Our verse for today is from Matthew 6:28-30, “So why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
This seems like a funny scene to me. Jesus is teaching what we now call His sermon on the mount to His closest disciples, and He asks these guys why they worry about their clothes. Jesus is being followed by mostly men, presumably, and He wants to know why these fishermen, tax collectors and regular joes are concerned about what they wear. Now, my image of those times is of the entire community wearing robes and sandals. I don’t see there being a Belk, Macy’s and Kohl’s in town bringing the latest fashions from Rome to them. And I certainly don’t envision these laborers flipping through catalogues in their spare time. Yet Jesus is hitting on our natural tendency to be concerned, if not consumed, with the unimportant pieces of our daily lives. We look back at them and wonder how could it make any difference which robe they wore, or which shop they got their sandals from. And they would look at us in amazement over the emblems we have to have on our shirts, or the obsession we have with shoes. But we say that we’re just wearing the styles of the day. After all, we don’t want to look like a clown held over from the 70’s.
But why not? What’s the harm? Besides our image and sense of self, what else would suffer? Would God’s kingdom come crashing down if His followers didn’t dress as nicely as possible? Would His plans suffer if I changed my thinking, and instead of buying the latest and coolest, I used that $50 to help restock the food pantry? Couldn’t you get by without some of that i-phone technology in your hands and start setting money aside for the Lottie Moon offering? Is your money well spent for all those unwatched movie and cable channels? We are trapped in a maze of culture and convenience, and we don’t even know it. We think we are living, but I think God is wanting a lot more of us. He says He clothes those of little faith. Imagine what it would be like if we lived the faith He intended us to live.
As we seek Him today, figure out what’s really important to you and to God. Don’t let anyone or anything else influence your decision. See what’s in your life that is hindering or helping your pursuit of Jesus.
Have a great weekend.
