Matthew 6 is one of the most well-known chapters in Scripture. It's where we find the Lord's Prayer and it's packed full of familiar spiritual instruction. We learn how to give, how to fast, where to place our treasure, and where to place our focus. And right after giving all of these rich, practical, life-giving lessons, Jesus declares:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life…” (v.25)
So the question I naturally ask myself: for what reason?
To answer this we must zoom out, look at the chapter as a whole, and examine two threads running all the way through the verses preceding this hinge point. It's in the wisdom of these two threads that we are lead toward the root causes of all our anxiety.
1. A Heavenly Perspective (Seen vs. Unseen)
In Matthew 6 Jesus constantly contrasts what is seen with what is unseen:
- Giving in secret vs. being seen by men (v. 2-4)
- Praying in private vs. public recognition (v. 5-8)
- Fasting to be noticed vs fasting silently (v. 16-18)
- Earthly treasure vs. heavenly treasure (v. 19-21)
- Serving God vs. serving wealth (v. 24)
Over and over again, Jesus is asking his disciples:
What are your eyes focused on? What is capturing your attention?
Is your mind fixed on what is right in front of you—the visible, immediate, and temporary? Or is it set on what is unseen—eternal, heavenly, and secure?
So much of our spiritual life lives in this land of tension. Praying into the unseen. Praying toward the unknown. Living amidst brokenness clearly on display all around us, yet understanding our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms.
2. A Fatherly Perspective (Who God Is)
The second thread is just as strong: the Father.
In just 34 verses, Jesus refers to the Father 17 times, more than any other chapter in the Bible.
- Your Father sees in secret (v. 4, 6, 18, )
- Your Father rewards (v. 6)
- Your Father knows what you need (v. 8)
- Your Father forgives (v. 15)
- Your heavenly Father feeds them (v. 26)
And when He teaches us to pray, He doesn’t say “my Father”—He says:
“Our Father who is in heaven…” (v. 9)
This matters.
A.W. Tozer in his book Knowledge of the Holy says, "What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."
Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as a man thinks within himself, so he is." Isaiah 26:3-4 says, "The steadfast of mind You (God) will keep in perfect peace (shalom shalom) because he trusts in you."
Jesus is constantly going off privately to pray to His Father. He gives so much of His attention to His Father and He places so much of His dependence on His Father, even going as far as declaring that "The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing" (John 5:19).
Jesus modeled perfectly a focus, affection, and trust toward the Father. And here in this chapter, He's inviting us into that same pattern of life. Deep thoughts about the character of God, deep levels of peace.
The Hinge: “For This Reason…”
Everything Jesus says above leads to this statement in verse 25:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life.”
In other words:
- Because your Father sees (v. 4)
- Because your Father hears (v. 6, 1 Peter 3:12)
- Because your Father knows (v. 8, 32)
- Because heaven is where true treasure belongs (v. 20)
- Because your Father provides (v. 26, 30, 33)
- Because of the nature of who God is at His core (v. 8, 26)
We are not to be worried about our life. All anxiety in our live is an invitation to draw near to God and to narrow our thoughts on who He is and trust Him. To think about the magnitude, the sovereignty, and the love of God, in the midst of whatever circumstance we are navigating.
We are to "Consider the lilies" (v. 28).