マタイによる福音書6:25-34 Matthew 6:25-34

In the past and still today, we human beings live with many worries. And we want to be happy and free from worries. The people of Jesus’ time would have felt the same way. Many people think that if they eat good food, put on good clothes and live in a nice house, they will be happy. And they try to get those things somehow. However, when they eat something tasty, they are not satisfied with that and want to eat more tasty food. When they get one good piece of clothes, they want to get more good clothes and put on different clothes. When they live in a nice house, they become envious of those who live in a nicer house than they do, and they want to move to a nicer house next time. In this way, people who are looking for visible happiness are not satisfied with what they have, and end up living their lives worrying about what to eat and what to put on.

However, Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” That is, God has given us an important life, and we should first be grateful for that. It is true that when we are worrying about what to eat or what to put on, it is hard to live because we are worried about small things that are not as important as life.

So, what can we do to stop worrying? Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Birds of the air do not sow their own seed in the field and produce wheat and rice, harvest and store them like humans do. They live by eating the food that God gives them at the time. When we look at the birds on the Yanase River in front of the church, they are alive and well every day, eating fish, water plants, insects, nuts and berries of trees and grass. It is true that God the Father in heaven feeds the birds.

Jesus also said, “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. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you?” There must have been a variety of wild flowers in the Galilee region where Jesus grew up. On the banks of the Yanase River in front of the church, various flowers bloom in every season. In the spring, red clovers and white clovers are in bloom. In the summer, the yellow flowers of plains coreopsis and the colourful flowers of the hollyhock are in bloom. In the autumn, the red flowers of spider lily are in bloom. It is strange how many different flowers bloom every year, even though they are not as well cared for as the flowers in the flowerbeds. God makes the flowers bloom beautifully.

When we look at the birds and the flowers, we see that Jesus is right. So, the first thing that is important is to have right fellowship with God, trusting in him who gives us life and beauty. In verse 33, Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” It is fair to say that “the kingdom of God and his righteousness” means right fellowship with God. It is a fellowship in which we can honestly say “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” to God. If we have that kind of fellowship, we will not have to worry about “what to eat,” “what to put on,” or “what to do tomorrow.” We should live each day to the fullest, trusting God to take care of that day, and leave tomorrow to him.