Transcript:

Just before the passage we are looking at here, the point was made in the Gospel that material possessions can’t satisfy the human heart.

It’s folly, it’s madness, really, to place our security in wealth and in things, in wealth and in things. And so then, in this passage, Jesus wants to direct our attention to God and he begins to explore the anxiety that can lead us becoming obsessed with wealth. Do not worry, he says. Do not worry, he says the first one life, which leads to an excessive anxiety about food, and the body, which leads to an excessive anxiety about clothing. And so in the verses that follow, Jesus takes up each, each food and clothing.

But what Jesus is really trying to do is to encourage us to nurture a basic attitude to, and belief in our relationship with God. Get that right first, and other things, including legitimate concerns, will fall into place.

Ultimately, Jesus is sharing his conviction about the real and lasting riches that are available to us, if only we truly open our lives to God. It’s God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom. Everything else pales into insignificance.

We invest everything with God, as it were, and if our treasure is there, then our hearts will be too. So the call is not to get wrapped up in a whole lot of anxiety and worry, to really do our best to open ourselves to God, to Christ, develop that relationship with him, get that right first, and ultimately wonderful and beautiful things can happen for all of us.