Sufficient Is The Day

In 63 BC, Pompey laid siege to Jerusalem. 70 years later, the Romans are still in charge, oppressing the people; only allowing most of them to eek out a meager existence.

A warm summer breeze blows from the South, carrying the distinct scent of the fish markets around the Sea of Galilee to the surrounding hillside. Hundreds of people are seated in a semi-circle listening to a man most only know as an itinerate preacher, a man called Jesus from Nazareth, as he teaches what would be known more than a millennia later as the Beatitudes.

As his sermon draws to a close, Jesus teaches, “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.”

Little do they know that Jesus will lay down his life in the not-too-distant future and take it up again according to prophecy. Jesus was aware of that part of his mission, but right now he is there to teach these people; his people.

A few years later and half a world away, Jesus — now resurrected and glorified — delivers an almost identical sermon to people in the Americas: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.”

“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” or “sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof”. Both phrases lead to the same conclusion:

You’re going to face challenges today. While you know there will be challenges tomorrow, focus on today and its problems. You can and should worry about tomorrow’s challenges tomorrow.

The sentiment is beautiful. It is, however, one that a growing body of people struggle to live by. We live in a time when life is so hurried. Even during a time of pandemic and political crises throughout the world, life feels too rushed; too hectic; too frenetic.

Even as I write that sentence I feel a bit of anxiety well up inside me.

I stop.

I breathe.

I think about that hillside, 2,000 years ago.

I believe Jesus knew what he was talking about then and I believe it applies today.

To forget myself and the trouble’s of tomorrow, I need to prioritize service over any of my planned activities. I need to look to the needs of another person before my own. I need to stop and smell the Bougainvillea flowers; take many more moments to appreciate what is right in front of me. And next to me.

My faith in God and Jesus Christ.

My wife.

My kids.

My extended family.

What Jesus teaches is about living in the moment. It’s about being present. It’s not about being ignorant of the concerns for tomorrow, but allowing myself to be all in right now.

It is about trusting God, believing that He and I can work together to overcome any and all challenges the future may bring.