Of God’s love for all creation: An ecological re-reading of Luke 12:24–28

Abstract

In conventional readings, Luke 12:24-28 is a text that de-emphasizes material possessions and the anxiety they create in the lives of Christians. Against such an understanding, this article is an ecological re-reading of the text. Operating within the limits of ecological hermeneutics, the article argues that the text strongly emphasizes that God is the source of all creation on earth and loves these creations impartially. Equally, the text denotes the beauty that exists in God’s creation. In this way, the ecological thrust of the text emerges, tasking Christians to love all creations on earth and acknowledge their intrinsic beauty. This knowledge then will lead to a lessening of the abuse on creation by humans while also leading to actions that will mitigate ecological challenges under which the earth groans.