Matthew 6: 31 – 33
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The words above are part of a long discourse by Jesus covering a variety of subjects and it is also part a section about worrying. Between verses 25 and 33 of chapter 6, Jesus uses the words ‘worry’ or ‘worrying’ six times. And at one point in verse 25 he makes a startling statement when he says that “Life is more important than food.” Yes, from the divine perspective of Jesus, life is indeed more important than food. And it is from that perspective that Jesus instructs us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” Whose kingdom and whose righteousness? God’s of course; the heavenly Father.
Why does Jesus instruct us not to worry? Well, worrying is something that we are prone to do when we are unsure about the future. When we worry we imagine what might happen. We can’t see the future but we image the worst. Some years ago I had to have heart surgery and as they were preparing me for the theatre, I knew that I might not survive the operation and at the time I had two young children who were dependant on me. So what should I do as a Christian as I was being wheeled into the theatre? Should I start worrying? Worry is born out of insecurity, often rooted in our experiences and it’s the opposite of faith. You see faith as the Apostle Paul told us is, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). As Christians we are meant to live by faith. We are ‘born again’ through faith and we are meant to live by faith. The whole of Christianity rests on faith; it is the rock on which we stand. And faith gives us security; we are safe in the hands of Jesus and he has everything worked out for us. That is why Jesus tells us not to worry.
When we understand who Jesus really is and “his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19), we should have no doubts when he tells us not to worry because he will take care of all our needs. We should take his word by faith and, instead of worrying, we should “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”. I prefer the Young’s Literal translation of verse 33 when it says, ‘but seek ye first the reign of God and His righteousness’. When we come into the kingdom of God; in other words when we become a Christian, we come under the rule of a king (Jesus). And it is our calling in life to subject ourselves to His rule. But Jesus is not a king like other kings. He does not look down on us and use us for his own ends. No, Jesus is gracious, loving and merciful. Jesus has turned kingship on its head. It almost seems contradictory I say that he serves us. That’s why the Apostle Peter had problems with Jesus washing his feet. Most kings expect us to lay down our lives for them but Jesus did it the other way round when he laid down his life for us on a cross. So there is need to fear the reign of Jesus over our lives, for his rule is gentle.
The reason why Jesus wants us to come under his reign is so that we can become more like him or in other words to grow in righteousness. Righteousness is a word rich in meaning but in simple terms it means having the character of God through a right relationship with Him. As the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:18). Our first calling in life is to get to know God better. And we do this by seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness.