Maybe you are old enough to remember Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 #1 song, Don’t Worry, Be Happy. It actually won a Grammy for the best song of the year. The first time I heard it I thought it was cute and catchy, but after my older daughters listened to it countless times over and over on their cassette player it quickly lost its appeal.
Don’t worry, be happy? Are you kidding?
Do you ever worry? Are you ever anxious? With economic uncertainty and the looming election, it’s no wonder that worry has been a frequent companion.
Imagine yourself a first century disciple. Your average lifespan is much less than we know, you have no checking account, you have no 401K, you have no Social Security, you have no Medicare, you have no unemployment insurance, in fact, you have no insurance at all, you have no dental program, you have no health benefits, you have no refrigerator, your meals are acquired each day for the day as you have no canned food or TV dinners, bread must be baked daily, food spoils quickly, there are no exterminators, running water is almost unheard of, clean water is hard to find, bathroom facilities are non-existent, you have no hand sanitizer, basic hygiene is non-existent, you have no washing machines or microwave ovens, scorpions and snakes are commonplace, you have no Tylenol, Novocain, penicillin, Ambien, Zoloft, or any modern medicine. You have few possessions and the ones you do have would likely fit into a couple of laundry baskets. For some time, you’ve been following Jesus and He’s called you to live a life of committed discipleship. He has just forewarned you about what this call to discipleship will look like, and then He begins to address the issue of worry and anxiety. Take a look at Luke 12,
Luke 12:22-34 22 And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?1 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,1 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his1 kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
It’s not for nothing that Jesus uses the example of ravens. They were unclean scavengers. Ravens clean up garbage and dead animals. According to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 they were undesirable birds and were to be treated as something disreputable. It is the wisdom and glory of God to use unusual means to provide for His people. Manna and quail in the wilderness wanderings and a raven for the prophet Elijah, but for the most part ravens were not thought well of. These ravens were nasty scavengers and Jesus makes the point that even these are fed.
And then Jesus says you cannot add any length of time to your life by being anxious. An example is given of lilies as well. Solomon, in his finest wardrobe, doesn’t hold a candle to this flower in its bloom.
Are you more valuable than ravens or lilies? Jesus gives a resounding yes, and says, your Father knows what you need. Anxiety is unbecoming the disciple that calls God their Father. To be anxious is to impugn the character of God as our Father, but it’s also a denial of His care and mercy over His people. And then Jesus gives another reason to trust in making a connection between those things most valuable to His disciples and their hearts.
God is not stingy concerning the giving of His gifts to His people. It is His good pleasure. He is not tight-fisted and selfish. He delights in giving His kingdom to those who belong to Him. Don’t be afraid, things may look tough right now, but His kingdom is glorious and far-beyond what we can even comprehend, and He is delighted to give it. Don’t be afraid.
Here’s the truth of it…the future for these disciples was quite bleak. An incredibly difficult road lies ahead. Some of them will even lose their lives for being Jesus’ disciple. And yet, right in the middle of all of this Jesus speaks and says, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It may be exceedingly difficult right now, but He’s given His people His kingdom, and He’s given it to set His people free from anxiety. God cares more for those He loves than lilies or birds and the way we know that is in the glorious good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Don’t worry. Why? Because Christ has been given. Christ has risen from the dead, and it is God’s will (it is His intended purpose) to give His people far more than we can even comprehend.
- DJM
10/29/2024
