Luke 12:27 Meaning: Lilies, Solomon, and Freedom from Worry
Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Consider the lilies how they grow: 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.
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
`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;
Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus points to lilies that grow without toiling, yet outshine King Solomon. Discover what this teaches about trust, anxiety, and God's care for you.
Context
Jesus is speaking to his disciples in the middle of a long teaching about worry. He has already told them not to be anxious about food, pointing to the ravens that God feeds without their effort. Now he turns to a second concern: clothing. The lilies growing wild in the fields around them are his classroom. They do not do what human beings must do to make clothes, they neither work in the fields nor spin thread. Yet they are dressed more beautifully than Solomon, the richest king Israel ever knew. The point is not that work is wrong, but that anxious striving for daily needs misses something important about the way the Father cares for his children.
Key Words
The word Jesus uses for 'consider' is katanoēsate. It means to fix your attention, to really study something until it teaches you. He is not asking for a quick glance out the window. He wants you to stop and look until you see what he sees. The lilies 'toil not', the Greek verb kopiaō describes the kind of labor that exhausts you, work that grinds you down. They do none of that. And they do not spin thread to weave cloth. Yet they are 'arrayed', periebaleto, a word that means thrown around oneself. Solomon threw his royal robes around his shoulders with all the ceremony and expense a kingdom could muster. But the lily, without any effort, is dressed by God himself. His glory is their covering.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have found in this verse a gentle rebuke to anxiety. Protestant commentators like Matthew Henry and John Gill emphasize that the lilies are ordinary wildflowers, not rare specimens, God clothes even the common things with glory. Anglican scholars point out that the specific flower may have been the scarlet anemone that carpets Galilee each spring, a vivid image Jesus' listeners would have recognized instantly. Catholic readings often highlight the contrast between human labor and divine gift: the lily receives its beauty freely, just as we receive grace. Whether the flower is a literal lily or a field flower of any kind, all traditions agree on the central point: God's provision surpasses human effort.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers take this verse to mean we should never work or plan for our needs. They think Jesus is telling us to be completely passive like the lilies. In fact, Jesus is not condemning work itself. The Bible elsewhere commends honest labor. What he is addressing is the kind of anxious striving that comes from forgetting the Father's care. The lilies teach us about trust, not laziness.
Living This Out
You may not worry about spinning wool, but you might worry about what to wear to that wedding next month, or whether your coat will last one more winter, or how your clothes compare to what others wear. Jesus invites you to do one concrete thing this week: find a flower, a wildflower, a weed, a blossom on a bush, and stop long enough to really look at it. Let it speak to you. Notice that it does not try to be beautiful, and yet it is. Let that fact settle into the part of you that worries about how you look. The same God who dressed that flower will dress you.
Main takeaway: God's care for you is as effortless and generous as the beauty he gives the lilies, so let go of anxious striving.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus says look at the flowers. They don't make their own colors or grow their own petals. God gives them all their beautiful clothes. And you are even more special to him than a flower. He will take care of you too.
For ages 9, 12
When Jesus talks about lilies, he means wildflowers that grow without anyone planting or watering them. They don't work all day to get their colors and shapes. They just grow, and God makes them beautiful all by themselves. Jesus says even King Solomon, who had the fanciest clothes in the whole world, was not as beautiful as one ordinary flower. Next time you see a flower in a field or a crack in the sidewalk, stop and look at it for a moment. It didn't try to be beautiful. God just made it that way. That is how much he cares for you too. You don't have to worry so much about things like clothes or what people think. Your Father knows what you need.
Questions People Ask
What kind of lilies is Jesus talking about?
The term 'lilies' here is a general word for wildflowers. Commentators suggest it likely refers to the scarlet anemone or other flowers that cover the fields of Galilee each spring. Jesus' listeners would have known exactly which flowers he meant. The point is not the exact species but how freely God dresses even the common plants of the field.
Why does Jesus mention Solomon?
Solomon was the richest and most glorious king in Israel's history. He wore the finest robes money could buy. By saying a wild lily outshines Solomon's best clothes, Jesus makes a powerful point: human glory at its peak cannot match what God gives freely. The lily's beauty is natural, while Solomon's was artificial. It shows that God's provision is far greater than anything we can achieve by striving.
Does this verse mean I should never work for money or clothes?
No. Jesus is not commanding laziness. The context shows he is addressing anxiety, not industry. He says 'do not be anxious' three times in this passage, not 'do not work.' The lilies teach us about trust: just as God gives them beauty without their effort, so he will provide for our needs without our anxious striving. Honest work is good, but worry reveals a heart that has forgotten the Father's care.
What does the word 'consider' mean in the original Greek?
The Greek word is katanoēsate, which means to fix your attention on something, to really study it until you understand. It carries the idea of a careful, thoughtful look. Jesus is not asking for a passing glance. He wants you to stop and look at the flower long enough to let it teach you something about trust and the generosity of your Father.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study