Luke 12:26 (DBY)

Passage

If therefore ye cannot [do] even what is least, why are ye careful about the rest?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens, that they sow not nor reap; which have neither storehouse nor granary; and God feeds them. How much better are *ye* than the birds?

Luke 12:25 But which of you by being careful can add to his stature one cubit?

Luke 12:26 If therefore ye cannot [do] even what is least, why are ye careful about the rest?

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.

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

Study Lenses

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

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