Commentary on Matthew 6:34

Primary text

Matthew 6[i]:34: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

1. Exegetical insights

• “Therefore” ties Matthew 6:34 to Jesus’ whole teaching on anxiety in Matthew 6:25–33. The command rests on God’s fatherly care, not on human optimism.
• “Take no thought” means do not be anxiously preoccupied. Jesus is not forbidding wise planning, work, budgeting, or care for others. He forbids the fear that tries to carry tomorrow before God gives tomorrow.
• “The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself” personifies tomorrow. Each day comes with its own duties, mercies, and troubles under God’s rule.
• “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” teaches sober realism. The Christian life is not free from trouble, but God gives grace for today’s trouble today.

Supporting biblical texts

Matthew 6:25: “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?”

Matthew 6:26: “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?”

Matthew 6:30: “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

2. Theological teaching

• God is Father and provider. Jesus grounds freedom from anxiety in the Father’s knowledge and care, not in self-confidence.
• Providence is personal. God governs birds, grass, food, clothing, time, and trouble. His care is not vague; it reaches ordinary needs.
• Faith is undivided allegiance. Matthew 6 moves from secret devotion, to heavenly treasure, to serving one master, to trusting the Father. Anxiety often exposes a divided heart.
• The kingdom comes first. Christian faith receives this as grace-shaped obedience: believers seek God’s reign and righteousness because Christ has first sought and saved them.
• Grace is given daily. The verse does not promise a trouble-free tomorrow. It promises that tomorrow belongs to God before it belongs to the believer’s fears.

3. Practical application to modern Christian living

• Plan responsibly, but refuse to worship control. A calendar can be a servant; it must not become a saviour.
• Name today’s responsibilities plainly. Ask, “What obedience has God placed before me today?”
• Distinguish concern from anxiety. Christian concern prays, acts, and loves. Sinful anxiety ruminates as though the Father is absent.
• Receive limits as mercy. You are not called to bear a lifetime of imagined troubles in one afternoon.
• Practise daily dependence through prayer, work, rest, and simple trust in God’s ordinary provision.
• When anxiety is severe, persistent, or overwhelming, seek pastoral care and appropriate clinical support. Trusting God does not forbid receiving help.

4. Meditation guide

1. Read: Slowly read Matthew 6:25–34, ending with Matthew 6:34: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
2. Observe: Notice the Father’s care, the repeated command not to be anxious, and the call to seek first the kingdom of God.
3. Confess: Tell God where tomorrow has become heavier than today’s obedience.
4. Receive: Rest in the truth that your Father knows what you need before tomorrow arrives.
5. Act: Choose one faithful action for today: pray, apologise, work, rest, give, forgive, or ask for help.
6. Pray: “Father, keep me from borrowing tomorrow’s sorrow. Teach me to seek your kingdom today, trust your providence, and walk in the grace you give now. Amen.”

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[i] Matthew 6
King James Version
6 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 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?
26 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?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.