's kingdom or our own. All of chapter 6 holds together. On the issue of ultimate loyalties, life is either/or, not both/and. We are standing at a fork in the road, or more accurately, we are already walking one path or the other. And to those of us who feel that we are "balanced" and able to walk a bit of both, Jesus uses all of Matthew 6 to wake us up from that dream.
Stop worrying. This isn't a gentle suggestion but a direct command. Some form of the word for "worry" is used five times and a clear prohibition given three times (vv 25, 31, 34). This first instance is present tense - "Stop worrying" - meaning Jesus wants his disciples to cease doing something he knows they are already doing. (This fits with him saying they have "little faith" later, as well as his question: "Why do you worry?") Jesus knows his disciples, then and now, struggle with this near universal problem. The Greek word for worry (merimnáō) says a lot. It literally means to be torn apart or to be fragmented, like saying "I'm torn to pieces over this issue." It is a compound word, coming from merizo (to divide) and nous (mind), suggesting that worry divides the mind between different concerns. (No wonder it is in the middle of this topic of all topics that Jesus says to seek first, as in our only focus, God's kingdom and righteousness.) Merimnáō is regularly used to refer to anxiety that pulls our attention away from what is most important: our relationships with God and others. Worry is the emotional tug-of-war our minds never signed up for. In other ancient texts, the noun form of this verb is associated with insomnia. So Jesus is talking about a kind of "worry" or "anxiety" that robs its victims of their sleep. In the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) Jesus says that the thorns which choke new plants to death represent "the worries (merimnáō) of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth" (Matthew 13:22). [Caution: Extreme language geekiness coming up: Our English words "worry" and "anxiety" come from Germanic and Latin origins respectively, both meaning to choke. So these words - worry and anxiety - were used to translate merimnáō (to tear apart) because of this specific association with the weeds in the Parable of the Sower. Worry chokes the life out of us!] Jesus also uses this word to describe Martha in Luke 10:41. In this passage, Jesus wants to help worrying, troubled, and agitated Martha become more like single-focussed, relationally engaged Mary. Worry can interfere with the calmness that facilitates a focus on friendship and family bonding. And yet, there's a twist: on at least two occasions the apostle Paul uses the same word to refer to genuine care for people (1 Corinthians 12:25; 2 Corinthians 11:28; Philippians 2:20). The takeaway? If your concern is for people, good. If it's for stuff – getting it, losing it, polishing it, protecting it, parading it – not so much. Everything we own should be viewed as a God-given tool to care for needs and enhance relationships.
"The more flesh, the more worms; the more possessions, the more concern." ~ Rabbi Hillel (The Mishna)
Look closely at the birds of the air. The Greek word for "look closely" (emblepó) means to stare with a fixed gaze, to really examine, ponder, and meditate upon something. Blepó by itself means to look, but it is intensified by the prefix. Luke's parallel version has "ravens" (rather than just "birds") which are an unclean bird (Leviticus 11:15; Deuteronomy 14:14). Most Jews would consider an unclean animal the least worthy of God's care, so Jesus drives the point home that God cares for all. There is added irony here, since the Hebrew Bible talks about God caring for ravens specifically (Job 38:41; Psalm 147:7-9) and then God uses Ravens to care for Elijah (1 Kings 17). Apparently these unclean birds are favourites of God. The birds are in the "air" or "sky", which is the singular of the word for heaven (ouranos). Sure, "All dogs go to heaven", but all birds are already there. Remember we've learned that when Jesus/Matthew refers to a specific place (the sky or heaven in the spiritual dimension where the Father is) he uses the singular. But whenever the word is partnered with the idea of the Kingdom, as in Kingdom of the Heavens, it is always in the plural. The plural reminds us that Christ's Kingdom is all around us, penetrating every place, every heart, and every dimension.
Your heavenly Father feeds them. Notice Jesus tells his disciples that your father feeds the birds, not their father. Although God created and cares for all life, humans, and particularly Jesus People, have a special place in God's heart and a high calling to steward all creation (Psalm 8:4-6). But how does God feed the birds? The sceptical thinker (like me!) may have an internal dialogue with Jesus: "Hey Jesus. Sure the birds don't sow and reap like farmers, but they do work hard. In fact, they seem to be building nests or searching for food or defending their territory or finding a mate or feeding their young all the time. So why say the Father feeds them? I think they feed themselves!" We will address this and other concerns in the Commentary section below. But at least we can say this: Jesus is teaching against worry not work. Jesus knows there is no visibly miraculous, supernatural process by which people can observe God feeding the birds, and yet Jesus declares it as true. Let this sink in: God feeds the birds. This fact tells us so much about how Jesus saw, and how we should see, the world around us. According to Jesus, God is at work at all times through the natural, including and especially through his people. We live in an enchanted world. All of creation is alive with magic. Everything is spiritual. Everything is a miracle. Every interaction and every event can be an opportunity to encounter God. May we open our eyes to see our heavenly Father at work all around us.
What is humanity that you are mindful of them, the sons of Adam that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet. ~ King David (Psalm 8:4-6)
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. ~ King David (Psalm 104:27-28)
Any length to your life. The irony is thick here, since we know that the stress of chronic worry and anxiety actually shortens life. And Jesus is using a brilliant double entendre. The Greek wording can mean either the way it is translated here or "a single span to your height". A span/cubit is the length of a typical forearm, fingertips to elbow, about 18 inches. Jesus combines a unit of distance (a span/cubit) with the period of time time (life) in the same way we might say someone who turns fifty has reached a "milestone" (an ancient Roman unit of demarcating distance). The point is, we can no more prolong our lives through worry than we can make ourselves grow taller by worry. Since the words have double meaning, this sentence would land with a flourish for Matthew's original readers. As an illustration of "When Christians Are Kooky" - an early church leader, Tertullian (160-240AD), actually blamed the Devil for inspiring high heels, worn by actors in his day, so as to make Christ a liar about not being able to add height to one's stature. Okay bro.
Anxiety and worry can be emotionally and psychologically paralyzing. They are spiritual thieves that rob us of joy, peace, sleep, and a thousand other things. ~ Daniel L. Aken (Exalting Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount)
Why do you worry?. As Jesus shifts to talking about clothing and flowers, his question his present tense approach, assuming his disciples do worry. Even if we don't think we struggle with anxiety, at some subconscious level, worry is a universal human problem.
Learn from the flowers of the field. After telling us to look up (at the birds), Jesus tells us to look down (at the fields). Here we learn that our heavenly father not only cares about providing what is basic, but also what is beautiful. Aesthetics are not waste or distraction - just look at the world God created! The Greek word for "flowers" or "lilies" could refer to any wildflower, and may most likely here refer to anemones that were a rich purple, the colour of royal robes. This fits with the comparison to King Solomon. The Greek word translated "learn from" (katamanthanó) is sometimes translated as simply "look", or better, "consider". Manthanó by itself means to learn. Kata is an intensifying prefix. Between "look closely" and "learn diligently", Jesus/Matthew is using multiple words in this passage to encourage us to really study, think about, meditate upon, and learn lessons from nature. Jesus is reinforcing what the Hebrew Scriptures have said before.
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. ~ Job (Job 12:7-8)
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ~ King Solomon (Proverbs 6:6)
Spin. This word means to make cloth, to spin thread, not to twirl around. And here we see an example of Jesus' radical egalitarian approach to teaching. The bird analogy would have appealed to his male disciples, since men did most of the sowing, reaping, stowing, and other farming chores. But now Jesus pivots to a comparison that would appeal to his women listeners, who were tasked with spinning thread for the family's clothing needs. This is a unique pattern for Jesus - finding analogies and stories that appeal to both his male and female followers (e.g., Matthew 9:16-17; 13:31-33; Luke 15:1-10; 18:1-8). This isn't just inclusive; it's groundbreaking. No other Jewish rabbi at the time taught this way. Along with Jesus' teaching on forgiveness, restoration, and enemy love, this is a another clear Jesus distinctive. It's his signature move. His teaching trademark. (TM!)
You of little faith. Jesus is giving his disciples a Q & A session, with him offering both the questions and answers. Earlier Jesus asked his disciples, "Why do you worry?" And now he offers the answer. This phrase is one compound word in Greek: oligopistos. Oligos, meaning few, low, or little + pistis, meaning faith. Jesus presents a faith deficiency as the root cause of anxiety. Calling anyone "you little-faiths" seems to have been an invention of Jesus. Interestingly, Jesus only uses this description of his own disciples (e.g., Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20; Luke 17:6). It seems to be his affectionate, yet pointed, nickname for his own inner circle. This gives hope to the rest of us who sometimes struggle in our own faith. All God asks for is tiny faith, the size of a mustard seed, and he can work with that to move mountains - or at least, our mountain of worry (Matthew 17:20).
Do not worry. Twice more in this passage Jesus prohibits worry in strong language. No longer present tense (e.g., "Stop worrying" or "Why are you worrying?"), now Jesus prohibits all worry moving forward.
Your heavenly Father knows. The great battles of the Christian life are fought between our ears. The Jesus method for overcoming anxiety is not more intense prayer for our needs or a secret formula to get God to answer us, but reminding ourselves that God already knows and cares. He will take care of the basics, mostly through our connection to fellow Kingdom citizens.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ~ JESUS (Matthew 6:7-8)
Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness. Because this statement is so central and so formative for the way Christ-followers should think, we will cover it in a separate study. For now we will just point out this is one of the rare examples of Jesus saying "Kingdom of God" in Matthew rather than "Kingdom of the Heavens".
Tomorrow will worry about itself. Cue the mic drop. Jesus probably got a laugh from his audience as he personified "tomorrow" as a fretting, floor-pacing, handwringing, hyperventilating, anxiety-ridden worrywart teetering on the edge of a full-blown panic attack. His message? Let the future handle it's own neurosis. Let worry about the future live in the future. And the good news is, by the time we get there, the future will have become the present. Today, and every day we call today, we don't need to worry because God gives us grace for today, and will give us grace for tomorrow's troubles tomorrow. Fresh grace always arrives with the sunrise. Remember God's gift of mana, and the one-day-at-a-time, day-by-dayness theme already in this chapter (see our study here on the present day focus of prayer.) Notice Jesus doesn't agree with a common Christian cliché: "God worries about the future so you don't have to." In the words of Charles Quarles: "'Father Time' may be a nervous wreck, but the heavenly Father never is" (Sermon on the Mount). Nor does Jesus fall into the common encouragement cliché: "Don't worry, I'm sure it will all work out just fine." No, he says tomorrow may very well be full of trouble (the Greek word used here is kakia, very close to another word for trouble). And so what if tomorrow is full of tomorrow's drama, God will give you manna for your day on the day you need it.
"The key is this: Meet today's problems with today's strength. Don't start tackling tomorrow's problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow's strength yet. You simply have enough for today." ~ Max Lucado (Traveling Light)
COMMENTARY
(Thoughts about meaning and application)
Our relationship with simplicity should include simplicity in our relationship with time as well as possessions.
We know that the Gospel (the Good News of God's kingdom of grace) frees us from the tyranny of our past. We no longer need to be burdened down with guilt or shame, neither do we find our identity in the pride of past accomplishments. We are released from guilt-trips and pride-parades to live fully and freely today.
And now Jesus extends this freedom into the future.
The Jesus Way of moving into the future is a kind of non-anxious planning - preparing with excellence without worry about the outcomes. This is simplicity, even if it isn't simple.
The apostle James captures our simplified relationship with the future beautifully:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ~ James the brother of Jesus (James 4:13-16)
When we find our esteem in our accomplishments, we are attaching ourselves to uncertainty, which will create anxiety, even if we are successful for a season. So we do our best at everything for God's sake, and we release the outcomes. After all, "mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" has very little to be anxious about. Especially if after it vanishes it gets to spend eternity with God.
(In case you missed it in the last post.)
Notice that according to James, we still plan, we still prepare, we still work for a meaningful future. (On working wisely, including planning for the future, also see Proverbs 6:6; 31:10-31; 2 Corinthians 12:14; and 1 Timothy 5:8.) But we move into the future in a way that is attached to God, not the plans themselves.
This is temporal simplicity - simplicity in our relationship with time.
"Jesus doesn't call us to be care-less about provisions, but to be care-free." ~ Scot McKnight (Sermon on the Mount)
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Moving on, we should address the theodicy problem with this passage. (Theodicy is the theology of suffering, investigating and addressing the age-old question: How can a good God allow so much evil in the world?) Do you see the glaring problem here?
Jesus seems to be saying that we don't need to worry about the future because God knows what we need and he will provide. "God's got this!" Except, well, history begs to differ. Many Christians have lived without adequate food and clean water, let alone secure housing and safe circumstances. Heck, Christians were being burned alive as human torches within decades of Jesus speaking these encouraging words. It seems as though God often does NOT give us everything we need when we need it. Is Jesus writing cheques his Father can't cash? What gives? Is Jesus making a promise he can't deliver on?
This seems in tune with King David's apparently tone deaf observation:
I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. ~ King David (Psalm 37:25)
(As was mentioned in a previous study, when I read this thought from King David, all I can think is: You need to get out more.)
But here's the Jesus-shaped perspective...
Jesus sees God taking care of his people through his people. That's always God's way (e.g., see Matthew 10:9-14; Mark 10:29-30; Luke 12:33). The Christian community holds enough resources for every need, just not every greed. If everyone's needs aren't being cared for, the problem is with us, not God.
Jesus says tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, so he doesn't promise a trouble-free life. Instead, Jesus envisions God taking care of our needs in two ways:
Our own hard work.
The kindness of the community of faith.
First, on the topic of working hard...
Jesus is teaching against worry not work. He is saying that one way God cares for us is precisely by providing opportunities to work.
In the early church, some Christians misunderstood this teaching to mean that they no longer had to work - just let God take care of us while we wait for Jesus to return. And the apostle Paul rebuked them for this misrepresentation of Jesus' teaching (Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12).
In essence, they were saying: "Hey look at the flowers! They don't have to toil or work, so neither should we!" And the apostle Paul responded: "Ya, but look at the birds too you dummies, and get to work!"
For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. ~ The apostle Paul (2 Thessalonians 6:10-11)
God takes care of us through natural means. With a Jesus perspective, even the natural is supernatural. Everything is spiritual. ... Now get to work!
We work hard, because all work is worship:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ... Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for humans, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ~ The apostle Paul (Colossians 3:23-24)
Our hard work - planning, preparation, and execution - is a kind of ends in itself, whether or not we achieve "successful" outcomes. Because ultimately our work is between us and Christ, and he receives our work as worship. (Worship is an old English word meaning "worth-ship" - attributing worth to God.)
From God's point of view, nothing we do goes to waste. Every effort has meaning and value. And so we can give thanks for the opportunity to serve God through our work. Even when we've invested our energies in a project that fails, we don't have to carry the shame of thinking "Well that was a waste of time." No it wasn't, says God. It was worship.
Second, on the kindness of the church community...
We know that sometimes people cannot work, or the work they do is just not paying the bills. And when that happens, God still provides.
Remember our text doesn't say we should be unconcerned about whether others have enough food and clothing. Jesus is only addressing our own worry about our own situation. Disciples of Jesus save up our concern for caring for others. (And we know that other believers are there to care for us.)
Jesus' teaching is never antisocial, just antiselfish.
Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. ~ JESUS (Mark 10:29-30)
Jesus says that, in this life, God will take care of us through our extended spiritual family. This is Jesus' vision for his future church. A blueprint for Jesus continuing his work through is body, the church.
This helps explain one strange belief of the early Church - that they had already "died and gone to heaven" - except without dying! The author of Hebrews writes about us entering the splendor of heaven in this life, already:
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.(Hebrews 12:22-24)
Through Christ's death, the New Covenant has begun, and so has our eternal life! In this life we can be surrounded by the saints and the angels and Jesus himself. The New Jerusalem is here and Heaven is happening!
So, when we invest our energies and resources in people rather than possessions, we don't have to wait until we die to reap our reward. The Kingdom of the Heavens has already begun, and we can experience our "treasure in heaven" right now as we link arms with fellow citizens, soldiers, and ambassadors of this community of compassion. This is the buried treasure that is worth joyfully giving up everything else to get. This is the pearl of great price. (See Matthew 13:44-46.)
What is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels? It is Jesus feeding the multitudes using one boy's lunch as the primer and his disciples as the distributors. Even with a spectacular, Messiah-affirming, supernatural miracle at the centre, Jesus is providing a masterclass in how God uses his people to care for his people.
And recall a couple of studies ago we looked at how the early church took care of each other:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ~ Luke the Historian (Acts 2:44–45)
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. ~ Luke the Historian (Acts 4:32-35)
There wasn't one person with unmet needs among them. Jesus' vision of caring through sharing came true! And Luke felt this radical reorientation toward finances, possessions, and how the early church looked after one another was so important it deserved to be summarized twice early on in his book of church history. Then we see examples of this new way of Kingdom living throughout the rest of the New Testament. This is how God answers prayer.
"The needs of kingdom citizens are supplied through the kingdom. It is God's distributing agency.... How did it happen that there wasn't a needy person among them. Had more food, clothing, and shelter been miraculously created? No, but a new way of life had been adopted." ~ Clarence Jordan (Sermon on the Mount)
Sure, Christians will still get sick, still experience tragedy, and still die too young. Jesus knows this, just like he knows flowers and birds still die. Sure Christians will still potentially be on the receiving end of unkindness from critics and harsh judgmentalism, often from other Christians. But we welcome these as opportunities to practice Jesus' signature trademark teaching - peace in the storm and love for our enemies.
The apostle Paul wrote about lacking food and clothing at times due to persecution (2 Corinthians 11:27) and he requested Timothy bring his cloak to Rome before the arrival of winter (2 Timothy 4:13, 21), so he didn't travel with extra anything.
But even though the hardships of life will hit Christians the same as any other humans, the Jesus community is expected to rally. Look at how James the brother of Jesus describes his expectation of faith in action:
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~ The apostle James (James 5:14-17)
So, there was still poverty in the New Testament community, but when they became aware of it, the church rallied.
Christians should not have to live with anxiety about the basic necessities of life, as long as they are fully known to and connected with a local expression of church and that church is known to the broader, global family of faith. God will take care of us through his people. And when we live in this kind of connected community, we can focus more on our life in relationship with God and people, rather than expend all our energies on acquiring, protecting, and worrying about our stuff.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ The apostle Paul (Philippians 4:12-13)
The secret of being content in any and every situation? This sounds like the ultimate life hack! Would you like to learn it? Or, truth be told, would you miss the driving desire to acquire more and have the stuff you want? When it comes to getting the new stuff you desire, do you resonate with Saint Augustine who prayed, "Lord, give me chastity and self-restraint, but not yet" (Confessions).
Well, just before the above statement, the apostle Paul tells us his secret:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ~ The apostle Paul (Philippians 4:6-9)
Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this. So - attitude check.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
God says the route to contentment is to focus on what we DO have, which is ultimately God himself, and be grateful.
CONFESSION
(Personal reflection)
I confess that I am too easily lured into a "poor me" narrative, forgetting to live in tune with reality, which should leave me bursting with gratitude for and contentment with all that God has provided me.
I know that some people struggle with worry as a psychological default setting. N.T. Wright says:
"Living totally without worry sounds, to many people, as impossible as living totally without breathing. Some people are so hooked on worry that if they haven't got anything to worry about they worry that they've forgotten something." ~ N.T. Wright (Matthew for Everyone)
I don't tend to be a negative ninny but default. (Or maybe I am, and just don't realize it?) Still, during different seasons of my life I have fallen headlong into this mentality for a period of time.
Sometimes it doesn't manifest as a fretting kind of worry, but simply an erosion of faith that God is taking care of me. My focus shifts from God's Kingdom to my kingdom, from righteousness to relentless striving. We rarely identify successful, driven, go-getters as manifesting a lack of faith, but I know that sometimes that has been me.
For instance, I remember when a friend invited me to join him in a multilevel marketing company. I saw the potential and was drawn in because I felt I "needed" the extra money (even though I had a fine and fulfilling job at the time). And, you know, I really enjoyed the experience, at first. It helped me get out of my shell and strike up conversations with people to eventually invite them into our business arrangement. But after a while, two red flags popped up. (This was my issue, not the company's.)
First, I realized that I was becoming more motivated to talk to friends, family, and even strangers about Amway than I was about Jesus. And that bothered me.
Second, my "upline" told me I needed to spend time every day envisioning the things I don't have but wish I did have. I needed to practice "Dream Building" and/or "Vision Boarding". This would help motivate me to progress in the business. When I asked if this exercise might create discontentment, their reply was chilling: "Contentment is the enemy of this business."
So I quit.
I knew I had to choose between "Contentment is the enemy" and "Be content with what you have" (Hebrews 13:5). Because my business friend was a Christian, I was able to talk about my struggle with them. I explained I just wasn't strong enough to do their dream building while also practicing the simple way of contentment that Jesus laid out in his Sermon on the Mount. No judgement, just honest self-assessment.
I am currently more poor than I have ever been in my life. I own very little. (No complaint here. My needs are met and I am grateful.) So practicing contentment as a daily spiritual exercise has become increasingly meaningful to me. I think of all that I do have, especially by way of rich and rewarding relationships, and I let my heart be filled with gratitude. Keeping this positive disposition isn't easy for a depressed person. But therapy, medication, and Jesus are all helping. And the help I receive from Jesus usually comes through Jesus people.
Recently I met with a friend for coffee and cookies. We talked about my financial woes and he was relentlessly positive, not letting me slip into self-pity. He didn't give me falsely hopeful platitudes based on myths we tell ourselves about the future ("Don't worry, you'll make all your money back one day" or "Don't worry, I know something big is just around the corner for you"). No. Instead, he helped me remember to be content with what I have. He said, "If you gotta be poor, be grateful to God you're living in one of the best countries in the world to be poor in. And besides, you are surrounded by people who love you. You're rich in what counts." And that's what I needed to hear.
Then he noticed the cookie I was saving for later and added: "And you have a cookie. What more do you need?"
What a great perspective. A kingdom perspective. I have caring friends, AND a cookie. What more do I need indeed.
When I was young, a pastor helped me put all of this into perspective with this illustration that I'm happy to pass onto you. It is the mental approach of embracing worst-case-scenario and reframing even that as a good life, because... God. Rather than calm my fears with "The thing I'm worried about probably won't happen anyway", I tell myself: "The thing I'm worried about just might happen, and that's okay." I think about this whenever I am tempted to go down that road of worry and anxiety (and these days that is often).
Now at first, this worst-case-scenario mental exercise can sound trite or apathetic, or maybe silly and sensational, or even offensive to some. And maybe it's not for you. All I can say is it was told to me with the greatest of love, sincerity, and conviction. And it has helped me ever since.
Let's say I am or you are worried about something simple, like missing the bus. And we are in danger of spiraling down a slippery slope of worry. The mental dialogue begins. Let's walk through it together...
Oh no! We're going to miss the bus!
That's okay, another bus will come along.
But we might be late for work.
That's okay, because life will move on. And in light of eternity, this isn't a big deal.
But we could lose our job.
That's okay, because God will take care of us.
But we might not be able to find work again easily.
That's okay, because the community of faith can help, and this could be a life-giving opportunity to practice vulnerability and simplicity.
But we might have to sell possessions or move from our home to survive.
That's okay, we are more than our treasures on earth. This will be an opportunity to live like many saints throughout church history.
But what if all the stress creates mental and physical symptoms that threaten to ruin our quality of life.
That's okay, because we are fortunate enough to live at a time in history where psychological and medical help is more readily available than ever.
But what about that doctor's appointment coming up - what if we find out our symptoms are actually due to cancer.
That's okay because we're blessed to live at a time in history when there is great medical help for that like never before.
But what if the cancer is too aggressive and can't be stopped?
That's okay, because even though it will be sad to leave loved ones behind, we will see them again soon.
But what if friends and family struggle because of our death?
That's okay, because throughout history we see that people are pointed to Jesus when they watch a Christian die well. And the Kingdom is what's most important.
But what if fear of dying starts to take over near the end?
That's okay, God knows we're only human. Besides, more than likely we will tune into a higher reality as the veil gets thinner and we'll begin to sense heaven before we get there.
But what if dying is a painful and hard process.
That's okay because we are fortunate enough to live at a time in history where the process of dying is better than it's ever been. We have help for our pain and if it gets too bad, when we're near the end, we can literally get high till we die. And when it's over, we will be whole, healed, happy, and face to face with pure Love.
But what if I just don't know how to die well?
That's okay, Jesus shows us! Just pray, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
Now stop worrying about missing that bus and get moving.
I feel like this is the process Jesus takes with his disciples when he tells them:
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world!” ~ JESUS (John 16:33)
You may find this accepting-worst-case-scenario thinking a touch macabre, but I find it becomes my unlikely springboard to resilient joy. Whenever I sense worry or anxiety choking my thoughts, I simply accept death as the absolute worst outcome. And if that's okay, then I'm ready for anything.
In a world marred by sin and suffering, hardship is inevitable for everybody, and particularly for those who seek to live for God. After all, we follow a crucified Messiah and cannot expect a bed of roses. We were never promised one." ~ Michael Green (The Message of Matthew)
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~ The apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:7)
CONCLUSION
(One last thought)
Simplicity is a gift, not a curse. Having little, needing little, desiring little, and being worried about little is a kind of freedom. It reroutes our focus from those who have more to those who have less.
It would be tempting to dismiss this teaching about worry-free living as trite and cliché, if it wasn't for the Source:
"If just anyone told us not to be anxious, to trust God and to enjoy the birds and the lilies, we might gag with disgust. But Jesus wasn't merely the man of joy and delight; he was also the man of sorrows, the God who plunged into our deepest darkness, the one who walks with us through our pain and suffering, the one who was crucified between two sinners, the one who stood by his friend Peter during his most crushing personal failure. He is for us and he is with us. He shows us the Father's heart. He lived in loving, joyful, trust-filled union with the Father. And in our darkest and most anxious moments, he invites us to trust in his Father as well." ~ Matt Woodley (The Gospel of Matthew: God With Us)
CONTEMPLATE
(Scripture passages that relate to and deepen our understanding of this topic)
Mark 10:29-30; John 16:33; Colossians 3:23-24; James 1:9-11; 4:13-16; 1 Peter 5:7
CONVERSATION
(Talk together, learn together, grow together)
What is God revealing to you about himself through this passage?
What is God showing you about yourself through this passage?
What are you worried about most these days?
What is one thing you can think, believe, or do differently in light of what you are learning?
What questions are you still processing about this topic?
CALL TO ACTION
(Ideas for turning talk into walk)
Admit your struggle to one other person. If you have a problem with spending or hoarding, ask this person for help/accountability. For instance, set a day to take stuff to the dump or charity together, or for one month commit to telling each other what extras you purchase while you try to reduce spending.
Give money to someone in need. It could be an official charity or someone you know who is struggling financially. Give a little more than you would normally. Let it stretch you. And pay attention to how that feels.
Talk to a friend about what is worrying you most these days. Let them bear the burden with you (Galatians 6:2)
Listen to this song. Invite God to speak to your heart, and talk about or write down what you hear him saying.
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