Luke 12:26 (ASV)

Passage

If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest?

Nearby Context

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!

Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life?

Luke 12:26 If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest?

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:28 But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [shall he clothe] you, O ye of little faith?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "able", "even", "least", "anxious", "concerning", and "rest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "able" and "even", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "And which of you by being anxious..." into verse 27's "Consider the lilies how they grow they...", so "able" and "even" 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 "able" and "even" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.