Matthew 6:25 Meaning of Do Not Worry about Your Life

Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

Explanation of Matthew 6:25

In the previous verses, Jesus has warned against the love of money, saying that to love money in the way that men do is to make it their master instead of God. Now Jesus is drawing a connection from the love of money to worry about life, as though the only things that matter in life are food and clothing. But when Jesus said that he came so that we would have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10), he did not mean that he came so that we could eat more than we needed, or dress finer than we were before.

The application to which Jesus will arrive at the end of this section of the discourse is that we should seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the things we need and worry about will be added unto us. God has created the world to work by certain principles, and his requirements for his people in terms of character include joyful productivity. Whether it is from the joyful production (Gen 1:26-28) that is a result of a principle of stewardship, including work for the glory of God, or through simply asking God for our daily bread (Mt 6:11), a Christian should expect that God will provide all we need, leaving us free to focus on how to serve him and glorify him in the world.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 6:25

#1 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry…”
Having spoken of the love of money and treasure in heaven, Jesus says, “Do not worry.” The Christian has the right not to worry about anything. In fact, he or she is here commanded not to worry. This should be a source of great encouragement.

#2 “…about your life,”
God holds your life in the palm of his hand (Isa 41:10). Jesus teaches us that his Father and ours cares for us, and our life is important to our Creator.

#3 “what you will eat or drink;”
God is the one who provides our daily bread. He created us and mandated for us to be productive, but even in our own productivity, we are to look to him for our sustenance (Ps 145:15-16).

#4 “or about your body, what you will wear.”
Indeed, When Adam and his wife made their own clothes to cover their shame (Gen 3:7), God made the first animal sacrifice to make clothes for them, forecasting the future sacrifice of his only Son to cover our nakedness and shame.

#5 “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
Jesus calls us to trust God for the basic things of life and shift our eyes higher to more important things—God, love, justice, mercy, joy, and truth.

Expert Overview of Matthew Ch. 1-13

Biblical Translations of Matthew 6:25

NIV
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

NLT
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”

ESV
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

KJV
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”

NKJV
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”