Luke 12:22 (ASV)

Passage

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for [your] life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?

Luke 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Luke 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for [your] life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

Luke 12:23 For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "disciples", "therefore", "anxious", "life", "shall", and "body". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "disciples", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "So is he that layeth up treasure..." into verse 23's "For the life is more than the...", so "said" and "disciples" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "disciples" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.