Luke 12:26 (KJV)

Passage

If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

Luke 12:25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

Luke 12:26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "able", "least", "take", "thought", and "rest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "able" and "least", 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 with taking thought..." into verse 27's "Consider the lilies how they grow they...", so "able" and "least" 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 "least" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.