“How much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
The full verse · Luke 12:28 · KJV
the , is to the , to is the ; how will he clothe , O ye of little ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching His disciples while an innumerable multitude gathered (Luke 12:1, 22)
Asked to
Disciples: "his disciples" (Luke 12:22), followers of Jesus not limited in the text to the twelve, taught while the "innumerable multitude" was still gathered (Luke 12:1); Jesus calls them "O ye of little faith" as He speaks of God clothing "the grass" (Luke 12:28).
The Scene
Jesus has just told His disciples to "consider the lilies," which are dressed more finely than Solomon in all his glory (Luke 12:27).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus argues from the lesser to the greater. If God dresses wild grass that lasts only a day, He will surely clothe His own people. Gill explains that the disciples are "more excellent in their nature, and of a longer duration" than the flowers, so God's care for them is even more certain. The tender rebuke "O ye of little faith" names what is really behind their worry. Gill says those who are "distrustful and diffident" about God's provision "may well be called men of little faith."
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe answer is obvious: God will clothe them much more. Jesus spells out what follows: "seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind" (Luke 12:29). The nations chase these things, "and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things" (Luke 12:30). He ends with comfort: "Fear not, little flock" (Luke 12:32).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Grass" here includes the wild flowers of the field. Gill calls the lilies "no other than grass": beautiful one day, cut down and dried, then used as fuel. Barnes, in his note on the parallel in Matthew 6:30, explains that such dried plants were burned to heat ovens, and describes ovens of that time as pits dug in the ground or earthen jars without a bottom.
"O ye of little faith" translates a single Greek word, oligopistoi. Jesus says the same in the parallel (Matthew 6:30), and uses the expression again in the storm (Matthew 8:26) and when He caught hold of Peter (Matthew 14:31).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question reveals God's character as a Father who notices and provides. He lavishes beauty even on short-lived grass. Jesus wants His disciples to reason from what God does for flowers to what He will do for His children. The chapter keeps returning to this: God feeds the ravens (Luke 12:24), clothes the grass (Luke 12:28), knows our needs (Luke 12:30), and delights to give the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
"Little faith" is still faith. Jesus does not call His disciples faithless here. He speaks to them as people who trust Him but whose trust is too small for the God they trust. His answer is not a scolding but a fuller picture of the Father.
Look Closer
Why does Jesus point to grass that is cast into the oven?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, You clothe even the grass of the field; where is my faith too small for how good You really are?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- When your faith feels little, what usually shrinks it: what you see around you, or how you picture God?
- Tell about a time God provided for you in a way that surprised you.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Look around at what God sustains every day without anyone's worry: grass, flowers, birds. Jesus says you matter more to Him than all of these. When you are anxious about what you need, start where Jesus starts: with the Father who "knoweth that ye have need of these things" (Luke 12:30).
Jesus' words "little faith" are not a label to carry in shame. They are an invitation to grow. Jesus' remedy here is to "consider" how God feeds the ravens and clothes the lilies (Luke 12:24, 27), not to try harder to stop worrying. This does not promise luxury; it promises a Father who cares for what you need.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
“How much more are ye better than the fowls?”
“Which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?”
“If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”