Matthew 6:32

Friday, 24 January 2025

 

For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Matthew 6:32

 

“For all these the Gentiles, it seeks upon. For your Father, the heavenly, He has known that you need all these” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus instructed His disciples not to worry. They should not anxiously ask about what they would eat, drink, or wear. Such things should not be points of concern, realizing that God is in complete control and has provided sufficiently for His people. Jesus next says, “For all these the Gentiles, it seeks upon.”

 

Jesus uses the term ethnos, Gentiles, or nations. It is a word associated with the people of the non-Jewish nations of the earth. It is derived from ethō, the forming of a custom or culture.

 

He notes that the nations who do not know the Lord as God don’t possess sufficient knowledge to understand that He is there tending to them and taking care of them, just as He has been addressing thus far. Therefore they “seek upon” the things of the world. As they cannot trust in God beyond this world, their trust must be placed in what is derived from this world.

 

The word translated as “seek upon” is introduced here, epizéteó. It is derived from epi, upon, and zéteó, to seek, search for, etc. By adding epi, it intensifies the word. They don’t just look for food and clothing, they do so diligently. They hungrily look for what will satisfy them in this life.

 

It should be noted that in some texts, this word is singular, thus the translation “it seeks.” New translations use another source text where the verb is in the plural form, “they seek.” One would think that the plural is correct, but it may be that Jesus was taking the entirety of the nations and making a point by lumping them into one unit by using the singular.

 

Either way, He next continues with, “For your Father, the heavenly, He has known that you need all these.”

 

Jesus uses the verb in the perfect tense. The Father has known the state of His people. His knowledge of this is, and it will not change even into the future. As this is so, Jesus’ words are to be taken as such. “Don’t worry and don’t fret. Your heavenly Father has it all under control, and that isn’t changing, even as you go forward into the unknown.”

 

The point of Jesus’ words is that when one knows the true God and how He has set things in motion, there should be no reason to worry about what lies ahead. He has a plan that has been in the works since the very beginning. We are living in the unfolding of that plan as the future continuously meets with the present.

 

We don’t know what the future holds, but He does. Therefore, in not worrying about the future, His people are acknowledging that He is already there, tending to what is ahead so that the plan He initiated will come to pass. This is what trust is. It is also the source of our faith –

 

“And faith, it is confidence of hoping, conviction of matters not seeing” Hebrews 11:1 (CG).

 

Life application: By using the term ethnos, Jesus has clearly and without any contestation, demonstrated that His words are not inclusive of Gentiles. He has set an absolute distinction between His audience and the Gentiles by using this word.

 

It is true that the word is used to describe Israel several times, such as in John 18:35 –

 

“Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation [ethnos] and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?’”

 

However, what Pilate has done is to note the distinction between Israel and other nations. If a Chinese were to speak of other nations, he would do the same. Thus, he would be indicating they are not Chinese. The reason why this is important is that it tells us that at this time, Jesus’ words are not being spoken to the church, an entity that will eventually be Gentile led.

 

Rather, He is directing His words to those of Israel. Some of the truths of what He says will apply later to the church, when they possess the knowledge of the true God, but that is not the context here in Matthew.

 

Therefore, to shove the church into the words of Jesus here is wholly inappropriate. We are to evaluate what He is saying, consider it in light of the context, and understand the truths as presented. When the time comes, and Jesus has fulfilled the law and set it aside by introducing a New Covenant, Jesus’ words can then be properly evaluated from this new context.

 

Those matters that deal with law, or which are specifically addressed to Israel as points of doctrine are to be left in that context. Greater truths, such as those presented in Matthew 6:26, can then be considered general rules of conduct at any given time. What He is saying in this verse is not so much a matter of law as it is a matter of the expected interaction of God’s people with their heavenly Father.

 

Heavenly Father, help us to consider the context of Jesus’ words as we evaluate His ministry. At what point do we directly apply them to our lives and doctrine, and when do we stand back and note that they are directed to Israel for a different purpose? Help us to think clearly in this lest we get misdirected. His work under the law is complete. May we rest in that and live our lives accordingly. Amen.