ルカによる福音書12:22-30　Luke 12:22-30,

「命のことで何を食べようか、体のことで何を着ようかと思い悩むな。命は食べ物よりも大切であり、体は衣服よりも大切だ。」　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（ルカ12:22-23）

本日の聖書の箇所では、なぜ食べる物や着る物のことで思い悩んではならないかという理由が三つ示されています。

その第一の理由は、命そのものの方が食べる物や着る物よりも大切だからということです。23節には「命は食べ物よりも大切であり、体は衣服よりも大切だ」とあります。これは当然のことですが、人々がしばしば忘れてしまっていることです。たとえば、体が元気なときには、肉を食べようか？魚を食べようか？何の肉にしようか？何の魚にしようか？などといろいろ考えます。また、外出するときには、どんな服を着て行こうか？どんな色でどんな模様の服にしようか？などといろいろ考えます。しかし、いったん病気になりますと、食欲もなくなり、外出することも難しくなります。食べる物はとにかく消化がよくて栄養があれば何でもよくなります。病気で寝ているときは、着る物は寝間着かパジャマしかありません。病気で食欲のない人のところに手の込んだ高価な食べ物を持って行っても、病人はそれをおいしく味わうことができません。また、最新流行のファッションを届けたとしても、ベッドに横になっている人がそれを着てどこかに行くことはできません。

病気になって初めて健康のありがたさがわかる、と人は言います。確かに、私たちは元気なときには体や命のことで神様に感謝することを忘れがちです。そして、もっとおいしい物を食べたいとか、もっと素敵な物を着たいとか、そういう思いを抱きがちです。しかし、考えてみますと、そのような思いを抱くよりも前に、自分に命が与えられて生かされているということを感謝するべきではないでしょうか。食べる物や着る物を楽しむことができるのは、言うまでもなく命があるからです。重い病気をして病院に入院していた人が、退院して病院の外に出て、太陽の光を浴びて新鮮な空気を吸い、生かされている喜びを味わった時のことを想像してみましょう。その時には、家で白いご飯におつけものと味噌汁だけの食事をしても、どんなにかおいしく感じることでしょう。また、何の飾りもない白いシャツを着て外を歩いても、どんなに快適に感じることでしょう。生かされているという感謝こそ、食べる物をおいしくし、着る物を快適にするのです。ですから、私たちは神様に生かされているという感謝を毎日の生活の中心に置くようにしたいと思います。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（9月7日の説教より）

For us humans to live on this earth, we require what is commonly called the necessities of life: clothing, food, and shelter. In our daily lives, the most immediate concern is surely what we shall eat today. Furthermore, what we wear and what kind of house we live in are matters of interest to everyone. Consequently, newspapers, magazines, television, and internet websites provide abundant information concerning these necessities.

It could be said that on one hand, this information contributes to enriching people’s lives. However, on the other hand, this abundance of information concerning clothing, food, and shelter also has the effect of stimulating human desires and increasing unnecessary worries. For instance, when information spreads about where one can eat such delicious food for a certain price, people flock to that restaurant, leading to its temporary prosperity, but eventually, it falls into decline. Furthermore, when the lifestyles of affluent individuals are publicly shared via social media, people who were reasonably content with their own circumstances may become dissatisfied upon comparing themselves to these wealthier counterparts.

Upon reflection, might the root of many contemporary societal problems lie in the widening gap between the affluent and the less fortunate? The cause of this widening gap appears to stem from the affluent seeking to accumulate ever greater wealth. According to the Japanese-language website of Forbes magazine, the assets of Elon Musk – the entrepreneur behind electric car manufacturer Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX – stood at ¥51.3 trillion as of 7 March 2025, representing a 75% increase from the previous year. While an individual possesses such immense wealth, countless people worldwide suffer from hunger and poverty. In this world of widening gap, on one hand, people from poorer countries seek to migrate to wealthier ones, while on the other, discontented individuals within the wealthier countries seek to exclude those arriving migrants. Thus, it must be said that the modern world is in a perilous state due to the conflict between the wealthy and the poor.

In today’s Bible passage, Christ teaches that we should not be anxious about food or clothing. In verse 22, Christ says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear” (NIV 2011). In verse 29, he adds, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it” (NIV 2011). Furthermore, today’s passage provides three reasons why we should not worry about food and clothing.

The first reason is that life itself is more important than food or clothing. In verse 23, Christ says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” This is self-evident, yet people often forget it. For instance, when one is in good health, one ponders, “Should I eat meat? Or fish? What kind of meat? What kind of fish?” Similarly, when going out, one ponders what clothes to wear, what colour or pattern to choose. Yet once illness strikes, appetite vanishes and going out becomes difficult. When ill, one simply wants food that is easily digestible and nutritious. When confined to bed by illness, the only clothing one has is nightwear or pyjamas. Bringing elaborate, expensive food to someone ill with no appetite is pointless; they cannot savour it. Similarly, delivering the latest fashion trends is futile; someone lying in bed cannot wear them to go anywhere.

It is said that only when one falls ill does one truly appreciate the blessing of health. Certainly, when we are well, we tend to forget to thank God for our bodies and our lives. Instead, we often harbour desires for more delicious food or more splendid clothes. Yet, upon reflection, should we not first be thankful for the very gift of life itself, before entertaining such desires? It goes without saying that our ability to enjoy food and clothing stems from the very fact of being alive. Imagine someone who has suffered a serious illness and been hospitalised, then, upon discharge, steps outside the hospital, basks in the sunlight, breathes the fresh air, and savours the joy of being alive. Then, even a simple meal at home of plain white rice, pickles, and miso soup would taste incredibly delicious. Similarly, how comfortable one would feel walking outside in a plain white shirt. It is gratitude for being alive that makes food taste delicious and clothes feel comfortable. Therefore, we should place gratitude for being kept alive by God at the centre of our daily lives.

The second reason we should not worry about food and clothing is that God provides for us. This truth is taught concretely through two examples: the ravens and the wild flowers. In verse 24 Christ says, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (NIV2011). In verses 27 and 28, Christ says further, “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, 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, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” (NIV 2011). A nearly identical passage is recorded in Matthew 6:25-31. Interestingly, in the Gospel of Matthew, it reads, “Look at the birds of the air.” Which is closer to Christ’s own words: the Gospel of Matthew, which records “birds,” or the Gospel of Luke, which records “ravens “? This is mere conjecture, but it is possible that Christ himself said to consider the ravens. In the Old Testament law, the raven was regarded as an unclean creature in Leviticus 11:15. Therefore, Matthew may have rephrased Christ’s word from “ravens” to “birds” out of consideration for Jewish sensibilities. If so, Christ’s original words might emphasise that God provides even for the ravens, unclean creatures in the Old Testament.

Now, what aspect of the ravens did Christ instruct us to consider? It is this: “They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.” Unlike humans, ravens possess neither fields to secure a steady supply of food nor storeroom to save provisions. They live day by day on the food God provides. Similarly, we humans should live trusting that God will provide our daily food. However, understanding this teaching based on the ravens requires caution. Firstly, Christ is not denying the value of labour. Ravens too fly seeking food daily to obtain their food. It is only natural that humans work to earn their daily bread. Secondly, Christ does not condemn saving as inherently wrong. In the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25, Christ recounts the master saying to the servant who received one talent: “Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest” (Matthew 25:27). This teaching is only possible because saving is considered good. Christ cautions against the greed of hoarding worldly wealth solely for oneself, or the idolatry of relying on worldly wealth as if they were God. He does not condemn saving itself as inherently wrong. We who live in the modern age should likewise walk trusting that God will provide for us, rather than worrying about increasing our worldly wealth.

Another example of the wild flowers is used in relation to clothing. As it is written, the wild flowers “do not labor or spin.” Moreover, these flowers are fleeting beings, “which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire.” Being “thrown into the fire” indicates that these flowers are plants used as fuel, so-called weeds. Incidentally, many English Bible versions have traditionally rendered this word as ‘lilies’ (KJV, RSV, NIV, NRSV, REB, ESV, CEB). However, there is no conclusive reason to interpret these flowers as lilies. Among the English versions I have read, only the 2011 edition of the New International Version translates this flower as “wild flowers.” To associate these flowers with the splendid white lilies sold in florists’ shops would be to stray from the original meaning intended by Christ. Christ is focusing on the beauty of the wild flowers of weeds. Along the banks and riverbeds of the Yanase River before our church, various wild flowers bloom. Observing them closely, one finds some whose beauty rivals, if not surpasses, that of flowers sold in florists. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what kind of wild flower Christ refers to in today’s passage, imagining the weeds blooming on riverbanks and floodplains would not differ greatly from his words.

And Christ praises the beauty of such wild flowers with astonishing words. As he says in verse 27, “Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these” (NIV 2011). Solomon was the name of the third king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. The Old Testament records that “King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind” (1 Kings 10:23-24). While the Old Testament contains no detailed description of King Solomon’s garments, 1 Kings 10:18-20 provides a description of his throne. According to these verses, King Solomon’s throne had six steps, with the king’s seat at the very top. On either side of this seat were armrests and two carved lions standing beside the armrests. On each of the six steps there were two carved lions on both sides, making twelve in total. All these were made of ivory and overlaid with gold. King Solomon, seated upon this throne, would naturally have been dressed in garments as splendid and magnificent as the throne itself. Yet Christ declared that even the wild flowers blooming in the field were far more beautifully adorned than Solomon in all his splendour. This likely points to the inherent beauty of life itself, surpassing artificial adornment. Indeed, the flowers of the field possess astonishingly delicate designs and hues in their natural form and shape. Moreover, they find their place within nature itself, blooming there without human aid. These wild flowers possess a beauty that human-made garments can never match. God has endowed living things with their own unique beauty.

The third reason not to worry about food and clothing is that worrying is, in fact, ineffective. In verses 25 and 26, Christ says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (NIV 2011). Worrying about food and clothing does not extend one’s life. Of course, in our time, it is common sense to be mindful of one’s diet to maintain health. Dietary therapy is also sometimes employed for specific illnesses. However, such dietary restrictions to promote health were likely unknown in Christ’s day. Therefore, Christ is not here denying the value of managing health through mindful eating. Rather, by saying, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (NIV 2011), Christ is likely stating that worrying about obtaining abundant food does not lead to extending human life. He is also saying that adorning oneself beautifully does not extend life. Therefore, the central message we should take from verses 25 and 26 is this: “Human cannot determine or extend one’s own life.” Human must be thankful that life has been given to oneself. Yet, human forgets about life and worries about food and clothing. Christ is asking, “Is this not futile?”

In verse 30, the final verse of today’s passage, Christ teaches us to entrust matters of food and clothing to our heavenly Father. He says, “Your Father knows that you need them.” There is significance in Christ referring to the God of heaven as “Father” here. It signifies that the God of heaven cares for those who believe in him as a father cares for his children. As you know, the Lord’s Prayer we pray together in worship begins with the invocation, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Within it is the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Christians live praying, “Give us this day our daily bread,” believing that our heavenly Father provides what we need for each day to live. God created the entire universe and continues to govern it. Moreover, this governance is not merely over the whole; every event that occurs to each of us individually happens by the gracious will of our heavenly Father.

Upon reflection, it is only natural that finite human beings must die. It is only to be expected that the shadow of death follows our earthly journey. Therefore, when we encounter life’s crises, we must not rashly conclude that God has forsaken us, or that he is not governing this world. Indeed, is there anything on this earth that endures forever without decay? Among all life on this earth, is there anyone that lives eternally here? Everything on this earth will eventually decay, and all life on this earth will eventually die. Therefore, it is only natural that this world contains many things that threaten human life. Yet God governs even these threats to human life, making manifold provision so that each person may live a measured time upon this earth. Christ teaches us that this care for human beings is more meticulous and thorough than the care God shows for the birds of the air or the flowers of the field. Therefore, let us give thanks for the food and clothing we receive today, and live trusting in our heavenly Father.