In our last session entitled Spiritual Sight, we learned how to “read” creation for signs of God’s loving care. Jesus offered ravens and lilies as examples of the common objects through which divine lessons of God’s providential care are given.

Now, we focus on combating worry by considering its pointlessness and replacing it with a superior concern – the kingdom of God. As we consider Jesus’ prescription against worry we must never forget that he addressed the poor who lived hand-to-mouth. If he believed that they could learn to depend upon God for their daily needs, then how much more should his teaching apply to those of us who have adequate material resources.[1]

Why Worry?

Jesus offers a number of reasons to reject worry.

First, extreme worry concerning the basic needs of life reveals an inadequate view of life. “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Luke 12:23). Put simply: there is more to life than food and clothing. These things, though basic, are not the most meaningful things in life. They are legitimate concerns, but they should not be our ultimate concern. If we are over-worried about these basic necessities, then we will fail to focus on what is most important in life.

Second, worry is useless in light of God’s care. As we noted in our last session, “God cares for all creatures; God cares even more for you.”[2] This principle is the basis for Jesus’ reflections on God’s care for fowls and flowers (Luke 12:24, 27-28). God is aware of you and your needs. You are his child and he is your Abba – your perfect parent, your loving Father. God is capable of providing your needs and committed to doing so. Therefore, approaching life with self-sufficient, anxious behavior prevents us from resting in the loving embrace of our heavenly Father.[3]

Third, worry is impotent as a strategy for prolonging life. Put simply, anxiety is not productive. It ultimately accomplishes nothing. It is an impractical and profitless activity. Jesus puts it like this: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26)[4]

Fourth, and most importantly: worry is misguided in its focus. Worry is self-referential. It is occupied with the self and its needs. This is not the way of the kingdom. It is here that Jesus’ teaching separates itself from simple self-help principles.

The reality of the invading kingdom of God in Christ offers us an alternative vision by which to lead our lives. It teaches us to place our primary concern on the fulfillment and expression of God’s kingdom. It is for this reason that the Lord’s Prayer does not begin with our self and our needs, but with God’s kingdom and God’s will. Long before we pray for our own concerns (e.g., “give us this day our daily bread”) we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will – which is directly connected to the coming of God’s kingdom – takes precedence over our will. This is not an example of the Divine demanding his “due” before we get ours. It demonstrates that we can only live full lives when we place God’s will before our own and seek to place ourselves under the rule and reign of God.

God’s kingdom is offered as a means to take the emphasis off of ourselves. When we move from preoccupation with our self and our needs to orientation toward God’s kingdom – God’s will, God’s way, God’s mission, God’s presence – then our worry (read: “concern” if this helps you) is appropriately placed. It is precisely this focus that the unbelieving world is missing. “For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:30-31)

When people live without awareness of God’s presence and provision – God’s benevolent reign for the good of all – then the only alternative is “every man for himself.” Then, everything does depend upon us and our abilities, actions, and efforts. Then, it makes sense to build bigger and better barns and ensure our security through selfish concern. It is this worldly expression of greed and anxiety that God’s kingdom directly challenges.

Seek the Kingdom

It is the promise of the kingdom of God – the heart of Jesus’ gospel message – that confronts and challenges our fears, anxieties, and worries. The significance of this transcendent and universal reality clearly distinguishes Jesus’ teaching on worry from modern self-help advice. Jesus’ teaching goes far deeper! He demonstrates how the message of the Kingdom changes everything – especially when that message is made the central concern of our lives.[5]

Even though the kingdom of God should be our chief concern – and this should be evidenced by our intentional seeking of it – our possession of it is not something about which we need to be anxious. The reason: God clearly desires to freely give it to us! “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

The kingdom is God’s gift to us. It brings God great joy and delight – it is his good pleasure – to offer it to us. Although we strive for it, we do not obtain it by our own efforts. It is sheer and utter grace!

This is good news for those for whom religion is oppressive. Many people have been burned by those who seek to place unnecessary restraints upon those seeking to enter God’s kingdom. Some have felt as if they could never be worthy of such a gift. Others have been told that the kingdom is locked to all but a chosen few. Alan Jones expresses this well:

Religion can enhance anxiety by playing on our fears and focusing attention on the contingencies of life, its shortness and unpredictability, in a destructive way. Some religious spokesmen promise an assurance that does not reassure but only makes anxiety worse by making security dependent upon performance of rites, moral perfection, or doctrinal purity. I recently heard a televangelist spend an entire hour repeating in different ways his idea that God demands perfection and will not accept anything less. God was pictured as a critic who was never satisfied, whose acceptance depended upon a faultless performance. The anxious soul is perfectly aware that it cannot fulfill such heavenly requirements. That preacher's implicit message was that our only choice was to feel terrible about ourselves for our entire life.

Rather than being a balm for a broken spirit, such talk only pours salt into our wounds.[6]

But, this is not Jesus’ message! God wants us to receive and rest in his kingdom. Indeed, Jesus assures us that the gift is not for the great, but for the “little ones” – the “little flock.”

Jesus invites us to shed our selfish preoccupations and endless distractions that arise from anxiety over so many concerns. Instead, he calls us to view one single issue as our major concern: “Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:31).

Jesus calls us to single-minded focus – to purity of heart. And, in the words of Soren Kierkegaard, “purity of heart is to will one thing.” In this case, it is the Kingdom of God. It is this which we are to seek. It is our chief concern, our intended goal, our “one thing”.

The command to seek is in the present imperative form. It is a constant call. It is not a one-time act, but a direction in life. It is not something we obtain, but a road we are on. By emphasizing this, Jesus reveals that worry is not overcome in a day; it is overcome in and by the journey of faith.

Selfless Generosity

Worry distracts, distorts, disturbs, and distresses. It removes our focus from God and others and places it squarely upon ourselves. Selfish preoccupation makes it impossible to be self-giving.

One of the ways that we can break the hold of anxiety and live the values of God’s kingdom is to commit ourselves to charitable giving. A life attached to possessions leads to high anxiety. Liberation from greed and anxiety is experienced through generosity toward others. Our commitment to sharing with others frees us from the clutches of anxiety and greed, and allows us to reflect the reality of God’s kingdom to others.

Perhaps no other discipline better reveals whether we have surrendered our worries and reoriented our lives to God’s kingdom than the discipline of generous giving. “In other words, how we use our resources communicates our values, If we invest in earthly possessions, we show we care about things. If we invest and care for people, we radiate our love for others. God’s kingdom is about people.”[7]

Summary

According to Jesus, worry is shortsighted, useless, impotent, and misguided. It is these negative qualities that should lead us to reject worry. However, the alternative to selfish worry is not apathy, but authentic concern for that which has ultimate value – the kingdom of God. Therefore, Jesus invites us to a holy concern for God’s kingdom and for others. A single-minded pursuit of God’s kingdom expressed in selfless generosity to others is the positive result of a well-placed concern for God and others. This is worry well spent!

© Richard J. Vincent, 2006