Consider the ravens:Ravens are mentioned several times in the Bible, often symbolizing God's provision. In the Old Testament, God used ravens to feed Elijah during a time of drought (
1 Kings 17:4-6). Ravens are unclean birds according to Levitical law (
Leviticus 11:15), yet Jesus uses them to illustrate God's care, emphasizing that God's provision transcends human distinctions of clean and unclean.
They do not sow or reap:
This phrase highlights the natural order of creation, where ravens do not engage in agricultural activities like humans. It underscores the idea that God's creation is sustained by His providence without human intervention. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God's sovereignty over creation, as seen inGenesis 1, where God provides for all living creatures.
They have no storehouse or barn;
Ravens do not gather or store food, contrasting with human practices of storing and planning for the future. This echoes the parable of the rich fool inLuke 12:16-21, where reliance on material wealth is shown to be futile. The absence of a storehouse or barn in the life of a raven serves as a metaphor for trusting in God's daily provision.
yet God feeds them:
This statement affirms God's active role in sustaining His creation. It reflects the teaching found inPsalm 147:9, which states that God provides food for the animals. The emphasis is on God's faithfulness and care, encouraging believers to trust in His provision.
How much more valuable you are than the birds!
This phrase emphasizes the greater worth of humans in God's eyes, aligning with the biblical teaching that humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). It reassures believers of their value and God's care for them, echoingMatthew 10:31, where Jesus tells His followers they are worth more than many sparrows. This comparison serves to strengthen faith in God's provision and care for His people.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this passage, offering a teaching on trust and reliance on God.
2.
RavensBirds mentioned by Jesus as an example of God's provision in nature.
3.
DisciplesThe primary audience of Jesus' teaching, representing all believers.
4.
GodThe provider and sustainer of all creation, emphasizing His care for humanity.
5.
NatureThe broader context in which ravens exist, illustrating God's provision in the natural world.
Teaching Points
Trust in God's ProvisionJust as God provides for the ravens, He will provide for us. We are called to trust in His care and provision.
Value in God's EyesWe are more valuable than birds, and this should reassure us of God's love and attention to our needs.
Freedom from AnxietyUnderstanding God's provision should free us from anxiety about material needs, allowing us to focus on His kingdom.
Simplicity and ContentmentEmbrace a lifestyle of simplicity and contentment, knowing that God will supply what we need.
Faith in ActionOur faith should be active, trusting God while also being responsible stewards of what He provides.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Luke 12:24?
2.How does Luke 12:24 encourage trust in God's provision for our needs?
3.What lessons can we learn from ravens about God's care for creation?
4.How does Luke 12:24 connect with Philippians 4:19 on God's provision?
5.In what ways can we apply Luke 12:24 to reduce anxiety today?
6.How can observing nature strengthen our faith in God's promises and care?
7.How does Luke 12:24 challenge our understanding of God's provision and care for humanity?
8.What historical context influences the interpretation of Luke 12:24?
9.How does archaeology support or challenge the teachings in Luke 12:24?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Luke 12?
11.What does the Bible say about saving money?
12.If Jesus' sacrifice paid for all sins, why do Christians still suffer consequences for sin?
13.Why did God rest on day seven?
14.How can ravens (1 Kings 17:4) realistically supply a prophet with enough food to survive, given the limited carrying capacity of birds?What Does Luke 12:24 Mean
Consider the ravens“Consider the ravens:” (Luke 12:24)
• Jesus pauses the sermon to point our eyes to ordinary birds that most people ignore.
• In Scripture, ravens have always testified to God’s care—He fed them inJob 38:41 andPsalm 147:9, and He even used ravens to feed Elijah in1 Kings 17:4-6.
• By telling the crowd to “consider,” the Lord invites an intentional, faith-shaping look at creation (Romans 1:20).
They do not sow or reap“They do not sow or reap,” (Luke 12:24)
• Ravens never plow fields or gather harvests, yet they survive year after year.
• The point is not laziness; Scripture praises diligent labor (Proverbs 6:6-8;2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).
• What Jesus exposes is the futility of anxious striving—worry that imagines our well-being rests solely on our own efforts (Psalm 127:1-2).
They have no storehouse or barn“They have no storehouse or barn;” (Luke 12:24)
• Birds possess no backup plan, no silos like the “rich fool” who built bigger barns earlier in this chapter (Luke 12:18-19).
• The absence of storage underscores daily dependence. God teaches Israel the same lesson through manna that could not be hoarded (Exodus 16:15-21).
Yet God feeds them“yet God feeds them.” (Luke 12:24)
• The Creator personally provides—each worm, each berry, each carcass is timed by His hand (Psalm 104:27-28).
• Jesus repeats the same assurance inMatthew 6:26, linking it to freedom from worry.
• Provision is not random; it flows from the Father’s covenant faithfulness (Psalm 145:15-16).
How much more valuable you are than the birds!“How much more valuable you are than the birds!” (Luke 12:24)
• Unlike birds, we bear God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) and are redeemed by the blood of His Son (1 Peter 1:18-19).
• If the Father cares for creatures of lesser worth, He will certainly meet the needs—physical and spiritual—of His children (Romans 8:32;Matthew 10:29-31).
• Therefore anxiety is both unnecessary and out of step with our identity. Trusting God honors Him and liberates us to pursue His kingdom first (Luke 12:31).
summaryLuke 12:24 calls us to look at ravens and recognize a simple, unshakable truth: the God who sustains the smallest bird is committed, even more, to supplying every need of His people. Our responsibility is not anxious stockpiling but confident trust, expressed in faithful work and single-hearted pursuit of His kingdom.
(24, 25)
Consider the ravens.--See Notes on
Matthew 6:26-27. Here, however, we have the more specific "ravens" instead of the wider "fowls of the air," as another example of independence. The choice of the special illustration was possibly determined by the language of the Psalmist, "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry" (
Psalm 147:9).
Verses 24-27. -
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them... Consider the lilies... 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. What a contrast between the life of the rich and prosperous landowner just related, whose whole heart and soul were concentrated on a toil which should procure him dainty food and costly raiment, and these fowls fed by God so abundantly, and those flowers clothed by God so royally! The ravens knew nothing of the anxious care and the restless toil of the rich man in the midst of which he died, and yet they lived. The lilies simply grew, and God's hand painted the rich and gorgeous clothing for each golden-jewelled flower; Solomon, the splendid Jewish king, the example of all that was magnificent, was never arrayed, men knew, like one of these lilies. With such a God above them, who surely loved each one as he never loved a bird or flower, was it worth while to wear a life away in toiling for tess than what God simply
gave to raven and to lily? Such was the Master's argument, adorned, we may well conceive, with all the beauty and force of Eastern illustration. We possess, after all, but a scant
resume of these Divine sermons. To apostle and chosen missionary his words had a peculiar interest. He bade them, in coming days of poverty and abandonment, never to lose heart. They would remember
then their loved Teacher's words that day when he spoke of the fate of one whose life had been wasted in filling his storehouses and his barns; would remember how he turned from the foolish, toiling rich man, and told them of the birds and flowers, and how God tenderly cared even for such soulless things. Did they think he would ever lose sight of them, his chosen servants? They might surely reckon on the loving care of that Master to whose cause they were giving their life-service. Yet have these and other like words of the great Teacher been often misunderstood; and St. Paul's earnest and repeated exhortations to his converts - not to neglect honest toil, but by it to win bread for themselves, and something withal to be generous with to those poorer than they - were his protest against taking the Masterwords in too literal a sense, and using them as a pretext for a dreamy and idle life. Paul's teaching, and perhaps still more Paul's life - that life of brave, simple toil for himself and others - were
his comment upon this part of the Master's sermon.
The lilies. It is a little doubtful whether our Lord meant to speak of the red anemone, a very common but beautiful flower, with which the meadows throughout all Palestine are enamelled (
Anemone coronaria), or the great white lily (
Lilium candidum), or the exquisite red lily (
Lilium rubrum); these latter are more rare. The Savior, probably, had each of these and other specimens of the flora of Palestine in his mind, when he spoke of the inimitable beauty and the matchless splendor of these flowers of God.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Considerκατανοήσατε(katanoēsate)Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2657:To take note of, perceive, consider carefully, discern, detect, make account of. From kata and noieo; to observe fully.theτοὺς(tous)Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.ravens:κόρακας(korakas)Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2876:A raven, crow. Perhaps from korennumi; a crow.They do not sowσπείρουσιν(speirousin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4687:To sow, spread, scatter. Probably strengthened from spao; to scatter, i.e. Sow.[or]οὐδὲ(oude)Conjunction
Strong's 3761:Neither, nor, not even, and not. From ou and de; not however, i.e. Neither, nor, not even.reap;θερίζουσιν(therizousin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2325:To reap, gather, harvest. From theros; to harvest.theyοἷς(hois)Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3739:Who, which, what, that.haveἔστιν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.noοὐκ(ouk)Adverb
Strong's 3756:No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.storehouseταμεῖον(tameion)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5009:A store-chamber, secret chamber, closet; a granary, barn.[or]οὐδὲ(oude)Conjunction
Strong's 3761:Neither, nor, not even, and not. From ou and de; not however, i.e. Neither, nor, not even.barn,ἀποθήκη(apothēkē)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 596:A repository, granary, barn, storehouse. From apotithemi; a repository, i.e. Granary.yetκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.GodΘεὸς(Theos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316:A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.feedsτρέφει(trephei)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5142:A primary verb; properly, to stiffen, i.e. Fatten (with food, etc.), pamper, rear).them.αὐτούς(autous)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.How muchπόσῳ(posō)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4214:How much, how great, how many. From an absolute pos and hos; interrogative pronoun how much (plural) many).moreμᾶλλον(mallon)Adverb
Strong's 3123:More, rather. Neuter of the comparative of the same as malista; more) or rather.valuable are youδιαφέρετε(diapherete)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1308:From dia and phero; to bear through, i.e. transport; usually to bear apart, i.e. to toss about; subjectively, to 'differ', or surpass.than theτῶν(tōn)Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.birds!πετεινῶν(peteinōn)Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 4071:A bird, fowl. Neuter of a derivative of petomai; a flying animal, i.e. Bird.
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NT Gospels: Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: they don't sow they (Luke Lu Lk) 
