And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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. Matthew6:28-33
True Reality is a combination of physical, spiritual and emotional needs. In this Reality we are a combination of Body, Soul and Spirit. Many people get "bitten" when they separate these areas and emphasise one above and beyond everything else.
The Greek Culture (in which the New Testament was born) was Analytical - they were the ones who divided Body, Soul and Spirit. This distinction is often UNhelpful because we have used it to divide life into separate compartments and "never the twain shall meet!" The Hebrew Culture (of the Old Testament) tended more toward Synthesis. They saw life as an integrated whole. (They understood that if our feet are sore, our soul feels it too!)
When it comes to this text, many people move from one extreme to the other. Our so-called "real world" is an overly-materialistic world where people are gripped by possession-obsession and wealth-craving. Many people interpret Jesus' words as a call to completely abandon the physical world (and call it bad) and to live purely in the spiritual realm. This is to misunderstand Jesus words.
Jesus is not saying that working for a living is bad or that clothes and food are bad. He is calling us to balance. Materialism is bad when we become obsessed by and define ourselves according to the things of the material world.
Jesus is calling us to well-prioritised simplicity - his example of lilies, grass (and the sparrows in another passage) - is about simplicity. The lily still photosynthesises, the grass still puts down roots to get water, and the sparrow still forages for food.
His point is that we need to recognise what is temporary and what is eternal. And get the sequence of importance right.
(More tomorrow...)
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
