Questions Jesus asked #3
“Why do you worry?…” - Matt. 6:25-34
By James Galbraith
Bethel First Baptist Church - January 25, 2004
Thoughts on worry
What does worry do? – Plenty!
- At a British clinic an examination of 500 patients confirmed that more than one-third of their visual problems were caused by emotional tension.
- Dr. Leonard S. Fosdick of Northwestern University has proven conclusively that worry restricts the flow of saliva. Then, because natural mouth acids are not properly neutralized, tooth decay occurs.
- A survey of about 5,000 students in 21 different colleges confirms that worriers get the lowest grades
It can even cause us to forget how to breathe:
Peter Steincrohn, M.D., the newspaper columnist, points out that if an otherwise healthy person finds it impossible to take a satisfying deep breath, it may be caused by a common but overlooked condition called hyperventilation. When a person becomes overly anxious, her respiration tends to be shallow and yawns frequently. In a sense she has “forgotten” one of the most fundamental activities of life—how to breathe normally.
Ian MacLaren (author, minister)- What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.
Jesus has something to tell us about worry, and it’s more intensive cousin, anxiety.
Let’s look to his thoughts on the subject…
Background
Jesus has become a popular figure, known for miracles and profound teaching
- 4:23-25 - preaching the Good news of the Kingdom
- healing every disease and sickness
- various disease, severe pain, demon-possession, seizures, paralysed
He takes the disciples aside and share with them a synopsis of how we are to live…
- called by some the most profound words to ever come out of human lips
- hits all the biggies – prayer, money, marriage, divorce, anger, the law, etc.
After teaching on how we should handle money, he focuses on what we worry about
- (great lead-in – for what do we worry about more?!)
In true fashion, much of what he has to say comes in the form of a question
- 14 sentences, 5 questions (plus 3 more in brackets)
25... Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26 (Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.) Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes?
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Boil down to … Why do you worry?
So why do we worry?
Hard to answer! – What we worry about is much easier
anonymous source - An Average Person’s Anxiety Is Focused On…
40%—things that will never happen
30%—things about the past that can’t be changed
12%—things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
10%—about health, which gets worse with stress
8%—about real problems that will be faced
Jesus
- life, body (health)
- sustenance (food and drink)
- appearance (what you will wear)
- future (tomorrow)
- challenges, change, fears, health, money, family, friends, past, present, future,
- medical, genetic
- anxiety disorders, panic disorders,
But still… why?
In this case, Jesus tells us one root cause, with a oft-repeated phrase…
“O you of little faith…”
This is not the only cause of worry, but it’s the one that Jesus focuses on for special attention.
We hear Jesus say this again and again,
When disciples are about to drown in a storm…
Matt 8: 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
When Peter is about to swim with the fish he lived his life to catch…
Matt. 14: 31 “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
When hungry disciples realized they had no bread…
Matt. 16:8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
When the disciple encountered a demon they could not fight…
Matt.17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
- are there other causes of worry? of course…
- I’m not pretending to be a doctor or psychiatrist,
and I fully support medical answers to medical conditions…
But we need to listen to Jesus and acknowledge that so often
when worry reigns as King and rains a storm in our life,
it is a persistent, chronic lack of faith that is at the root of our worry,
and it is understanding and growing in faith that is at the root of the solution to our worry
Growing in faith
And what is the key to growing in faith?
Faith grows when we use it.
Let’s go back to a few instances when Jesus gave the disciples grief for their lack of faith…
1. when Peter started to sink, he was stepping out in faith, by walking on water
- Jesus gave him grief because he took his eyes off of him and onto the water
When we lose our faith, and start to worry, is it because we’re looking away from Jesus?
Look to him!
2. when the storm was blowing, threatening to sink the boat, the disciples woke up Jesus, and accused him of not caring…
Matthew 8:25 “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
Mark 4:38 “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
- when we worry, is it because we’re blaming God, instead of seeking his help?
Have faith that God knows what you need better than you do!
3. When the disciples couldn’t drive out a demon, they were relying on their own strength…
Matt. 17:19 “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
- are we simply trusting in our own strength, and treating faith as an afterthought?
Use your faith, don’t just talk it – walk it!
Conclusion - To wrap up…
When Jesus asks “why do you worry?”, he speaks to one of our most difficult battles. Worry grows on us like rot, and it can be just as hard to get rid of.
Faith means trusting in a God bigger than us,
and admitting there are things bigger than we can deal with on our own.
When he chides us for our lack of faith, he speaks to one of our most difficult challenges.
We lack faith because we do not live in faith.
We believe in plenty of things, but faith means relying on God, not just talking or thinking about him.
However, when we are willing to act on faith,
when we move past what we’re comfortable with and put ourselves in a position where only God can truly see us through,
than we start to learn what faith is, and worry starts to become a memory.
The same Jesus that asked “why do you worry” came to Earth so that one day we would not have to worry.
That day is not yet here,
but Jesus promises it to those who willing to believe and trust him.
