Luke 12:22 (DRB)

Passage

And he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you: Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:20 But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee. And whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

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

Luke 12:22 And he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you: Be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on.

Luke 12:23 The life is more than the meat: and the body is more than the raiment.

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do they reap, neither have they storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much are you more valuable than they?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "disciples", "therefore", "solicitous", "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 "The life is more than the meat...", 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.