Matthew 6:33 Meaning of Seek First His Kingdom

Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 6:33

This is a key text in the life of a disciple. It ranks just below the whole law is summed up in Love the Lord and your neighbor (Mt 22:37). People of the world worry about many things, but it is all in vain. Very few actually find the courage to live according to Jesus’ words here. Everything in us tells us that it would be irresponsible, that, of course, we must be anxious about what to eat and what to wear and everything else.

But as Christians, we have one real job, and that is to abide in Christ (Jn 15). This is also known as walking by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and being in Christ (Eph Seeking his Kingdom and his righteousness is a way of living in each moment in the presence of God, full of faith, full of the Spirit, and loving what is right.

If we make that our business, our priority each moment of each day, we will look up around us and see that God has provided abundantly for our daily needs. He will give us a life that we love (Jn 10:10), but could not have imagined. We have only to fix our eyes on him and obey him.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 6:33

#1 “But…”
This line comes after Christ’s instruction about what not to do, do not be like the Pagans, running after the things of the world or even your daily needs, because your heavenly Father already knows that you need them.

#2 “…seek first his kingdom…”
God’s Kingdom is his rule and reign over all things. There is some aspect of his rule and sovereignty in heaven that has yet to manifest itself everywhere on earth. This is why Jesus taught his disciples to pray that God’s Kingdom would come and his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10). The disciple is to seek to bring everything around him or her under God’s authority. On earth, this would include sickness, death, sin, pain, and unbelief.

#3 “…and his righteousness,”
God’s righteousness is his holiness. It is his right way. It is an objective truth about him and about the world. His righteousness is to be sought that we could conform to it and live by it. The effect of seeking his righteousness is to live out the righteousness of Christ, given to us freely by his perfect life and death on the cross for our sins. Ours is to repent and believe, calling on the name of the Lord (Ps 116:13), and then “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mt 3:8).

#4 “and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Seeking God’s Kingdom and his righteousness is a full-time job. We do not have the time, energy, or mental capacity to also worry about “all these things.” This is what the world, the Pagans worry about, and it is a dead end. Part of the hell of unbelief is to never be satisfied and to always be anxious for more than you have. God rescues us from that when we turn to his Kingdom and his righteousness.

Expert Overview of Matthew Ch. 1-13

Biblical Translations of Matthew 6:33

NIV
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

NLT
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

ESV
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

KJV
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

NKJV
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”