Location

These sayings about provisions were probably linked to the cluster on testimony in Q because both groups advise people not to worry (Luke 12:11//Matt 10:19; Luke 12:22//Matt 6:25). Such a loose catchword bond between sayings could easily be broken. Luke has a section about the folly of greed between the two clusters. Matthew, on the other hand, thought the advice on provisions important enough to insert into Jesus' opening sermon on the mount.

Composition

The cluster on provisions is composed of two groups of sayings:

• Luke 12:22-31//Matt 6:25-33 argues that God provides for physical needs;
• Luke 12:33-34//Matt 6:19-21, on the other hand, urges giving up physical things to show dedication to God.

In Luke the two are linked by an offering of God's domain (Luke 12:32). Matthew has these subclusters in reverse order with a different conclusion: take one day at a time (Matt 6:34).

The two subclusters were probably composed from sayings that circulated separately. Thomas preserves portions of each. An early Greek fragment of Thom 36 (pOxy 655) presents four of the eight points raised in Q (Luke 12:22-31//Matt 6:25-33).  But the Coptic translation of Thomas has only one. The Jesus Seminar took separate votes on each logical unit in this cluster, since the full argument can be traced only to Q.

Matt 6:25-34	Luke 12:22-34	Gr Thom 36
	22 He said to his disciples,	1 Jesus said:
25 "That's why I'm telling you:	"That's why I'm telling you:
Don't fret about your life,	Don't fret about life ---	"Don't fret
		from morning to [evening]
		and from evening to morning
		[about] your food
what you're going to eat	what you're going to eat ---	what [you're going] to eat
and drink ---
or about your body ---	or about your body ---	or about [your clothes]]
what you're going to wear.	what you're going to wear.	what you're going to wear.
	23 Remember,
There's more to living	there is more to living
than food and clothing,	than food and clothing.
isn't there?
26 Take a look at	24 Think about
the birds of the sky:	the crows:
they don't plant or harvest	they don't plant or harvest;
or gather	they don't have
into barns.	storerooms or barns.
Yet your heavenly Father	Yet God
feeds them.	feeds them.
You're worth more	You're worth a lot more
than they,	than the birds!
aren't you?
27 Can any of you	25Can any of you	[see Thom 36:4 below]
add an hour to life	add an hour to life
by fretting about it?	by fretting about it?
	26 So, if you can't do
	a little thing like that,
	why worry about the rest?
28 Why worry about clothes?
Notice	27 Think about	2 You're much better than
how the wild lilies grow:	how the lilies grow:	the lilies
they don't toil	they don't toil	which don't card
and they never spin.	and they never spin.	and never [spin].
29 But let me tell you,	But let me tell you,	3 As for you,
even Solomon	even Solomon
at the height of his glory	at the height of his glory
was never decked out	was never decked out	when you have no garment,
like one of them.	like one of them.	what are you going to put on?
[see Matt 7:27 above]	[see Luke 12:25 above]	4 Who can add to
		your life span?
		That same one will give you
30 If God dresses up	28 If God dresses up	your garment."
the grass in the field,	the grass in the field,
which is here today	which is here today
and is thrown into an oven	and is tossed into the oven
tomorrow,	tomorrow,
won't	how much more will
<God care for> you	<God take care of> you,
even more, you	you
with your meager trust.	with your meager trust.
31 So don't fret!	29 And don't be constantly
Don't say,	on the lookout for
'What are we going to eat?'	what you're going to eat
or	and
'What are we going to drink?'	what you're going to drink.
or
'What are we going to wear?'	Don't give it a thought.
32 These are all things	30 These are all things
pagans seek.	the world's pagans seek,
After all,	and
your heavenly Father is aware	your Father is aware
that you need them all.	that you need them.
	31 Indeed,
33Seek his empire *	seek his empire *
and his justice first,
and all these things will come	and these things will come
to you as a bonus.	to you as a bonus.
34 So, don't fret	32 Don't be afraid,
about tomorrow.
Let tomorrow fret about itself.	for it has delighted
The troubles	your Father
that the day brings	to give you his empire. *
are enough."
Matt 6:19-21		Thom 76
19 "Don't pile up possessions	33 Sell your belongings,	2 "So also with you:
here on earth, where
moths and insects eat away
and where burglars
break in and steal.
	and donate to charity;
	make yourself purses	seek his treasure
20 Instead	that don't wear out,	that is unfailing
gather your nest egg	with inexhaustible wealth	and enduring,
in heaven, where	in heaven, where	where
neither	no burglar can get to it
moths nor insects eat away	and no moth	no moth comes to eat
	can destroy it.	and no worm destroys."
and where no burglars
break in and steal.
21 As you know,	34 As you know,
what you treasure	what you treasure
is your heart's measure."	is your heart's measure."

* See cameo essay on the empire of God

Context

This string of sayings is addressed to people worried about day to day existence rather than the apocalyptic and political crises of the preceding Q clusters. Q and the Greek fragment of Thomas agree that Jesus said not to fret about food and clothing. The full Coptic manuscript of Thomas, however, fails to mention food. But only Q (Luke 12:23//Matt 6:25b) claims that clothes and food are relatively unimportant concerns.

Q's opening also presupposes a previous argument ("That's why..."). But the preceding Q cluster about public testimony is not a good basis for concluding that there is no need to worry about everyday provisions. And neither Matt 6:24 ("...You can't be enslaved to both God and mammon") nor Luke 12:22 ("That's the way it is with those who save up for themselves, but aren't rich where God is concerned") are much better introductions to this cluster. Yet the cluster of sayings after the Lord's prayer provides a perfect rationale: as a good parent, God provides what his children need (see notes on Luke 11:9-13//Matt 7:7-11 above). So these clusters may have originally been linked in Q, before the clusters on opponents and testimony were inserted into that sayings collection.

Attribution

Don't fret	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:22b Matt 6:25a GrThom 36:1		28 28 28	69 69 69	3 3 3	0 0 0	75 75 75	pink pink pink
More to life
Luke 12:23 Matt 6:25b		0 0	0 0	0 0	99 99	00 00	black black
Bird's don't plant
Luke 12:24 Matt 6:26		19 19	67 67	10 10	5 5	67 67	pink pink

The Fellows agreed on two general points:

• Jesus taught that God provided for people's needs; and yet

• the idea that life is about more than basics was not distinctly his.

Many ancient sages taught that there were more important things in life than eating and dressing up. So, it is not certain that the editor of Q was citing a genuine Jesus saying when he ascribed the latter idea to him.

Yet the idea that people should not be concerned about where their next meal is coming from is not so common. And it is in line with Jesus' congratulations of the hungry (Luke 6:21//Thom 69:2), the petition for daily bread (Luke 11:3//Matt 6:11), and his assurance that God feeds his children (Matt 7:9-11//Luke 11:11-13), all of which echo things he probably said. While Q is the only source of the observation that birds feed without farming, such an ironic use of graphic rural  images resembles genuine Jesus sayings. And it uses a common observation to support an uncommon conclusion. The argument runs:

• God feeds birds
• humans are better than birds
• therefore, God feeds humans.

So, with the exception of Luke 12:23//Matt 6:25b, the Seminar overwhelmingly voted these sayings pink.

Add an hour	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:25 Matt 6:27 GrThom 36:3-4		10 10 0	52 52 0	29 29 0	10 10 99	54 54 00	pink pink black
Why worry?
Luke 12:26 Matt 6:27a		0 10	38 75	24 5	38 0	33 62	grey pink

Variations

These sayings are paired in both Q and the Greek fragment of Thom 36. But the variants show that even the gospel writers had problems with the logic. The common elements are:

• a question about adding to one's length of life; and
• a question about clothes.

Luke turns the second into a vague generalization, probably because the preceding saying is about food rather than clothes.

Q's pair of questions implies that anyone who cannot increase the span of life need not be concerned about less vital things. Thomas' questions reverse this logic, concluding that God will clothe people because he controls the measure of their lives.

Attribution

Most Fellows thought that Matthew's version of these sayings was probably earlier than the others. Several, however, deemed the appeal to common sense was not distinctive enough to claim that Jesus created the comment about adding to life. Yet, most thought it was similar in style and sentiment to genuine Jesus sayings. Like other rhetorical questions in Q it uses exaggeration to challenge common attitudes towards life. It teases rather than tells. Greek Thom 36:2-3, on the other hand, is garbled, probably by a gnostic who thought "clothes" was a metaphor for the body.

Lilies don't spin	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:27-28 Matt 6:28b-30 GrThom 36:2		20 20 20	70 70 70	5 5 5	5 5 5	68 68 68	pink pink pink

Versions

Q and the Greek fragment of Thom 36 credit Jesus with a comparison of humans to lilies. Thomas' version is shorter and precedes the questions about life span and clothes. Has Thomas condensed a Q saying? Or has Thomas preserved the original core which Q developed? The answer is not easy. The elements common to both versions are:

• lilies do not work to clothe themselves; and
• human life is worth more than lilies.

Thomas only implies a conclusion; Q spells it out. This suggests that Q's version may be a later expansion. Also, only Q compares human life to grass, as Hebrew scripture often does. Take Ps 103:15-16 for instance:

"The days of humans are like those of grass;
like flowers in the field they bloom.
When the wind sweeps over them, they are gone;
and where they were, they are known no more."

Any early Christian could have added such a thought.

On the other hand, there are signs that Q has preserved details that Thomas overlooked. In style Q's version is parallel to the earlier comparison of humans to birds (Luke 12:24//Matt 6:26) which Thomas omits, although it is probably a genuine Jesus saying. And Q's claim that Solomon was no match for lilies is a striking reversal of Judean wisdom tradition that portrayed David's son as the model of human glory.

Attribution

The Jesus Seminar did not try to establish the historical priority of either version of this saying. Most Fellows agreed that both Q and Thomas probably paraphrased a genuine Jesus saying. Both agree on the the uncommon conclusion that humans should not have to work to provide clothes for themselves. Taken literally, this is an exaggeration that would leave most people naked. But it reflects the same lack of concern for clothing as Jesus' advice to give away the shirt from one's back (Luke 6:29//Matt 5:38-40). Hence, most votes fell in the red-pink range.

Father knows needs	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:29-30 Matt 6:31-32		0 0	17 17	44 44	39 39	26 26	grey grey
Seek God's domain
Luke 12:31a Luke 12:31b Matt 6:33		18 0 0	41 29 29	24 29 29	18 41 41	53 30 30	pink grey grey
Little flock
Luke 12:32		0	0	0	99	00	black
Tomorrow's worries
Matt 6:34a		0	0	0	99	00	black
The day's troubles
Matt 6:34b		0	0	0	99	00	black

Content

This subcluster comes only from Q. It opens by paraphrasing the earlier command against fretting (Luke 12:22//Matt 6:25). But it cites two different reasons:

• pagans worry about providing for themselves; and
• as a parent, God knows what his children need.

The second echoes the point of the saying about God's care of birds (Luke 12:24//Matt 6:26). Yet, here God is not portrayed as the benevolent provider of all creatures but as the head of a limited family. The argument appeals to common sentiments of group superiority.

On the other hand, Q's claim that those who seek God's realm will get their daily provisions recalls themes from the Lord's prayer (Luke 11:2-3//Matt 6:10-11) and sayings about asking and seeking (Luke 11:9-13//Matt 7:7-11) that probably come from Jesus. Matthew adds other qualifications: "first" and "his justice."

Matthew and Luke conclude this cluster with different sayings that are probably not from Q. Matt 6:34 echoes Q's opposition to worry. But the focus on daily troubles contradicts the optimism of Q's cluster. Luke 12:32 also mistakes the focus of this argument. The audience that Q addressed was worried about how they would be fed and clothed, not whether they would inherit God's domain.

Attribution

While this string of sayings contains some ideas that can be traced to Jesus, it also has elements that resemble the opinion of others more. The formulations are not original but imitate other Jesus sayings without fully grasping either their style or their logic. Thomas has no parallel. So, the author of Q probably added this section to the original cluster. There were no red votes, except on the command to seek God's domain. But many were not convinced that the idea of bonus rewards in Luke 12:31//Matt 7:33 was compatible with the logic of Jesus' message. Thus, these sayings were voted mostly grey: some ideas compatible with Jesus' message but he himself was not personally responsible for their formulating their logic. Matt 6:34 and Luke 12:32 were voted black because they are obviously later additions that reflect the style and views of the one author who records them.

Treasure in heaven	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 12:33 Matt 6:19-20 Thom 76:2		16 0 8	32 44 28	28 36 48	24 20 16	47 41 43	grey grey grey
Heart & treasure
Luke 12:34 Matt 6:21		12 8	24 28	48 40	16 24	46 40	grey grey

Sources

Q paired a command and a proverb about treasure, which probably circulated separately. Thom 76 ties just the command to a parable about a pearl, which is found elsewhere in Matthew (Matt 13:45-46) but not Luke. Q is the proverb's only source.

Versions

Thomas' form of the command is the simplest: seek treasure that cannot be eaten by moth and worms. He does not say what or where that treasure is. Q locates it in heaven and has a threat from thieves instead of worms. Unlike Thomas, Q insists that heavenly possessions eliminate the need for worldly wealth. Luke parallels this to Jesus' advice to the rich man:

"Sell whatever you have and distribute <the proceeds> among the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven" ---Luke 18:22//Mark 10:21

Matthew, however, just took it as a caution against trying to store things for later use. Which version is closer to Q is uncertain. The wording of Q's appended proverb, however, is clear, since it is the same in Matthew and Luke.

Attribution

Signs of the origin of these sayings point in different directions. Fellows who voted red or pink on the proverb (Luke 12:34//Matt 6:21) think Jesus formulated this principle to insist on whole-hearted devotion to God. Yet the majority viewed it as a piece of common wisdom that was first credited to Jesus by Q. It agrees with Jesus' views, but it is not particularly distinctive. More Fellows think Jesus created the command. It is graphic but somewhat cryptic --- particularly in Thomas' version --- like many genuine Jesus sayings. But the variations prevented consensus on which version, if any, preserves Jesus' own words. Since each interpretation reflects the views of the author of that gospel, all might have altered the saying. Since the earliest formula is in doubt, grey votes were predominant.