Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 6:28-30

"And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth 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?" — Matthew 6:28-30 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Homily 22: Having shown that it is not right to be anxious about food, He passes to something less essential (for clothing is not as necessary as food). He asks, "And why are you anxious about what you will wear?" He does not use the example of birds here, though He could have drawn a relevant comparison to the peacock or the swan. Instead, He brings forward the lilies, saying, Consider the lilies of the field. He wishes to prove God's abundant goodness in two ways: namely, the richness of the beauty with which they are clothed, and the humble value of the things so beautifully clothed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The things mentioned as examples are not to be allegorized, so we should not inquire what is symbolized by the birds of the air or the lilies of the field. They are simply examples to prove God's care for the greater from His care for the lesser. ¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For within a fixed time, lilies form into branches, are clothed in whiteness, and are endowed with a sweet fragrance, as God provides by an unseen operation what the earth had not given to the root. In all of this, the same perfection is observed, so that they may not be thought to have been formed by chance, but may be known to be ordered by God's providence. When He says, They toil not, He speaks for the comfort of men; and when He says, Neither do they spin, He speaks for the women.

St. John Chrysostom: He does not forbid labor, but anxiety, both here and earlier when He spoke of sowing.

Glossa Ordinaria: And to exalt God's providence even more in those things that are beyond human industry, He adds, I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²

St. Jerome: For truly, what royal purple, what silk, what web of diverse colors from the loom, can vie with the flowers? What work of man has the red blush of the rose or the pure white of the lily? How the Tyrian dye yields to the violet is something that sight alone, not words, can express.

St. John Chrysostom: The difference between our clothes and flowers is as great as the difference between truth and falsehood. If Solomon, who was more eminent than all other kings, was still surpassed by the flowers, how will you surpass their beauty with your garments?

And Solomon was surpassed by the flowers not just once or twice, but throughout his entire reign. This is what Christ means when He says, in all his glory; for on no single day was Solomon arrayed as the flowers are.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, the meaning may be that although Solomon did not toil for his own clothing, he still commanded that it be made. But where commands are given, one often finds both offense from those who serve and wrath from the one who commands. Therefore, when people are free from these things, they are arrayed as the lilies are.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, the lilies are to be understood as the exalted heavenly Angels, to whom God gives a surpassing radiance of whiteness. They toil not, neither do they spin, because the angelic powers received from the very beginning of their existence a nature such that they would forever remain as they were made.

And since in the resurrection people will be like the Angels, He would have them look for a covering of angelic glory, using this example of angelic excellence.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: If God, then, provides for the flowers of the earth, which spring up only to be seen and then die, will He overlook people, whom He has created not to be seen for a time, but to exist forever?

St. Jerome: In Scripture, "tomorrow" is used for future time in general. Jacob says, So shall my righteousness answer for me tomorrow (Genesis 30:33). And in the apparition of Samuel, the witch says to Saul, Tomorrow shalt thou be with me (1 Samuel 28:19).

Glossa Ordinaria: Some copies read "into the fire," or "into a heap," which resembles an oven.

St. John Chrysostom: He no longer calls them lilies, but the grass of the field, to show their little worth. He also adds another reason for their low value: which today is. And He did not say, "and tomorrow is not," but what signifies an even greater fall: is cast into the oven.

When He says, "How much more you," the dignity of the human race is implicitly conveyed. It is as if He had said, "You, to whom He has given a soul, for whom He has fashioned a body, to whom He has sent Prophets and gave His Only-begotten Son."

Glossa Ordinaria: He says, O you of little faith, because faith is small when it is not sure of even the smallest things.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, the grass signifies the Gentiles. If, then, an eternal existence is granted to the Gentiles only so that they may soon be handed over to the fires of judgment, how impious it is for the saints to doubt attaining eternal glory, when the wicked are given eternity for their punishment.

Remigius of Auxerre: Spiritually, the birds of the air represent the Saints who are born again in the water of holy Baptismⁱ and who, by devotion, raise themselves above the earth and seek the heavens. The Apostles are said to be of more value than these because they are the leaders of the Saints.

The lilies may also be understood as the Saints, who without the toil of legal ceremonies pleased God by faith alone. Of them it is said, My Beloved, who feedeth among the lilies (Song of Solomon 2:16). Holy Church is also understood by the lilies, because of the purity of its faith and the fragrance of its good conduct, of which it is said in the same place, As the lily among the thorns.

The grass denotes the unbelievers, of whom it is said, The grass hath dried up, and the flowers thereof faded (Isaiah 40:7).

The oven represents eternal damnation. The meaning, therefore, is this: If God bestows temporal goods on unbelievers, how much more will He bestow eternal goods on you!

1. Serm. in Mont., ii, 15
2. non occ.