Q [Luke] 12:27: The Lilies of the Field and the Kingdom of God

In this article I examine the wisdom aphorism Q 12:27 as reconstructed by the International Q Project (IQP), the teaching concerning perceiving God’s providence simply by observing the lilies of the field. The aphorism takes its place in a speech that encourages total reliance on God, not just as God but as Father. No single study has explored Q 12:27 and the important role that this little saying plays within the clusters of the speech in Q 12:22–34 and in the overall message of Q. I pay special attention to the interpretative implications of the changing contexts and contextualization of Q 12:27 and its significance in relation to the theme of the kingdom of God. I argue that this discrete saying illustrates the nature of the kingdom of God in its contextualization within the set of sayings in Q.