“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 6:34 Mean?
This verse follows directly after Jesus' instruction to seek first the kingdom. Having addressed the big priority, he now addresses the daily temptation: worrying about tomorrow.
The phrase "take no thought" in the KJV doesn't mean don't plan. The Greek (merimnao) means anxious, dividing worry — the kind that fragments your mind and steals your present. Jesus is addressing the mental habit of living in a tomorrow that hasn't arrived.
"The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself" is almost humorous — tomorrow has its own problems, and it'll handle them when it gets here. You don't need to carry two days at once.
"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" is bracingly honest. Today has enough trouble of its own. Jesus isn't pretending life is easy. He's saying: the trouble is real, but it's today's trouble. Tomorrow's trouble isn't yours yet. Carrying it now doesn't prepare you — it just doubles the weight.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What's the difference between responsible planning and the anxious 'taking thought' Jesus warns against?
- 2.What tomorrow are you living in right now — what future worry is stealing your present?
- 3.How does Jesus' honesty that 'today has enough trouble' land for you — is it discouraging or freeing?
- 4.What would it look like to practice receiving 'enough for today' rather than trying to stockpile security for the future?
Devotional
If you've ever caught yourself rehearsing conversations that haven't happened, planning for disasters that might never come, or bracing for a tomorrow that exists only in your anxious imagination — this verse is aimed straight at that.
Jesus doesn't say tomorrow will be fine. He says tomorrow will have its own problems. That's weirdly comforting, because it means he's not naive about what's ahead. He just doesn't want you living there yet.
There's a daily-ness to faith that's easy to miss. We want the big breakthrough, the once-and-for-all victory over anxiety. Jesus offers something different: enough grace for today. Not a stockpile. Not a surplus. Enough.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Today's trouble is today's portion. You have what you need for this — for the conversation in front of you, the decision you're facing right now, the grief or joy or ordinary Tuesday you're standing in. Tomorrow will get its own supply.
What would change if you stopped borrowing tomorrow's trouble? Not planning — planning is fine. But the anxious rehearsal. The what-ifs that steal your today. What if you just... didn't pick them up?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Take therefore no thought ... - That is, no anxiety. Commit your way to God. The evil, the trouble, the anxiety of each…
There is scarcely any one sin against which our Lord Jesus more largely and earnestly warns his disciples, or against…
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself The morrow shall have its own anxieties; sufficient for the day…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture