Matthew 6:34 meaning

Jesus adds another thing to the list of what not to worry about. He admonishes His disciples to not worry about the future. We cannot control the future. Our focus should be upon faithfulness in the present. That is the only time we can trust or act.

The parallel account of Matthew 6:34 is found in Luke 12:32.

Throughout this chapter Jesus has been discussing the motivations of the heart. These inner motivations drive our outward actions that are visible to others. Christ wants us to have an inner harmony and righteousness that overflows into our outward behavior. Our Father in heaven does not approve of fake righteousness. He does not approve of hypocrites putting on a show, pretending to be righteous, to achieve the praise of other men.

Jesus began this chapter with an opening remark about the motivation of reward, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).

He ends this section with a closing remark about the motivation of worry: So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (v 34).

When Christ commands His disciples to not worry about tomorrow He is not specific about which worries they are to avoid. Earlier, He was specific about which things they were not to worry about. They were not to worry about their physical needs going unmet. Worries such as: Will I have enough food to eat? Will I have water to drink? Will I have nice clothes to wear?

Here Jesus is not so explicit. His command certainly includes these physical concerns, but it is not limited to these anxieties. This command is broader in its scope. Here the command do not worry about tomorrow is a command to not worry about anything in the future (v 34). It is a command to not worry about the unknown. Jesus wants His disciples not to be sidelined by their anxieties over what has not yet occurred. The future does not exist. It is only an imaginary world of our own creation. Jesus wants His disciples to be active in the present. He wants them to be full of faith and act upon that faith. They cannot be presently engaged if they are worried about tomorrow.

When Jesus offered reasons for why His disciples should not worry about their physical needs, His comforts rested on the foundation that their heavenly Father was loving and good; was able to abundantly provide; and was fully aware of their situation. And while these things are still true and applicable with this general command, Jesus offers a different kind of reasoning for why they should not worry about tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Jesus says, will take care for itself (v 34). In other words, let tomorrow worry about itself. Present stress will not fix tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own (v 34). This is not divine permission to worry or stress about today’s troubles. Rather, it is a way of saying “Get busy and do what you are supposed to do today.” There are plenty of things to do now. God’s kingdom is at hand. Have faith to see it and to seek it first by acting in obedience to the commands of its King. In this way, the disciple will find His righteousness, and attain its full reward. The only time faith can be applied is in the present, today. There is not any action that can be made tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, then it is today.

Do not miss God’s kingdom. It is most often missed in two ways. First, it is missed by seeking the wrong reward (from men) through outward displays of fake righteousness, instead of seeking the right reward (from your Father in heaven) through the genuine overflow of His righteousness coming from the heart. Second, it is missed because of worry. It is missed by expending effort worrying about our life and being stressed about the future instead of using our energy to act in faith right now, in the present. In order to seek His kingdom and His righteousness, we must take actions of obedience (Matthew 6:33). We can only take actions in the present. The kingdom Jesus offers is not far off or in some distant future. It is eternal and it is present. It is either missed or found every day.

Biblical Text

³⁴ So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Book Theme

The Gospel of Matthew was written to demonstrate to the Jews of Jesus, the Messiah’s generation that He was indeed the Christ. Matthew thematically substantiates the Messianic identity of Jesus beginning with the genealogy of Jesus, which ran from Abraham, the father of Israel’s people through King David who was promised to have a son who would be on Israel’s throne forever. Throughout his Gospel account Matthew makes use of numerous prophecies both explicitly stated and by way of subtle allusion to support his thesis. Matthew further makes use of parallel events in Jesus’s life to those of Messianic figures from the Old Testament (Moses, Joseph, David, etc.) to bolster his argument.

Jesus came to offer the Jews the chance to participate in the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom. To do this, they would have to receive and follow Him as their Messiah. Jesus’s message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Ultimately, they rejected Him as their Messiah and condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion. The Jews’ rejection of the Messiah opened the door for Gentiles to enter the kingdom (Matthew 8:11-12, 22:1-10). Matthew’s Gospel is therefore a call for the Jews repent of their murder of Jesus and to embrace Him for the divine Messiah He is.

Matthew shows how their rejection of Him and His brutal death was predicted not only by Jesus Himself, but also was foretold in the Jewish scriptures of the Messiah.

The main proof that Jesus was the Messiah was “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:39, 16:4). This was Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead. “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

Because Matthew’s Gospel was written to people who were already members of God’s eternal family by virtue of their faith in God’s promise to send the Messiah, Matthew emphasizes the “reward of eternal life” (aka “The Prize of Eternal Life”) rather than “the Gift of Eternal Life”. In other words, Matthew’s Gospel focuses on how to “enter the kingdom” rather than how to “be born again”.

Matthew’s Gospel demonstrates how Jesus came to fulfill the law and open a way for God’s people to participate in the Messianic kingdom if they would follow His example of worshiping God from the heart by forgiving and serving others.

For “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). If we have faith to follow the example set forth by the resurrected Messiah, whom all authority on heaven and earth has been granted (Matthew 28:18) and take up our cross for His sake (Matthew 16:24-25), then we will become great in His kingdom (Matthew 20:26).

Finally, Matthew provides extensive samples of Jesus’s teachings including “the Sermon on the Mount”, “the Little Commission”, and “the Olivet Discourse” and many parables, alongside accounts of numerous miracles and wonders, personal moments with His twelve disciples, interactions with seekers, and increasingly as his Gospel account progresses: challenges and confrontations with His adversaries – the Pharisees, Scribes, and Priests.

Chapter Context

Having just taught that true righteousness consists of outer and inner harmony, Jesus shares His divine insight into what motivates human behavior. Using the terms “reward” and “worry,” He addresses the issues of our desires and fears. In between these two topics, Jesus gives His followers the right perspective to have when they pray.

Matthew 6:34 meaning

Check out our other commentaries:

John 18:12-14 meaning

Colossians 3:1-4 meaning

Amos 6:4-7 meaning

Hebrews 11:17-22 meaning

Deuteronomy 11:22-25 meaning

Additional Resources

Book Theme

Chapter Context

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Videos

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 1

The Bible Project - Matthew Summary Pt. 2

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