Matthew 6:26

Matthew 6:26 is the twenty-sixth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues the discussion of worry about material provisions. In this verse Jesus tells his followers not to be anxious about food, but to rely on God as the birds, who are worth far less than people, are fully provided for.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither

do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly

Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither

do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father

feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 6:26

The opening verb in this verse can mean either consider or behold. The second meaning implies that Jesus, speaking in the open air, pointed to some birds nearby while speaking these lines. Birds of the sky literally translates as "birds in heaven," but this was a common expression for birds in flight through the air and does not imply the birds were with God.

There are several debates over this verse. Firstly it can be interpreted as a commandment to idleness, to not farm or work for your food as God will provide for you. This view can be countered by pointing out that birds are far from idle, having to go to a great deal of effort to gather their food. Martin Luther commented on this verse that God provides food, but does not drop it in their beaks.^[1]

But as Hendriksen notes, this raises the question that if the birds have to do so much work to get their food, is God really the one providing for them? Hendriksen counters that God provided for them by creating a world filled with food, and giving the birds the instincts to collect it. The verse could also be read as a call for self-sufficiency or for a return to a hunter gatherer lifestyle, something advocated by the philosopher Seneca. Other verses make fairly clear this is not what is meant.^[2]

How birds are without worry is also an open question. Fowler argues that it is because they are creatures of instinct. They follow the natural laws laid out by God without choice or deviation. If humans were equally as focused upon following the commands of God without hesitation we too would be without worry and anxiety.^[3] Nolland notes that this reference to animals doesn't fully reflect biological reality. There are many creatures that store and save food, and there are also many animals that die from starvation.^[4]

This verse quite clearly reflects the anthropocentrism that is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Jewish thought of the period and Christian theology since, have always placed man, who was created in God's image, above the animals and the rest of nature. Fowler argues the superiority of humans to birds in this verse is not so much one of theology, but more one of ability. Humans have the ability to farm, to store food in barns, and to plan for the future. Birds have no such gifts and their lives are ones of hard work for little reward. Despite these greater burdens birds have, they are not anxious about the future.^[5]

This verse is paralleled in Luke 12:23, but Luke has ravens instead of birds. Harrington notes that ravens were considered unclean and they might have been removed from Matthew for this reason.^[6]

References

1. France, R.T.. The Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007 pg. 268
2. Hendriksen, William. The Gospel of Matthew. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1976
3. Fowler, Harold. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume One. Joplin: College Press, 1968
4. Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 311
5. Fowler, Harold. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume One. Joplin: College Press, 1968
6. Harrington, Daniel J. The Gospel of Matthew. Liturgical Press, 1991 pg. 102