My Lilies of the Field

Aloe · Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 397 Location: California

Matthew 6:28-30

28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, 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?

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No one knows for certain exactly what species is being referenced by the term "liles of the field". The exact meaning has been lost to time. Scholars say they might be crocuses or anemones. Perhaps they are even something that is extinct now. However, to me, the flowers that fit these verses are the various species of mariposa lilies (Calochortus species). Mariposa lilies are native to western North America and cannot be the biblical lilies of the field, but as they say, "it works for me".

Plummer mariposa lily

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"they toil not, neither do they spin"
Mariposa lilies are wildflowers. They have not been domesticated very successfully. Bulbs are sometimes available in catalogues but I have had little success with them and I live in mariposa lily country. These are wild free spirits.

yellow mariposa lily

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"even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these"
Solomon lived at the crossroads of trade in the ancient world and surely was one of the most wealthy people of his time. He cold have any of the riches of the known world - gold and ivory from Africa, Egyptian cotton, jewels from India, the finest linen and wool, furs from the far north, and possibly silk from China. What he could not have were things that had not been invented or did not exist. Look at the yellow hairs inside some of the mariposas. No animal has fur like that. Note the bright and rich colors of some of the flowers. Strong, bright color cloth dyes were not invented until the 1800s. The purple of ancient royalty was a reddish violet and apparently a cloth dye of pure violet did not exist.

Catalina mariposa lily

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"the grass of the field"
Mariposa lilies are usually found in open areas like grasslands and openings in the chaparral. The scientific name Calochortus means "beautiful grass".

butterfly mariposa lily

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"to morrow is cast into the oven"
Mariposa lilies are often most numerous after a wildfire.

shy mariposa lily

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So you see, even though mariposa lilies cannot realistically be the "lilies of the field", they fit the Bible verses so well. It also seems appropriate to me that such beautiful flowers be given a connection to the words of our Saviour.