How does Jesus’ assurance of God’s
provision in Matthew 6:25-34 reconcile with Christians who suffer or even die
for their faith?
In Matthew
6:25-34 Jesus said:
This is why I tell you: Don’t worry
about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than
clothing? Look at the birds of the
sky: they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how
the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all
his splendor was adorned like one of these!
If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today
and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of
little faith? So don’t worry, saying,
“What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For the idolaters eagerly seek all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the
The primary purpose
of this passage is to explain why we shouldn’t worry, rather than to guarantee
food and clothing. It doesn’t say we
don’t need to work for food and clothing (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12), but that,
in providing for our family, we need to seek God’s Kingdom. We need to seek God’s purpose in our daily
activity rather than worrying about the future, as if God doesn’t control the
future.
Earlier in
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus already mentioned that Christians should expect
persecution (Matthew 5:10-11) as well as in Matthew 24:9, Luke 21:12, and John
15:18-25. But, the best passage where
Jesus addresses both persecution and providence is Luke 12:4-7:
“And I say to you, My friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! (HCSB)
In Matthew
6:26-30 and Luke 12:6-7, Jesus used what we consider insignificant in creation essentially
to say that God’s attention encompasses every detail of creation. These verses answer the question, “If a tree
falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” They imply, “God hears every tree that falls
in the forest.” Nothing happens that surprises
God. What God does promise us is
whatever happens in our lives God works for good (Romans 8:28). It may not seem good to us, but God’s Kingdom
is a much higher good than the concerns of this life. God’s goal is to conform us to the image of
Christ (Romans 8:29), and Christ suffered and died for us.
Luke
21:12-19 tells those going to trial for their faith not to worry about
preparing ahead of time:
But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of My name. It will lead to an opportunity for you to witness. Therefore make up your minds not to prepare your defense ahead of time, for I will give you such words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will kill some of you. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. By your endurance gain your lives. (HCSB)
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t prepare to give a
testimony (1 Peter 3:15), but that we should depend on the Holy Spirit rather
than worrying about our limited ability.
While Luke 21:15 gives us assurance of Jesus giving us the words to say,
Jesus doesn’t assure us that the judge will take our side, but says judges will
sentence some to death. This passage seems
to conflict with itself when Jesus says, “They will kill some of you,” but in
the next sentence, “not a hair of your head will be lost. By your endurance gain your lives.” This only makes sense if one sees it as
contrasting physical life with eternal life.
Does God
fail to provide for the Christians who suffer or die for their faith while putting
God’s Kingdom first? Consider what Jesus
Christ has provided. He died on the
cross to provide forgiveness for our sins (1 Peter 3:18). This forgiveness is available for anyone who
will turn his life over to Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior (John
3:16). This provision gives us life with
God after death (John 14:3) and is more important than any other
provision. The Christians who suffer and
die for their faith willingly do so because of God’s provision of eternal life
(Philippians 3:7-11).
_______________
HCSB
= The Holy Bible : Holman Christian Standard Version.
©2007 Perry Vernon Webb. You may
quote this page in part or the whole as long as you
1) do not alter the wording and
2) reference this Internet page as the
source of the quote.
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