GODS CARE FOR HIS CHILDREN;
THEIR DUTY OF WATCHFULNESS.
AND Jesus continued speaking to his disciples and the people who were gathered to hear him, as follows:-
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them; how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Jesus did not mean by this talk to forbid people from taking care to provide for their own temporal wants, but simply to warn them against being too anxious about them, and thus making the things of this life of more importance than their eternal welfare.
Then the Saviour spoke to his followers these words of comfort, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." He bade them to be willing to sell of their goods to give to the poor, and urged them to provide themselves bags, or purses, which would not grow old,-" a treasure in the heavens, that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." "For," said he, "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Jesus then began to talk to his disciples as if he were speaking to all who should believe on him down to the end of time. He taught them that they should always live in readiness to meet him, whenever he might appear, and warned them against being so taken up with their own business and pleasure that they should not be ready to receive him. He compared the waiting of his followers to the waiting of servants for their master when he was to return from his wedding, according to Eastern custom. He said: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching. . . . Be ye also ready; for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."
But if one of those servants should say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming, and so begin to beat the men-servants and maidens, and to eat and drink and be drunken, " the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware. . . . And that servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes: for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.