Matthew 6 · WEB
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Matthew 6

Giving in secret

“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. Therefore, 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. But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Jesus warns against doing religious deeds to be seen by others. When giving to the poor, his hearers should do it so quietly that their left hand does not know what the right is doing; their Father, who sees in secret, will reward them.

What does this mean?

'Alms' (KJV) are gifts to the poor; WEB has 'charitable giving' and 'merciful deeds'. 'Hypocrite' was the Greek word for a stage actor, someone playing a part for an audience. 'Sound a trumpet' is probably a figure of speech for drawing attention to oneself.

Historical context

Giving to the poor, prayer and fasting were three central practices of Jewish piety, and almsgiving was regarded as a basic religious duty.

Why does it matter?

This opens a three-part section on giving, prayer and fasting, each following the same pattern: not like the hypocrites, but in secret, and the Father will reward. The Lord's Prayer sits at its centre.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Prayer in secret

“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. But 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. In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.

Jesus tells his hearers not to pray in public places to impress others, nor to pile up words as if God needed persuading, but to pray privately to a Father who already knows what they need.

What does this mean?

'Closet' (KJV) or 'inner room' (WEB) was a storeroom, often the only room in a village house with a door. 'Vain repetitions' (KJV) translates a rare Greek word probably meaning babbling. 'Heathen' (KJV) and 'Gentiles' (WEB) both mean non-Jews.

Historical context

Devout Jews prayed at set times of day, and praying where one happened to be was normal; the criticism targets the motive, not public prayer as such. Some pagan prayers piled up divine names and titles to make sure the right god was addressed.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The Lord's Prayer

Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

Jesus gives his followers a pattern for prayer. It addresses God as Father, asks that his name be honoured, his kingdom come and his will be done, then asks for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from temptation and evil.

What does this mean?

'Hallowed' (KJV) means treated as holy. 'Daily' translates a rare Greek word that may mean 'for today' or 'for the coming day'. 'Debts' is a Jewish image for sins. 'Temptation' can also mean testing or trial, and 'evil' may mean 'the evil one' (WEB).

Historical context

Addressing God as Father had roots in Jewish scripture and prayer, though Jesus' frequent use of it stands out. The closing words of praise ('For thine is the kingdom...') appear in the KJV and WEB but not in the earliest manuscripts; most scholars think they were added from early church worship.

Why does it matter?

The prayer has been used by Christians of nearly every tradition since the first century; an early Christian manual, the Didache, already tells believers to say it three times a day.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Told in two Gospels

How Matthew tells it

Matthew sets the prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, as a contrast to showy or wordy prayer; in Luke it answers a disciple's request after Jesus has been praying. Matthew asks forgiveness of 'debts', Luke of 'sins'; Matthew has 'this day', Luke 'day by day'. Only Matthew's text, in the KJV and WEB, ends with words of praise.

Forgiveness and fasting

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

“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. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so 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.

Jesus adds that God's forgiveness is bound up with his hearers' willingness to forgive others. He then turns to fasting: instead of looking miserable to be noticed, they should wash and groom themselves as usual, so that only God sees.

What does this mean?

'Trespasses' means wrongs or offences. 'Anoint thine head' (KJV) refers to putting oil on the hair, a normal part of grooming, not a religious rite. 'Disfigure their faces' probably means leaving them unwashed or smeared with ashes.

Historical context

Fasting, going without food for a day or part of a day, was required on the Day of Atonement (from evening to evening) and practised in times of mourning or repentance; some devout Jews fasted twice a week (compare Luke 18:12).

Why does it matter?

Forgiveness is the one petition of the Lord's Prayer that Jesus comments on, and it returns as a major theme in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:21–35).

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Treasure, the eye and two masters

“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But 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!

“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.

Jesus urges his hearers to store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth, where it decays or is stolen, because the heart follows the treasure. He adds a saying about the eye as the body's lamp, and warns that no one can serve both God and money.

What does this mean?

'Mammon' (KJV and WEB) is an Aramaic word for wealth or property. In Jewish idiom a 'single' (KJV) or 'sound' (WEB) eye suggested generosity, while an 'evil eye' meant stinginess or envy (compare 20:15), linking the saying to money. 'Corrupt' (KJV) means destroy.

Historical context

Wealth was often held as fine clothing, which moths could ruin, or as coins buried in the ground; thieves could dig through the mud-brick walls of houses. A slave owned jointly by two masters was a recognised situation, with conflicting demands.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Do not worry

Therefore 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? See 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?

“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But 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?

“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

Jesus tells his hearers not to be anxious about food, drink or clothes. God feeds the birds and clothes the wild flowers more splendidly than King Solomon, so they should seek God's kingdom first, trust that their needs will be met, and take one day at a time.

What does this mean?

'Take no thought' (KJV) is older English for 'don't be anxious' (WEB). A 'cubit' was a forearm's length; the Greek can mean adding to one's height (KJV 'stature') or to one's lifespan (WEB). 'Raiment' means clothing. 'Little faith' is Matthew's recurring phrase for the disciples' wavering trust (8:26; 14:31; 16:8).

Historical context

Dried grass and plants were burned as fuel in clay ovens. Many of Jesus' hearers were farmers, labourers and artisans living close to subsistence, for whom food and clothing were real daily worries. Solomon was remembered as the richest and most splendid of Israel's kings.

Why does it matter?

'Seek first the kingdom' sums up the Sermon's priorities and links back to the 'righteousness' of 5:6 and 5:20.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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