Luke 12:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now the words, Take no thought, are not the same as do no work, but, “Have not your minds fixed on earthly things.” For it so happens, that the man who is working takes no thought.

The Lord carries us onward by degrees to a more perfect teaching. For He taught us above to beware of covetousness, and He added the parable of the rich man, intimating thereby that the fool is he who desires more than is enough. Then as His discourse goes on, He forbids us to be anxious even about necessary things, plucking out the very root of covetousness; whence he says, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought. As if He said, Since he is a fool, who awards to himself a longer measure of life, and is thereby rendered more covetous; be not ye careful for your soul, what ye shall eat, not that the intellectual soul eats, but because there seems no other way for the soul to dwell united to the body except by being nourished.

Now the soul is more excellent than food, and the body than clothing. Therefore He adds, The life is more than meat, &c. As if He said, “God who has implanted that which is greater, how will He not give that which is less?” Let not our attention then be stayed upon trifling things, nor our understanding serve to seek for food and raiment, but rather think on whatever saves the soul, and raises it to the kingdom of heaven.

Now nothing is more likely to produce conviction in believers that God can give us all things, than the fact, that the ethereal spirit perpetuates the vital union of the soul and body in close fellowship, without our exertion, and the healthgiving use of food does not fail until the last day of death has arrived. Since then the soul is clothed with the body as with a garment, and the body is kept alive by the vigour of the soul, it is absurd to suppose that a supply of food will be wanting to us, who are in possession of the everlasting substance of life.

In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, it is written, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no care for your soul what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, nor for your body what ye shall put on."

This passage invites deep reflection on the significance of spiritual assurance, emphasizing that one should not be anxious about material sustenance or clothing. The essence is to focus on the soul and trust in divine providence rather than being preoccupied with earthly needs.

During His discussion with the disciples, an individual approached Him, requesting His assistance in dividing his inheritance among his siblings. The Lord had never asserted the role of a civil authority, and He did not accommodate this request. Instead, He highlighted how self-serving interests can fracture the bonds even among brothers and condemned the folly of those who seek to amass wealth through any means available, sharing the parable of the foolish rich man. He then returned to the earlier dialogue with His disciples, connecting it to the lesson within this parable.

Speaking to His followers, Christ teaches them about liberation not just from greed and the yearning for wealth, but also from worldly anxieties as a whole. These teachings are shared in Matthew 6:25-33 and Matthew 19:21.

Christ elaborated on this idea, urging His listeners to refrain from pursuing the distractions of this world and to prioritize the well-being of the soul, which holds greater significance than the physical body. The body is the most base aspect of humanity, akin to that of lower creatures, and there is no necessity to overly focus on it to meet its needs. Nature itself provides ample resources for its sustenance. Consider the crows; "they neither sow nor reap; they have neither storehouses nor barns, and God feeds them. Are you not of more value than the birds?" The same principle applies to clothing. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

In His teachings on self-denial, the Lord cautioned against an overemphasis on fulfilling physical desires while simultaneously highlighting the Divine Providence that oversees all of creation, with a particular focus on humanity, who stands as the pinnacle of creation.