Luke 12:26 (YLT)

Passage

If, then, ye are not able for the least--why for the rest are ye anxious?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:24 `Consider the ravens, that they sow not, nor reap, to which there is no barn nor storehouse, and God doth nourish them; how much better are ye than the fowls?

Luke 12:25 and who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?

Luke 12:26 If, then, ye are not able for the least--why for the rest are ye anxious?

Luke 12:27 `Consider the lilies, how do they grow? they labour not, nor do they spin, and I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these;

Luke 12:28 and if the herbage in the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow into an oven is cast, God doth so clothe, how much more you--ye of little faith?

Study Lenses

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

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