⭐WEB · Matthew 6:33
What does Matthew 6:33 mean?
"But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well."
— Matthew 6:33 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Explanation
Matthew 6:33 reads, "But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well." In plain language, Jesus is telling his listeners to make God's rule and God's moral character the top priority in life, and he promises that when they do, their other legitimate needs will be taken care of. The phrase "these things" points back to what came immediately before in the passage — food, drink, and clothing, the basic necessities of life that people often worry about obsessively.
This verse sits within the Sermon on the Mount, a lengthy teaching Matthew records Jesus delivering to his disciples and a broader crowd, likely early in his public ministry. In the verses leading up to this one (Matthew 6:25-32), Jesus addresses anxiety about material provision. He points to birds who don't sow or reap yet are fed, and to flowers that don't labor yet are clothed in beauty, arguing that if God cares for these lesser creatures, he will certainly care for his people, who are of far greater worth. He notes that "the Gentiles" — meaning those outside a relationship with God — chase after these things as their primary pursuit, but his followers are called to a different orientation. Verse 33 functions as the climactic instruction that resolves this whole section: instead of anxious striving after material security, seek God's Kingdom first.
Theologically, this verse establishes a hierarchy of priorities and a statement of trust in God's character. "God's Kingdom" refers to God's reign and rule, both in the present, as it breaks into the world through J
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