But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
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Setting
Closing the central section of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:33 answers the disciple's most practical question: if I am not to be anxious about food, drink, and clothing, then what am I to live for? The verse turns the heart away from the worried pursuit of the Gentiles and fastens it on God's kingdom and God's righteousness, with a promise attached for everything else.
The Priority Christ Demands
The order of the verse is everything. The Lord does not forbid us to think of daily needs — He forbids us to put them first.
Leslie M. Grant"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." This is the matter of real importance. God's interests in that sphere of subjection to His authority (His kingdom) should hold the greatest attraction for us. "His righteousness" is added to this, for everything in the world is contaminated by man's unrighteousness, and it requires purpose of heart to seek the purity of God's righteousness in such contrary circumstances.
Freed from Anxiety in Order to Seek
The negative command of the previous verses ("do not be anxious") clears the ground so the positive command of v. 33 can fill it.
F. B. HoleNow this is mainly negative. We are to be free of the anxious care which fills so many hearts; but this is in order that we may be free to seek the kingdom of God, and to seek it first. Instead of peering into tomorrow with worry, we are to be filling up today with the things of the kingdom — and that kingdom leads us in the ways of righteousness.
The footing for this freedom is the Father's known care:
F. B. HoleServing God, who is indeed a heavenly Father, we come under His watchful and kindly care. He knows all our needs and concerns Himself about them... Our Father has infinite wisdom and power, and cares for the humblest creatures of His hand: we may have absolute confidence therefore in His loving care for us. Hence we are to be free from all anxious care.
The Condition Attached to the Promise
The promise — "all these things shall be added unto you" — is real, but it is not unconditional. It rests on the disciple's order of priorities.
William KellyMaking God's kingdom and righteousness our first concern, we are entitled to expect that all the things needful and good will be added to us. For our God and Father never overlooks our wants. If faithful in the greatest and deepest things, He loves that we should confide in Him as to our least things. Do we believe the Lord, that "all these things [about which unbelief worries] shall be added unto us?" Let us not forget the condition: "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." What can be more due to God, or more comely for us as His sons? The Lord's yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
A Father's Knowledge as the Ground of Trust
The reason this priority is reasonable, not reckless, is that the seeker is dealing with a Father, not with chance:
F. W. Grant — Numerical Bible NotesAnd here, the Lord appeals to us, whether those who know God are to find His presence with them count for anything or not. The Gentiles, away from God, seek after these things as His people do; but we have a Father in heaven who knows our need. We have but to set the heart on His things, and let Him take the burden of ours. Seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness, all these things shall be added to us.
A Motto for the Disciple's Life
The verse is not abstract — it functions as a settled rule of life that shapes how a Christian moves through the world.
MagazinesYet we should not only rejoice in these things, but also put them into practice in our lives among our brothers and sisters in Christ, and in the world. In Matthew 6:33 the Lord says to His disciples: "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you". Are not these words a worthy motto for Christians who desire to be faithful disciples of their Lord?
Summary
- First, not only. The verse does not deny that we need food and clothing; it commands the order — the kingdom and God's righteousness come before every other pursuit.
- Anxiety cleared, kingdom filled. The negative ("be not anxious") exists to make room for the positive ("seek first") — today is to be filled with the things of the kingdom rather than tomorrow's fears.
- Righteousness against contamination. Because the world is stained with man's unrighteousness, seeking God's righteousness here demands deliberate purpose of heart, time, and thought.
- Promise hinges on priority. "All these things shall be added" is sure, but it carries a condition; faithfulness in the greatest things invites the Father's care in the least.
- Father, not chance. The disciple seeks first because he deals with a Father in heaven who already knows his need — he sets his heart on God's things and lets God carry his.