Matthew — Chapter 6
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1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
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?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
1Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
5And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
7And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil [one.]
14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.
17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face;
18that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal:
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also.
22The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness!
24No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?
26Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?
27And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?
28And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30But if God doth 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?
31Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
1“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.
2Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward!
3But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
5“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward!
6But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
7When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles because they think that by their many words they will be heard.
8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,
10may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread,
12and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
13And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14“For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
16“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward!
17When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?
26Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?
27And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?
28Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin.
29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!
30And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith?
31So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
1“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
3But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,
4so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.
6But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
8Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.
9Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
17But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;
18so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.
23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
25Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27“Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
28Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
29yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
34Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Summary
Jesus teaches His disciples to practice righteousness in secret rather than for show — covering prayer (including the Lord's Prayer), fasting, and freedom from anxiety through trusting the Father's provision.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- The Mount (near Capernaum): The Sermon on the Mount continues. Same hillside location near the Sea of Galilee in northern Galilee.
- Jesus references "Solomon in all his glory" (v.29) — connecting to the Temple in Jerusalem, the center of Jewish worship and wealth.
- The setting remains Galilee, where Jesus' audience consisted largely of working-class fishermen, farmers, and tradespeople who would understand references to birds, lilies, and daily bread.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the three acts of righteousness (giving, prayer, fasting), the structure of the Lord's Prayer, the meaning of "mammon," and Jesus' argument against anxiety.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Lord's Prayer" on vv.9-13 (MTP Vol. 12, No. 690) "Our Father — not my Father. Even in the closet, alone with God, we pray as part of a family. The prayer begins with worship, not requests. It begins with God's name, God's kingdom, God's will — before it ever gets to our bread, our debts, our deliverance." Sermon: "Anxiety — Its Cause and Cure" on vv.25-34 (MTP Vol. 20, No. 1200) "Take no thought for the morrow. Not 'take no action' — but take no anxious thought. Plan without panic. Prepare without worry. The birds don't worry, and your Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?"
Reflection
- 1. Jesus says the hypocrites "have their reward" (vv.2,5,16) — human applause. That's all they get. When you give, pray, or serve — who is your audience? Are you performing for people or living before God? What would change if no one ever saw your good deeds?
- 2. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (v.21). Look at your bank statement and your calendar — they reveal your true priorities. What do they say about where your heart actually is?
- 3. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (v.24). Jesus doesn't say "should not" — He says "cannot." It's impossible. Which master are you actually serving with your financial decisions? Is money a tool in your hand or a master over your life?
- 4. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (v.33). First — before career, before comfort, before security. What does seeking God's kingdom first look like in your actual daily schedule? Is it first, or is it what gets the leftovers?
- 5. "Take no thought for the morrow" (v.34). Anxiety is a faith issue. What are you worried about right now? Can you name it specifically? Now — what would it look like to hand that to the Father who feeds the birds?
- 6. The Lord's Prayer begins with "Our Father" — establishing relationship before making requests. How does your prayer life reflect that order? Do you rush to requests, or do you begin with worship and submission?
- 7. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (v.12). Jesus doubles down in vv.14-15 — if you don't forgive others, the Father won't forgive you. Is there someone you are refusing to forgive? What is that unforgiveness costing you spiritually?
- 8. Jesus says to fast without looking miserable (vv.16-18). Fasting is assumed as a normal practice, not optional. Do you fast? If not, why not? What might God do in you through the discipline of fasting?
- 9. "Consider the lilies" (v.28) — Jesus points to nature as evidence of God's care. When did you last slow down enough to see God's provision in the ordinary details of your life? What evidence of His care are you overlooking?
- 10. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (v.34). Today has enough challenges without borrowing tomorrow's. Are you living in today, or are you mentally living in a future that hasn't happened yet?