As Jesus’s saying about the birds continued the theme of treasures of food, this saying elaborates on the treasures of clothing. Just as we should not be anxiously concerned for excess food, we should not be anxiously concerned for excess or sumptuous clothing. The beauty of the flower is sufficient. It is clothed already and has no need of excess decoration. Just as we have no need for excess physical height, we have no need for excess or sumptuous clothing. The lilies do not toil or spin, words that evoke food (toil in the fields) and clothing (spinning to produce thread to be woven into cloth).
Comparison: There is no change from Matthew. In its parallel in Luke 12:27, the Greek text pairs spinning (netho, the same word as in Matthew) and weaving (hupsaino). Referring twice to clothing is more appropriate to lilies than Matthew’s “toil” and “spin.”