Therefore I tell you, do not worry 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 clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
In this passage, Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount by addressing a common human condition: anxiety about daily needs. “Do not worry about your life,” He says, “what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear” (Mt 6:25). He is not suggesting carelessness or idleness, but rather a proper ordering of our priorities—placing trust in God above material concerns.
Jesus invites His disciples to look to creation for assurance. The birds of the sky do not sow or reap, yet the Father feeds them. The lilies of the field do not labor or spin, yet they are clothed more beautifully than Solomon in all his glory (vv. 26–29). These examples are not poetic flourishes; they are theological arguments drawn from creation itself. The logic is from lesser to greater: if God provides for even the smallest creatures, how much more will He provide for those created in His image—to live in communion with Him and share eternity in His presence?
The underlying message is not that material needs are unimportant, but that they must not become the dominant concern of the soul. “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all,” Jesus assures us (v. 32). The issue is not needs, but worry—worry that displaces trust and distorts the heart’s focus.
The climax of the passage comes in verse 33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” This is the key theological point: the heart that prioritizes the will and reign of God will be rightly ordered, and will receive what it needs according to divine wisdom. In biblical theology, the “kingdom of God” is not just a future reality but the present reign of God over those who submit to His will. “Righteousness” refers not to private moral achievement, but to living in right relationship—with God and with others—according to His will.
The early Church Fathers interpreted this passage not as a call to neglect daily responsibilities, but as an exhortation to spiritual detachment. St. John Chrysostom, for example, taught that anxiety about wealth and future security leads the soul away from God. He emphasizes that Jesus does not prohibit work, but “trouble of the mind.” For the early Christians—many of whom were poor, persecuted, or living under threat—this teaching was a lifeline: an invitation to entrust themselves completely to God’s care.
What emerges is a portrait of the Christian life not governed by fear or material striving, but by confident surrender to the Father. To “seek first the kingdom” is not a pious slogan—it is a radical reorientation of the heart, mind, and will.
Lord God, You are our Shepherd and Provider. Teach us to place our trust in You rather than in things that pass away. Free our hearts from anxiety, and help us to seek Your kingdom above all else. May we learn from the birds and the lilies to rest in Your love and walk in faith. Amen!
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Sources and References:
• The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
• A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953).
• The Navarre Bible: Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
• The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018).
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§2547, 2830, 305.
• St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 22.
• St. Augustine, Sermon on the Mount, II.16.
• Psalm 37:5; Proverbs 3:5–6; Genesis 22:14; Philippians 4:6–7; Luke 12:22–34.
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