Luke 12:28
If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
God clothes the short-lived grass that is beautiful in the field today and is cut down for fuel tomorrow. Since He gives such care to grass and flowers that last only a little while, He will far more surely clothe human beings made in His image whose worth cannot be overstated. The question of how much more He will clothe them rebukes little faith and anxious worry over food, drink, and clothing. Because the Father knows these needs, people are to put His kingdom first and rest in the promise that all needed things will be added. This trust frees them from letting concern for necessities become an absorbing burden and calls them to fill their appointed place by active work.
Illustration From Nature
The grass stands alive and beautiful today in the field, and tomorrow it is cut down and cast into the oven as fuel, yet God clothes it. Its clothing is an array that surpasses Solomon in all his glory, showing the simplicity of natural beauty and loveliness in a flower that toils not nor spins.
Jesus taught this lesson in the open air, choosing groves and seaside and commanding views of landscape and scenery so He could use objects humble hearers knew to make important truth plain and simple and memorable. He pointed to birds caroling without care, flowers of the valley growing in beauty, the lily on the lake, trees, cultivated lands, waving grain, hills, streams, and the setting sun, joining the works of God in nature in heaven and earth with words of life. He illustrated it by plucking a beautiful lily and placing it in the hands of children and youth while they looked into His face.
The lilies spring from the cold dark earth or the mud of the river bed and from a rough brown bulb that holds no promise of beauty. Yet they unfold in loveliness and fragrance when the hidden life of God within answers His call in the rain and the sunshine. The verse belongs to the instruction in Luke 12:22-40. That instruction includes the parable of the lilies given alongside the parable of the foolish rich man.
Even short-lived grass has an appointed work, for the springing grass clothes the fields with beauty and silently fulfills its purpose though here today and used as fuel tomorrow. In its brief life it lives under a law of obedient action in constant silent ceaseless activity, doing its appointed errand together with the restless ocean, the wind-moved leaves, and the sun, moon, and stars fulfilling their missions. Familiar things in nature are thus used to teach about God and spiritual truth. The natural objects around should recall and repeat the teaching, so that afterward when hearers look on those same birds, flowers, hills, lake and heavens the lessons come fresh to memory.
Greater Care for People
Human life hangs on God for every breath, with beating heart and pulse and nerve and muscle held in order by infinite power, and Christ first turns the mind to nature and then leads it up through nature to nature's God who upholds the worlds. Great attention is given to the grass and to every lofty tree and shrub and blooming flower and lily of the field and opening bud, and to the earth clothed in living green and kept in order in time and season, and to little birds, with rain and sunshine sent upon just and unjust, good and evil, thankful and unthankful. Such care bears testimony that God loves man and confirms His unsurpassed goodness.
Care is measured in proportion to rank in creation, so His clothing of temporary grass proves far greater care for human beings formed in His image and likeness. The flowers live only briefly before they disappear, yet God's care for them is evidence that He will care for people who are of greater consequence and worth. His eye is upon the flowers He made and adorned with beauty, and His loving care still more tenderly surrounds those formed in His image. The worth and value of the soul cannot be exaggerated. People are of greater value because made in God's image to reflect His character.
Heaven attends to humanity, and those who choose God's service are never absent from His mind. People are to reason from what God does in the natural world to the greater importance of heavenly things, rather than becoming anxious or doubtful about material needs which their Father already knows. Nature is a book through which faith can grasp eternal realities shown in earthly forms, leading minds through nature up to nature's God. Familiar things in nature are joined with words of life to extol the wisdom of God in creation and to lead people to magnify and reverence Him.
The flowers display His skill and His love of beauty and goodness. As the word of God creates the flowers, that same hidden life of God unfolds in every human soul that yields itself to the ministry of His grace. That grace comes as freely as sunshine and rain with blessing for all, producing in people the graces of His Spirit as rain and sunshine call loveliness and fragrance from the rough bulb in cold dark earth or river mud. Because the Father knows human need for food and drink and clothing, people are to make the kingdom of heaven the first consideration and seek it first. Then all these needed things shall be added, and those who put Christ's kingdom first can rest in His care, trusting Him for the blessings needed in this life. From the lily Christ draws a lesson of simplicity as well as trust in God.
Call to Confident Trust
The question of how much more God will clothe His people is a rebuke to little faith, distrust, doubt, and anxious worry over food, drink, clothing, and the other needs of life. The God who clothes the short-lived grass will care all the more for His people and provide what they need, so worry about necessities is itself evidence of little faith. Nature is given as the proof, calling for reasoning from what God does in the natural world to the greater importance of heavenly things, and for trusting Him rather than becoming anxious or doubtful about material needs which the Father already knows. To dishonor the Creator by departing from His purpose through distrust is contrary to the lesson Christ taught with the lilies, whose simplicity of natural beauty that toils not nor spins surpasses even Solomon in all his glory.
Trust in the heavenly Father's care and provision means not letting concern for food and clothing become an absorbing burden. It means trusting Him rather than departing from His purpose or being of little faith. That trust is shown in a simple life and modest, becoming dress, for costly clothing and jewelry do not give true influence, while a meek and quiet spirit, kindness, and forethought for others are precious to God. In hardships faced while serving God and standing for the truth, believers and their families need not fear being left without care, because God knows their needs.
The afflicted can therefore take courage and the desponding can hope, bringing all troubles and griefs to Jesus in sympathy, since He cares for little birds and flowers and still more for people made in His image. Patients given opportunity in outdoor life in nature can recognize God's love in the flowers and be encouraged to trust His loving care, assured that He who cares for the flowers will care for them even more. Children too can learn from flowers and birds to see God's love in nature and to trust His care, for His care for the flowers despite their brief life is evidence that He will care for people who are of greater consequence and worth. From the same flowers they learn His love of beauty and goodness, to value His natural gifts over artificial display, and to give Him their deepest affections.
Those blessed with great light are to leave tame, listless striving and put the whole heart into the service of Christ, living and practicing the truth and not only claiming to believe it, through daily prayer and watchfulness with supreme love to God and to those for whom Christ died. As part of Luke 12:22-40, the verse calls every son and daughter of God to be intensely in earnest and to take up appointed work, because believers are now the church militant and not yet the church glorified. The chapter's lesson supports moving forward by faith in providing a plain, appropriate church building, even accepting freely given help, while using the Lord's money carefully and avoiding needless expense and unnecessary spending. It calls believers to trust God and put His work before accumulation of earthly goods.
The verse warns against giving first place to houses, property, business interests, and other worldly concerns instead of trusting God and using entrusted resources to advance the gospel. Like the grass filling its appointed place by active work under God's law of obedient action in constant, silent, ceaseless activity, clothing the fields with beauty together with the restless ocean, the wind-moved leaves, and the sun, moon, and stars fulfilling their missions, human beings with mind and body created in God's likeness must fill their place by active work and not be idle, since idleness is sin. The rebuke calls present believers to have hearts worked by the Holy Spirit, to come just as they are without delay, to call on Him in faith to work for them, and to expect Him to manifest His power by multiplying workers and sending men and women of faith and prayer to work even without wages when there is no money to pay them, trusting that God lives and reigns and will provide. That same rebuke of little faith applies to those who have lost time through insufficient faith, recalling God's care and encouraging trust in His provision.