Matthew 6:25

Friday, 17 January 2025

 

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25

 

“Through this, I say to you, not you disquiet your soul – what you may eat and what you may drink, nor your body – what you may don. Not more, it is, the soul the food and the body the apparel?” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the unrealistic nature of serving two masters. Now, still speaking in the same general context, He says, “Through this, I say to you, not you disquiet your soul.”

 

Jesus uses the verb merimnaó, disquiet. It is derived from the noun merimna, signifying care, worry, anxiety, etc. Thus, the verb signifies the act of such things as being anxious, worrying, etc. The word single word disquiet gives the proper sense. It would be comparable to saying, “Don’t get your soul all riled up over this. Next, He tells what to not be disquieted over, saying, “what you may eat and what you may drink.”

 

How do these words fit the context of serving two masters? The answer is that if one is serving money, meaning he is seeking earthly treasure, he will naturally worry about his food and drink. It doesn’t matter how rich one becomes, he learns to live at that level of wealth. For a millionaire to decrease in wealth by a dollar is more painful than for a poor person who has nothing to lose.

 

The poor saved person has to trust in God for his daily needs, whereas the wealthy millionaire trusts in his riches to provide them. He is serving the master mammon. In the case of food and drink, the poor person will be willing to eat whatever comes his way, whether off the tree or off the ground.

 

He is satisfied with the nourishment. On the other hand, the rich person would not dare to eat something without it being washed, properly sliced, laid out in a nice pattern on a plate, and set with the appropriate utensils. He cares less about the nourishment than the setting in which it is provided. He forgets that the food is ultimately being eaten for its nutrients, regardless of how it is obtained and set forth. Continuing on, Jesus next says, “nor your body – what you may don.”

 

It is another new word, enduó, to put on clothing. It is derived from en, in, and dunó, to sink. Thus, one gets the sense of sinking into a garment. Therefore, it is to don one’s clothing. One can see the etymological connection to our modern words endue and endow.

 

The same truth exists with wearing apparel as it is with eating and drinking. A rich person will worry about every thread being perfect, keeping the garment perfect, and having lots of garments that he anxiously must choose from to impress others.

 

On the other hand, a poor person may have just one garment. It may be torn, filthy, stinky, etc. When it rips, he will hand mend it, not caring what type of stitch he uses or what color thread was obtained to do the repair. He is grateful for the blue thread on his brown garment, whereas the rich man would be in a fit if the seamstress did such a thing.

 

He may yell at her, threaten her in some way, and go home skulking that his beautiful garment was treated so poorly. He may toss and turn all night about the situation. On the other hand, the poor man will sleep sweetly in his stinky old rags.

 

Jesus then says, “Not more, it is, the soul the food and the body the apparel?” The answer is obvious, it doesn’t matter what kind of food you eat or what type of garments you wear. They don’t make the person. Each is a temporary part of his existence that will pass away in due time.

 

Life application: Of the new word enduma, apparel, a word derived from enduó, noted above, Strong’s Lexicon says –

 

“In the ancient Greco-Roman world, clothing was an important indicator of social status, occupation, and identity. Garments could signify wealth, authority, or religious devotion. In Jewish culture, clothing also had religious significance, with specific garments prescribed for priests and other religious functions.”

 

Nothing has changed. The quest for wearing the best clothing is the quest for popularity, fame, a following on social media, etc. In churches, priests and bishops are robed in super special cassocks that are highlighted with rachets. On their heads, they wear big poofy, pointed miters, etc.

 

These and other garments supposedly set them off as pious men of God filled with super religiosity. With the ending of the Mosaic Law, there is nothing prescribed in Scripture to physically set a pastor, priest, or preacher off from the rest of the congregation. And yet, in order to set these people apart, they are given these garments.

 

Unfortunately, as has been seen throughout history, such garments often adorn people whose hearts are far from God. They are money grubbers, perverts, predators, and highly arrogant in their demeanor.

 

The exquisite garments of the social elite are often lipstick on pigs. They adorn people whose hearts are self-centered and filled with pride and haughtiness. But in the masses of people who just live their lives quietly in regular clothing and who humbly come before the Lord with their requests for the meeting of their daily needs, there is fellowship and closeness with God.

 

Who is in the better standing? The answer is obvious. Be content with your station in life. Improve it if you can, but don’t fret over what you don’t have. Through Jesus, the Lord has given you all you need for an eternity of delight in His presence.

 

Lord God, thank we come before You with thanks for the many blessings of this life. You give us food to satisfy our bodies, you provide flowers on our path as we walk, and You give us rain, sunshine, cool breezes, and little puppies. How good You are to us, O God. Amen.