“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matt 6:30
As parents, my husband and I have learnt to work as a team. If I hear the words “... but Daddy says...” my kids have now realised that I will always check that statement out before I act so that I am not duped into one of their schemes to get something they are not supposed to be having. There are times when I can tell instantly that there is no way on earth that Daddy has agreed to that. You see when we know each other well we can attest as to whether the words sound like they come from a person or if they are being misrepresented. I have found in my Christian walk that there have been passages in the Bible that I have read and then struggled to reconcile with what I know about the character of Jesus. Somehow what is written doesn’t seem to match up with what I know of Jesus in the word and experience of him when I commune with him each day. It’s important that we are mindful that we read translations of the Bible and at times there can be parts that have not been accurately interpreted or we have failed to understand the context in which the passage is set.
This particular passage is one such example. The phrase “O you of little faith” occurs 5 times in the gospels. When I used to read this I believed it was a rebuke from Jesus. I thought that He was frustrated or annoyed with the disciples for not believing in his power to change situations and I concluded that He was tired of dealing with their unbelief. However I realise if I stop for a minute and challenge my thinking my conclusion is not consistent with Jesus’ behaviour towards his disciples. He is endlessly patient and does not get easily annoyed. In fact the only anger he ever demonstrates is towards the religious leaders who try to make it difficult for people to draw close to God. It’s in these instances that we hear his harsh rebuke. So what does this statement actually mean? Little-faith ‘oligópistos” describes someone dull to hearing the Lord's voice, or disinterested in walking intimately with Him. So what the Lord shows us here is that for every area of your life, do not be dull to see what the Lord can do. What do you see? What do you perceive?
The 5 times we see this phrase we can see that Jesus is reminding us of his grace and care and concern for every detail of our lives. In Matthew 6:30 it says that “if God clothes the grass of the field, how much more will He clothe us?” He shows us that we need not worry about being clothed. He will provide for us! In Matthew 8:26 He rebukes the storm with one word: “Shalom,” showing us we need not be afraid of anything. In Matthew 14:31 He pulls Peter up when he is sinking under the waves showing us we can always be assured that He will save us. In Matthew 16:8 He fed 5,000+ people. We need not fear we will lack for anything. Finally, Luke 12:28 He reiterates the clothing of the grass of the field. He again assured us that He will take care of all our daily needs and the concerns of everyday life.
The Bible tells us that we receive everything from God by faith. So, faith means “to take.” What Jesus is really saying is “Why do you trust in me so little that you take so little from me? Take more! Take as much as you want!” What a wonderful way to rebuke, telling them they are not taking enough! So when you approach the Lord today, come believing in an extravagant Father who longs to lavish his love, acceptance and grace on his children and see them take every good gift He has for them.
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Unshakeable Hope Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021