Worry - Part 5
A Holy Nation
Matthew 6v31-33
11th August 2012
Jesus said:
Matthew 6v31-33
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Jesus gives us three reasons here why we shouldn't worry about things like food, drink and clothes.
Firstly, we shouldn't worry because we're a holy nation - called to be different from those around us:
1 Peter 2v9-10a
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare
the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God
The NIV translators are, of course, vastly better Greek scholars than I am but I really think they're mistaken to translate the Greek word ethnos as "pagans" in Matthew 6 and elsewhere. ethnos really means "nations" (from ethnos, we derive words like "ethnic" and "ethnicity"). In fact, the Authorised version, the New King James Version, the RSV, the English Standard Bible and others translate ethnos as "Gentiles".
In our day, most of our neighbours are neither Christian nor pagan. Most are probably agnostic in practice while claiming a vague theism, many are religious but not followers of Jesus, some are atheistic, but most are not pagan - as I imagine most pagans would probably tell you. When Jesus talked about ethnos, He was referring to all non-Christian Gentiles: pagan, atheistic, agnostic, followers of other religions or whatever. This is important because Jesus is telling Christians not to live like the nations around us. He's not merely saying we shouldn't live like pagans, he's saying we shouldn't live like non-Christians.
Paul said the same, when he wrote quoting Isaiah 52v11:
2 Corinthians 6v17
"Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
Jesus says that "the nations" - anybody not Jewish or Christian - run after "these things" - food, drink and clothes. He instructs us not to do so because we're supposed to be different. But do we want to be different? Are we glad to be God's distinctive people, or do we want to blend in with those around us? Do we want to be "the light of the world. A city set on a hill" (Matthew 5v14-15)? Or do we want a quiet life? Do we want to be acceptable to those who don't know God, or are we willing to be a provocation to them? One way we're called to be distinctive is that we don't see food, drink and clothes as being all that important.
Are we willing to take up our cross daily (Luke 9v23)? Then it's a very small thing for us to be willing to forego the latest fashions and the most expensive foods and the finest of wines. We don't need these things. Our relationship with God is far more important to us, and the joy of knowing God more than surpasses any desire for such things.
The second reason we don't need to run after these things is: [our] heavenly father knows that [we] need them. How wonderful to know that God cares about our food, drink and clothes! We don't need to worry. But we do need to accept what He provides with gladness, knowing that He knows best what we should eat, drink and wear. Are we the sort of Christians who accept that Jesus died to pay for our sins, rose from the dead for our justification, and will accept us into glory, but cannot believe that he will provide for us on earth? Surely not!
Thirdly, we don't obsess about food, drink, or fashion because we have other priorities:
Matthew 6v33
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
If we put the Kingdom of God first, if we dedicate our lives to the pursuit of righteousness, then we will receive all the food, drink and clothes we need anyway.