This pericope continues the subject of life and possessions (cf. "treasure"in vv. 21, 34). What Jesus implied in the parable of the rich fool He explicitly taught in these verses. His disciples should not think or act as the pagan world (v. 30) typified by the rich fool.
12:22-23 Jesus addressed the following words more particularly to the disciples (cf. vv. 1, 13). It is foolish to store up material possessions with no regard for God. Therefore Jesus urged His disciples, who had considered God, to refrain from undue concern about possessions. The life (Gr. psyche) in view is the physical life that needs fuel. The body is the outward shell that needs covering. Food and clothing are just the needs of the present life. Consequently disciples should treat these needs as secondary and not become anxious over them. There is more to life than these things. Formerly Jesus had warned against greed when one does not have possessions (v. 15). Now He warned against anxiety over them too. Anxiety is foolish because life consists of more than what one eats and wears (cf. 4:4).
12:24 The raven illustration shows that God provides for His creatures. The implication is that God will provide for people, and even more so disciples, since they are more important to Him than birds. Jesus' choice of a raven for His illustration is interesting since ravens are infamous for not feeding their own young, yet God sees that the young ravens eat. Birds do not and cannot provide for themselves as humans do and can, but God still provides for them. Again Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater (cf. vv. 6-7).
12:25 Did Jesus have age or stature in mind when He made this comparison? The NASB translators have rendered the Greek pechysas "cubit"and helikiaas "life's span"interpreting Jesus' statement as a metaphor describing age. The NIV translators translated pechysas "hour"and helikiaas "life."Both translations present Jesus speaking about the lengthening of life, not stature. This is understandable in view of verses 19-20. The rich fool could not extend his life. However pechysmeans "cubit."It is a measure of distance rather than time. Probably Jesus used it metaphorically to refer to the least possible length of increase (cf. Ps. 39:5). The idea of wanting to increase one's height by 18 inches is ludicrous if taken literally. Hardly anyone would want to do that, though most people would like to lengthen their lives a little.
Jesus' point was that worry cannot prolong life any more than it can provide for life (v. 24). Worry can really reduce one's life span.
12:26 Jesus drew the conclusion by arguing from the lesser to the greater again. If it is futile to worry about small matters that lie outside our control, it is even more foolish to worry about larger matters that lie even farther outside our control.306The smaller matters include living longer and the larger include all of life and its needs.
12:27 Jesus turned from zoology to botany to illustrate further the futility of worrying about material possessions. The flowers (Gr. krinon) cannot do anything whatsoever to provide for their own needs. They are totally dependent on God. Still He provides for them and does so magnificently. He gives every common flower more glorious clothing than Solomon, Israel's most glorious king, could provide for himself. Toiling and spinning to provide clothing seems to be in view. This was women's work in Jesus' day in contrast to providing for the young (v. 24) that was men's work. Thus Jesus implied that His teaching was applicable to both male and female disciples.
12:28 Grass is a common term for all types of plant life. People burn the common vegetation for warmth yet God has made it beautiful. How much more will God provide for people who have a longer existence and serve a higher purpose than the grass.
The disciples were men of little faith because they worried about the necessities of life rather trusting God to provide these for them.
12:29 Obviously people have a responsibility to provide for their own needs (Gen. 1:29-30; 2 Thess. 3:10). Jesus was forbidding worrying over these things. He used hyperbole (i.e., overstatement for the sake of the effect) to make His point. The Greek word translated "worry"here is meteorizesthemeaning "to raise up"or "to suspend."The idea is of a person in suspense or "up in the air"with anxiety about his or her needs.
12:30 The reason worry about these things is wrong is that it is a pagan practice. The gracious heavenly Father knows His children need these things. Therefore the believer should rely on Him to provide what is necessary.
12:31 Rather than seeking after material possessions Jesus' disciples should seek after God's messianic kingdom and the lasting things associated with it. This means preparing oneself for it and becoming an active participant in God's program leading up to it. Jesus promised that God would provide the material provisions of those who do so. The form of the Greek sentence and the context suggest that God's providing depends on the disciple's seeking for His kingdom.307This is a conditional promise (cf. Matt. 6:33).
However we need to understand this promise in the larger context of life in a fallen world. We must realize that sometimes disciples get caught up in the consequences of sin and suffering as do non-disciples. Even though God knows every sparrow that falls to the ground, He allows some to fall (Matt. 10:29-31). Likewise He allows some of His disciples to experience privation and to die prematurely.
12:32 Jesus' command to turn attention from the acquisition of material provisions to seeking kingdom concerns undoubtedly created some uneasiness in His disciples. Likewise the hostility of the Pharisees and other enemies doubtless disturbed them. Therefore Jesus, speaking as the Shepherd of the flock for which He would provide, urged them not to fear. They could release their hold on material things with the full assurance that the blessings of the kingdom and eventual reward would be theirs one day (cf. Dan. 7:27). The description of God as their Father giving them something ties in with the earlier thought of receiving an inheritance (v. 13). Faithful disciples will receive an inheritance eventually.308
12:33 In view of this prospect Jesus' disciples should strip down so they could seek the kingdom without unnecessary materialistic distractions. By getting rid of their possessions they were in effect preparing to receive their reward. Jesus pictured this as making purses in anticipation of receiving something to put in them, namely eternal rewards. Such purses would not wear out in contrast to the purses that hold material wealth. Furthermore their heavenly treasure would be secure rather than vulnerable to theft and destruction (cf. 1 Pet. 1:3-4).
"The generosity this text calls for has often been questioned. Are we really called to sell all our possessions? Jesus' point is that we must give up viewing what we call ours, as if it were a private possession to be hoarded."309
"The command to sell' and give' (or distribute') is not obsolete after Jesus' ascension, for the narrator portrays the life of the Jerusalem church in such a way as to indicate a particular kind of fulfillment of Jesus' command. . . . The descriptions of this arrangement feature the words sell' and distribute' (using pipraskoand diamerizoin Acts 2:45, poleoand diadidomiin 4:34-35), which correspond to the commands of Jesus in Luke 12:33 (poleoand didomi) and 18:22 (poleoand diadidomi)."310
12:34 As a principle, people think about and long for the place where their treasure resides whether on earth or in heaven. Investing in heaven draws one's affections in that direction, but if one's riches are on earth he or she will think more about temporal things.
Jesus wanted His disciples to be free from unnecessary anxiety as they faced opposition and persecution for their faith. To remove it from them He reminded them first that life consists of more than material possessions (vv. 22-24). Second, He told them that worry is foolish because it cannot affect objective change (vv. 25-28). Third, He noted that worry characterizes pagans (vv. 29-31). Then He encouraged them with a reason not to fear, namely that God would give them the kingdom (v. 32). Finally He urged them to transfer their assets from earth to heaven. This would give them immediate peace as well as eventual reward (vv. 33-34).
