Matthew 6

Matthew 6:1

Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount, the constitution of His kingdom. In chapter 5, He addressed inner attitudes. Here in chapter 6, He will discuss outward activities. In the area of praying, giving, and fasting, Jesus will talk about the hupokrites, or hypocrites. Hupokrites is a Greek word that means “mask-wearer.” Hupokrites were actors in the Greek theater who wore masks, very exaggerated in form, with huge smiles and frowns so that even people in the back row could see what kind of emotion was being portrayed. We get the word two-faced from this same idea. Jesus said, “Don’t be hypocritical in your giving.” How did the hypocrites give? Originally, there was an area at the side of the temple courtyard called the Chamber of the Secret. People would go there and drop gifts designated for the poor in a large chest called the Trumpet. Later, the poor would come to the Chamber of the Secret and receive gifts from the Trumpet. It was all done very discreetly, with humility and honesty. But as the years went on, the Pharisees decided it wasn’t practical to go all the way to the temple to give alms to the poor.

So instead, they tied a small brass or silver trumpet to their belts. Then, whenever they wanted to give to the poor, they stood on a street corner and blew their trumpets. Upon hearing this, the poor people in the area would gather around the generous Pharisee as he distributed his alms with great flourish, while everyone around said, “My! Look how righteous he is!” Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they gave not out of concern for the poor, but that they might be seen by men.

Matthew 6:3

Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “If thou doest alms,” but “When thou doest alms.” The assumption is we will give. The only question is, how will we do it? Share secretly, and your Father will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:5

The Pharisees designated the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour as times of prayer. In other words, at nine o’clock in the morning, at noon, and at three o’clock in the afternoon, they would faithfully gather in the synagogues or in the temple to offer their prayers. We are told in the Book of Daniel that he, a man of God, opened his windows toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day. But the Pharisees were not doing it to seek the Lord, but rather to be seen by men. How do we know this? On their way to prayer meetings, the Pharisees would stop on the corner of the street and begin to offer long and verbose prayers. In so doing, they were saying, “We are so eager to pray, we can’t wait to get to the synagogue.” And people would say, “Oh, wow! Look how righteous they are!” We still do that in our own subtle ways, don’t we? “Yes, as I was praying this morning at three o’clock, the Lord brought you to my heart.” And we subtly let people know we are in a place of continual prayer. Jesus said, “Don’t do it. That’s hypocrisy.”

Matthew 6:6

The Father, who sees in secret, will bless you openly and eternally.

Matthew 6:7

Jesus encourages us to be short and concise in our prayers. To me, this is fantastically liberating because I fall prey to thinking, The longer I pray, the more impressed God will be. In Ecclesiastes 5, Solomon says that God is in heaven. You are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. You know, I crack up at my own prayers sometimes. “Well now, Father,” I hear myself praying, “I just pray right now for my wife, Tammy. She has this particular need, and I just pray You would…” As if the Lord is up in heaven saying, “Tammy? Oh yeah, Tammy. Now what need does she have?” We don’t need to inform the Lord, nor convince the Lord. We just need to connect with the Lord.

Matthew 6:8

As we sing and pray this most famous of all prayers, are we, like the Pharisees, guilty of meaningless repetition? Yesif we’re saying it without thinking. But the Scriptures do not forbid meaningful repetition. Jesus is not saying repetition in and of itself is wrong. How do I know? In Matthew 26, when Jesus made the same request of His Father three times in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew writes, “And He spake the same words yet again” (see v. Mat_26:44). Thus, I believe there is such a thing as meaningful repetition, and I believe this prayer prayed word for word can be potent and powerful, mystical and wonderful, if prayed with an engaged mind and a sensitive heart. The Perfect Prayer A Topical Study of Mat_6:9-13 As far as we know, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them to preach, to prophesy, or to cast out demons. There is no record of them asking how to worship or witness or how to build a ministry or lead their families. The one thing the disciples asked of Jesus directly was, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Why? I believe it is because, after watching Jesus for several years, the disciples were convinced prayer was the secret of His ministry and the foundation of all He did. In Luke 11, Jesus gave His disciples the same prayer, virtually word for word, that He had given two years earlier, recorded here in Matthew. He didn’t say, “The prayer I taught two years ago was for the multitudes, but for you disciples, here’s something heavier.” Or, “The prayer I taught in the Sermon on the Mount was at the beginning of My ministry, but now two years later, here is something more meaty.” It was as though He was saying, “Don’t you recall what I taught you two years ago?” as He gave this prayer verbatim to them once again. This revolutionized my thinking. I had always been under the impression that the Lord’s Prayer was simply an example or a model that we could study and learn from, but it was not necessarily to be prayed verbatim. While I still believe the Lord’s Prayer is a wonderful model and a perfect example, I have come to believe it is more than that. I believe it is actually sacramental. “Sacrament” refers to that which comes from the outside and works its way in. Baptism, the Lord’s Table, and the marriage ceremony are all sacraments because they are external demonstrations that signify internal transformation. I have discovered personally that the Lord’s Prayer is sacramentalor close to it. That is, by praying the Lord’s Prayer from memory word for word externally, something wonderful, mystical, and beautiful happens internally. “Wait!” you say. “Didn’t Jesus teach against meaningless repetitions?” Yes, in Mat_6:7, Jesus did warn about vain and meaningless repetitions. If I say the Lord’s Prayer with my mind a million miles away and my heart not sensitive to the Spirit, it will profit me nothing. But, when I say it meaningfullyconcentrating, thinking, contemplating, and meditatingwhen I pray this prayer as the Lord gave it to His disciples in Luke 11 and to the masses in Matthew 6, I have discovered it has a very powerful and potent effect upon me personally. I believe it will upon you as well. Two characteristics of this prayer strike me. I am amazed first by its completeness. It is wonderful because it covers all of our needs and all of God’s worthiness. Secondly, I am impressed with its conciseness. Sixty-five words long, it only takes thirty seconds to pray. We have fallen into the fallacy of thinking the strength of prayer is in direct proportion to the length of prayereven though Jesus went out of His way to say that we wouldn’t be heard for our “much speaking.” Jesus’ prayers were complete, but concise. If I asked the Lord to teach me to pray, I would think He would give me a one hundred-page book at the very least. But He didn’t. He simply gave a prayer sixty-five words long. I am reminded of the time Moses’ sister Miriam was struck with leprosy. Moses looked to the Lord and said, “Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee” (Num_12:13). Eight words, and the Lord healed her. Now, we also know Moses was so in love with God that he spent forty days and forty nights seeking His face in the desert. Thus, I’m not discounting or diminishing the importance of those lengthy chunks of time when you seek the Lord. But in our daily prayer life, I think we need a readjustment in our thinking. When I have repeatedly prayed the Lord’s Prayer word for word, I have found a liberty, an empowering, and a joy that have been really special and refreshing to me. I can pause in my car before going to my next appointment (already late) and say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Then it’s out my door and into the meeting with the sense that the Lord is with me and the bases are covered. Notice six elements of this prayer. The first component, verse Mat_6:9, concerns God’s Person. The second, verse Mat_6:10, concerns God’s purpose. Third, God’s provision is seen in verse Mat_6:11. Fourth, God’s pardon is in verse Mat_6:12. Fifth, God’s protection is in the first half of verse Mat_6:13. And sixth, God’s preeminence is in the last half of verse Mat_6:13. First, God’s Person… Our Father… When Jesus taught this prayer, He must have shocked those who were listening to Him when He said, “Our Father.” The word for “Father” is “Abba,” meaning “Papa.” Keep in mind that in the Old Testament, God was addressed as Elohim, the Strong One; El Shaddai, the Mighty One; and Yahweh, the unspeakable word that meant, “I AM THAT I AM.” Why did Jesus suddenly say, “When you pray, call God Daddy, Papa, Abba, Father?” Was He no longer the Powerful, Unspeakable, Omnipotent God of the Old Testament? Did God change? No. God didn’t change. We did. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.Joh_1:12 We were adopted into His family. If you are truly a child of God, He is still the Unspeakable One, the Almighty One, the Omnipotent One, but because you have been adopted into His family, to you He is also Abba. Notice also, He’s not just my Father, but He is Our Father. He’s the Presbyterian’s Father, the Pentecostal’s Father, the Catholic’s Father, and the Lutheran’s Father. Regardless of their denomination, Christians, hand in hand, pray, “Our Father,” not only now, but throughout the ages. I can’t hit like Babe Ruth, paint like Michelangelo, or sing like George Beverly Shea. But you know what? I can pray like John Knox, like Martin Luther, and like Charles Spurgeon, because I can pray the same prayer they prayed. It is the perfect prayer because it came from the perfect Pray-erJesus Christ. You can pray this prayer daily, hourly, whenever you like. And you will find yourself in incredible company with the great saints of the ages, with believers of all other flavors, who all love God and address Him as Father because of their relationship to the Son. …Which art in heaven… As my Father, I relate to Him. But because He’s in heaven, I reverence Him. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.Ecc_5:2 I like that! Solomon reminds us we don’t have to pray with lofty terminology or sanctimonious tones. Yes, we must be reverent because God is in Heaven. But we can be real because He’s our Father. …Hallowed be thy name… “Hallowed” is a word that has been lost in our language because the concept has been lost from our lives. It means “to make holy, separated, transcendent.” “O Lord, hallowed, holy is Your Name. Everyone around me, everything that touches me, all that is within me has been tainted and eroded by sin. But You are holy. Hallowed is Your Name.” Second, notice not only God’s Person, but also His purpose. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There are only two kinds of people: those who are in harmony with God’s purpose, saying, “Thy will be done,” and those who live for themselves, saying, “My will be done.” God is terrifyingly fair. If you say, “My will be done,” He will allow that to happen. If you say, “I don’t want God,” He will allow you to be damned. If you say, “I want my way,” He will give you your way. We have a choice to make. We can either, as the Psalmist says, “Be still, and know that He is God,” or we can say, “God, You be still and know that I am me.” The prophet Isaiah went to Hezekiah and said, “Hezekiah, the Lord wants you to know it’s time for you to die. Prepare your house.” The original text of Isa_38:2 tells us Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and chattered like a bird, “Let me live. Let me live.” Finally, God said, “Okay, you got it. Your will be done.” Hezekiah lived fifteen more years, and they were the fifteen most tragic years of his life. During that time, Hezekiah set the stage for the Babylonian invasion, and he fathered a son named Manasseh who grew up to be the most wicked king in the history of Israel. Hezekiah would have been so much better simply praying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, Father, on earth as it is in heaven.” Do you pray in simplicity, “Father, Thy will be done”? Or do you pray with a demanding mentality, “You listen to me, God. I want this”? Ruth Bell Graham has said she is glad God did not listen to her foolish demands in her younger years, or she would have married the wrong guy fifteen times. But she showed wisdom when she ended her prayers with the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.” Third, God’s provision… Give us… Notice Jesus did not pray, “Give Me My bread,” but “Give us our bread.” There are no singular pronouns in the Lord’s Prayer. For me, it’s so freeing to think of my needs as “our needs.” If I’m feeling tired, I pray, “Lord, give us strength, my brothers and sisters who are feeling fatigued today.” If I’m sad, I pray, “Lord, lift our spirits today.” There’s wonderful, continual intercession when a person prays, “Our Father, give us this day, forgive us our debts, lead us not into temptation.” …This day… Give us this daynot this month, not this year. Why does the Lord want us to pray day by day? Why can’t we just sort of blanket our requests by saying, “Lord, give us this month our monthly needs,” or “Give us this year our yearly bread”? The Lord wants us to pray for our daily needs because prayer in and of itself is our greatest need. If the Father gave things to us on a monthly basis, we wouldn’t pray very frequently. The Lord wants you and me to come before Him every day. Is it because He’s on an ego trip? No. Is it because He has need of us? No. Because we have need of Him. He is our Bread. …Our daily bread. I think it’s rather foolish for people to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but fail to take Communion. It’s like praying, “Lord, send light,” while keeping our eyes closed. “For this cause,” writes Paul, “many are weak and sick and even dying unnecessarily” (see 1Co_11:30). I believe the ultimate answer to this request is found at the Communion Table, for truly He is our Bread. Don’t let the pendulum swing too far, fundamental Protestant. Don’t diminish the mystery of the Lord’s Table by saying, “I don’t believe Communion is really mystical or miraculous. It’s not really necessary. It’s optional.” No. It’s foundational. It’s essential. Check out the Book of Acts. Communion was a key component of the early church. Jesus Himself said, “Do this often in remembrance of Me. Be constantly fed and refreshed in Me.” Fourth, God’s pardon… And forgive us our debts… “What is found in Christianity which is not found in any other religion?” This was the question asked at a seminar featuring several prominent Christian theologians. C. S. Lewis, the brilliant thinker and gifted author, was caught in traffic while the rest of the panel puzzled over this question. After about an hour, Lewis arrived, and the question was posed to him. “That’s simple,” he replied. “The forgiveness of sin.” Our past is buried in the sea of God’s forgiveness and forgetfulness. He does not remember our sin anymore. And that is what makes Christianity absolutely unique. …As we forgive our debtors. In the expression of this prayer is the explosion of forgiveness. I might begin praying the Lord’s Prayer with bitterness in my heart toward someone who hurt me six years ago, eight weeks ago, or ten minutes ago. But as I pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” suddenly the resentment, the bitterness, the ill-will dissipates from me as I pray this prayer meaningfully. Fifth, God’s protection… And lead us not into temptation… The word “temptation” does not mean a drawing into sin, but into testing. Although Scripture records Abraham was tempted with a knife in his hand and his son on the altar (Gen_22:1), the temptation was not to do evil. It was a testing. Jas_1:13 says that God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man with evil. God does not tempt you. What, then, is Jesus teaching us to pray here? “Lead us not into testing.” Wait a minute! Doesn’t the Word declare that testing is good? Doesn’t James say to count it all joy when you fall into various tests and trials, knowing that testing produces patience? Doesn’t Peter say that tests purify us as gold purified in the fire? Why would we pray, “Lead us not into testing”? The answer is humility. Which of us would stand up today and say, “Lord, test me! I’m ready! Send testing my way, and watch me flex my spiritual muscles.” Foolish is the person who would say such a thing! Thus, it’s in humility that we constantly pray, “Lead us not into testing.” But if I have prayed, “Lord lead us not into temptation,” then should God take me through testing, I can embrace it joyfully, knowing He will not test me above what I am able (1Co_10:13). …But deliver us from evil. Satan is real, and we need God’s protection. I once read a story about George Adam Smith, a wonderful preacher and author, who was on a mountain-climbing tour of the Alps. On one particularly high peak, he ran to the very precipice and looked out over Switzerland. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came up that threatened to blow him over the edge. From several feet away, his guide called to him, “Mr. Smith! On your knees, sir! The only way you’re safe up here is on your knees!” It has been rightly said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Jesus taught us to pray, “God, protect us. Lead us not into trials and testing. And deliver us from the evil one.” Finally, we come to the last componentGod’s preeminence. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. This concise and potent prayer ends in an explosion of praise, literally reading, “For thine is the kingship, and the weight or substance. It’s all Yours. You are King. You are powerful! Glory! So be it!” When I consider, God’s Personthat He’s my Abba, my Papa, His purposewhich is right, His provisiondaily bread and the Bread of Life, His pardonI am forgiven, and can forgive others, and His protectionfrom temptation and the evil one, I have no other choice but to worship Him. God does not need our worship, but we need to worship. When I’m at a place where I’m saying, “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever,” with open heart and raised hands, suddenly I’m outside myself, lifted above my cares and worries, my hobbies and toys. The Lord’s Prayer is comprised of sixty-five profoundly simple and simply profound words. You can meditate on this prayer for hours, days, months, and years for the rest of your life. But I encourage you to appropriate it right now. Allow this sacrament to be worked into your life, and you’ll find a whole new dimension of the Lord’s Person and purpose, provision and pardon, protection and preeminence worked out through your life.

Matthew 6:14

When people fail, don’t rub it in. Rub it out. Forgive them. How? I personally believe when you pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” the very act of articulating, “as we forgive our debtors,” releases forgiveness at that moment. That might sound a bit mystical, but many of us have found it to be very practical. When you say, “Father, I am now forgiving my debtors,” in the very act of praying it, you’ll experience it.

Matthew 6:16

The Phariseesthe ones who blew the trumpet when they gave their gifts and prayed on street corners because they couldn’t wait to get to churchfasted every Monday and Thursday. You could always tell when they were fasting because they walked around with long faces, drawn cheeks, unbrushed teeth, and uncombed hair. Jesus said when you fast, comb your hair, wash your face, brush your teeth, and don’t let people know. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Fasting is an important discipline often neglected by American Christians. In the Scriptures, we see fasting primarily for two reasons. The first is for direction. Both examples in the Old Testament are found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In the New Testament, we see the examples not only in the life of Jesus but also in the Book of Acts. When people desired to know God’s will or direction, they fasted. Physiologists tell us when there is no food in the stomach, there is greater blood flow to the brain. You can actually think clearer when you’re not digesting burgers and fries. Once you overcome those first pangs of hunger, your thinking processes are more focused and clearer than ever. On the other hand, if you have two Whoppers and a couple of shakes, all you want to do is sleep! Second, people fast not only for direction, but for liberation. When you feel oppressed, bound, or hassled by some sin or problem, fasting is a powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal. Why? When you say no to your stomach and start praying instead, something dynamic begins to happen. Saying no to your physical appetites helps you say no to the other temptations that hassle you. If you are plagued by temptation, I encourage you to begin to explore the discipline of fasting. When your stomach starts demanding, just say “No,” and start praying. You will find a power and a liberty that will help you overcome whatever temptations are seeking to enslave you. There’s real power in fasting. If you need direction, if you hunger for liberation, skip lunch, and seek the Lord.

Matthew 6:19

Giving is not God’s way of raising cash. It’s God’s way of raising kids. Every time I give, I am giving away part of my stinginess and selfishness. God doesn’t need my money, but I need to give. The Lord wants my heart, not my money, and He knows that wherever my treasure is, that’s where my heart will be. If I have financial investments, I will follow the stock market carefully. If I hold real estate, I will follow the housing market with genuine interest. If I have treasure in heaven, guess where my heart will be? It is profoundly interesting to me that Jesus didn’t say, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be.” Instead, He said, “Put your treasure in heaven, and your heart will inevitably follow.” How can we be more heavenly-hearted? By sending our treasure ahead.

Matthew 6:22

Because the eye is the channel through which comes illumination, if you have an evil eye, your whole body shall be full of darkness. Pro_28:22 says, “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.” Who has an evil eye? The one who lives for riches. It’s not wrong to have things, but if you live for things, your eye is evil, and your life will be dark. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.1Ti_6:17 Paul didn’t say, “Sell your goods.” He said, “Don’t trust in them.”

Matthew 6:24

Mammon is more than just nickels, dimes, and dollar bills. Jesus identifies mammon as a master. I believe mammon is a god, a demonic force who wants you to be focused on him, in bondage to him, and all wrapped up in him. The entire monetary system in our world right now is incredible. Truly, it is a religion requiring great faith. I was reading an article some time ago that said if suddenly a whistle was blown in the economic community and all accounts had to be settled immediately, only 10 percent of the debts and 10 percent of the cash would be real.

In other words, if the music stopped in the world of financial musical chairs, nine out of ten people would be left without a chair because 90 percent of the transactions that happen in the economic world are backed by nothing. Zip. Zero. It’s all faith. Even the dollar bill in your wallet, except for a very rare one, doesn’t say Silver Certificate anymore. It’s a U.S. Government Note, backed by nothing. Economics is a risky religion. And Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon. You’ve got to make a choice.”

Matthew 6:25

Does this verse mean we shouldn’t care at all what we wear or about investments or monetary matters? No. The meaning here is that we are to take no anxious thought, or literally, “Take no worry.” The word worry means literally “to strangle.” If you’re worried about what you’re wearing, eating, or drinkingabout what you have or don’t have materiallyyour personality will be tied in knots and strangled. I once read that it takes sixty trillion droplets of fog to cover seven city blocks. Now sixty trillion droplets, or seven city blocks’ worth of fog, can close down airports and tie up cities. Yet, if you condensed those sixty trillion fog droplets, you would end up with only half a glass of water. That’s a good picture of what worry is all about. You begin with something little, only half a glass of water. But you start thinking about it and wrestling with it, wondering, How is this going to work out? How am I going to do that? And before long, you can’t see straight, and your airport is shut down. You’re not hearing from the Lord, and you’re not soaring with the Lord as you once did because you’re all fogged in. Jesus said, “Don’t take any anxious thought whatsoever. Don’t let worry strangle you. Don’t end up in a fog.”

Matthew 6:26

First Peter 5 says we are to cast all of our anxieties upon God. How? Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Php_4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing. Pray about everything. Be thankful in all things. That’s the key. Jesus wants us to be a carefree people.

Matthew 6:27

Styles change quickly. I was thinking about this one day when I saw a couple walking through downtown Medford, Oregon. Their clothes were totally out of fashion, but walking hand in hand, there was a glow about them because of their radiant smiles. And I thought, There goes one of the best-looking couples I have ever seen. Don’t get all hung up on fads and fashions. Jesus tells us to check out the flowers. Even Solomon couldn’t rival their splendor.

Matthew 6:32

Seek first the kingdom, and everything else will fall into place. Every one of you is proof of this, for truly God has provided. We may have spent nights worrying, and yet the Lord has been faithful even when we’ve been foolish. That’s why Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow. Today has enough challenges of its own. Just deal with today, and above all, seek first the kingdom.