Do Not Be Anxious
- Shaunelius Sterns
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Adapted from the ESV Men's and ESV Women's Devotional Bibles
The high point of the Sermon on the Mount may be Matthew 6:33:
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
But first, Jesus engages the gods that keep us from seeking the kingdom: reputation (vv. 1–4, 16–18), wealth (vv. 19–24), and security (vv. 25–32).
The section on wealth concludes not with a command, “Don’t serve money,” but with a choice: “No one can serve two masters. … You cannot serve God and money” (v. 24). Jesus speaks to disciples who have chosen God: having taken that step of faith, they need not be anxious about material things like food or clothing (v. 25). The command “Do not be anxious” (or “Don’t worry”) appears in the beginning, middle, and end of this passage (vv. 25, 31, 34).
Jesus explains why disciples shouldn’t worry:
1. We shouldn’t worry because, “is not life more than food” (v. 25). Since God cares for all parts of life, he surely cares for our material needs.
2. Since God cares for his lesser creatures, such as birds, he surely cares for us, his children (v. 26).
3. Worry accomplishes nothing. It can’t lengthen life and may shorten it (v. 27).
4. God adorns flowers with unmatched beauty, and he clothes grass faithfully. Flowers and grass are symbols of the brevity and fragility of life (Isa. 40:7). Life is fragile, but if God cares for plants, he will protect us, despite our little faith.
Jesus’ disciples have faith, but their worry proves the weakness of their faith. Great faith comes not by looking inward, to the believing self, but by looking upward, to God. By faith we stop thinking like pagans, filled with anxiety about food and clothing. Pagans, thinking like orphans, worry. Disciples, thinking like children, relax.
Anxiety may not always be sinful. It’s wrong to tally our worries or let them congeal into one mass of anxiety (1 Pet. 5:7), but Paul had a proper anxiety (same Greek word) for all his churches (2 Cor. 11:28). Paul felt concerned, but he apparently saw his anxiety as a problem, not as a sin. There is a form of concern that is not sinful, as we take that concern to God.
Then, as faith quiets our fears, we find God’s will and follow it. We may plan for tomorrow’s food, but we don’t worry, knowing the Father supplies every need. Liberated from worry, we seek his kingdom and righteousness.
— Written by Dan Doriani
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