Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

Luke 12:28
ESV But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
NIV 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!
NASB Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!
CSB If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith?
NLT And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
KJV If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
NKJV If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

What does Luke 12:28 mean?

Jesus continues to show the futility of worrying about basic life necessities. He has explained that if God provides food for the lowly, unclean ravens, He can provide for His followers (Luke 12:24). And if He can make the wildflowers beautiful, He can provide clothing (Luke 12:27). Ravens, meaning crows, are unclean scavengers. The grasses bloom one day and are burned to heat ovens the next. In His extravagant love, God shows His followers are more important than either.

This verse represents the confusion in interpreting the entire passage. Is Jesus saying that His followers will never die of starvation and will never be without clothing? Is this a promise just for the disciples? Or is it saying that God will only provide for those with enough faith? None of these are reasonable. After all, crows can and do sometimes die for lack of food, and flowers may be trampled. Jesus' teaching is given in the context that death will come whenever God sees fit. Fearing it accomplishes nothing (Luke 12:4–5).

The point of the passage isn't to reveal a promise to provide for our every comfort, but to remind us that God can provide and our worry cannot. Jesus is also explaining our God-given purpose is greater than extending our lifespan. We are called to seek God's heavenly kingdom, not to cling to earthly treasure (Luke 12:23, 31–34).

However, there is a sense in which God does promise fullness and comfort. When believers in Christ receive our new, glorified, eternal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 John 3:2), we will have everything to eat we desire. We will be clothed more beautifully than the flowers. As we seek God's kingdom now, these things will be added to us in time (Luke 12:31).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit