Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 6:26

"Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?" — Matthew 6:26 (ASV)

Behold the fowls of the air — Better, birds. As the words were spoken, we may venture to think of them as accompanied by the gesture that directed attention to the turtle-doves, the wood-pigeons, and the finches, which are conspicuous features in a Galilean landscape. Our modern use of the word has restricted “fowls” to one class of birds, but in Chaucer, and indeed in the English of the sixteenth century, it was in common use in a wider sense, and we read of the “small fowles that maken melodie,” as including the lark, the linnet, and the thrush.

Are you not much better than they? — Here again, the reasoning is à fortiori. Assuming a personal will—the will of a Father—as that which governs the order of the universe, we may trust its wisdom and love to order all things well for the highest as for the lowliest of its creatures. For those who receive whatever comes in the spirit of contented thankfulness, that is, for those who “love God,” all things work together for good.