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.
In chapter 5:17-48 Jesus talked about the standard of righteousness that is necessary for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven. In chapter 6 Jesus talks about deeds of righteousness that God will reward. The first deed of righteousness that Jesus talks about in this chapter is giving to help people who are in need.
In 5:16 Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” People seeing our good works is not the problem. The warning in Matthew 6 is that we not do the good works with the motive of getting glory for ourselves. If that is our motive, then the glory we get is all the reward that we get. If our motive is that God be glorified, then He will give us reward. God sees everything that every person does in secret – both bad and good – and He knows our true motives.
Acts 9:36-42 tells about a believing woman named Dorcas who lived in Joppa. Verse 36 says, this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. Verse 39 says that Dorcas made clothes for the widows in the church, and she probably helped other people in other ways, too. We don’t read of any glory that Dorcas ever got for herself while she was helping others, but after she died the widows she had helped grieved greatly. God honored Dorcas and comforted the widows by bringing her back to life, and He used this to bring many people to faith in Christ. Surely Dorcas will also have great reward in Christ’s kingdom in the future.
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.
Every occurrence of the word “hypocrite” in the New Testament is spoken by Jesus. He speaks of hypocrites 14 times in the book of Matthew. A hypocrite is someone who acts like something they’re not. Jesus said that hypocrites pray so as to receive attention and esteem from other people. Jesus said that whenever a person prays like that, the attention and esteem that they get is their reward. They will have no reward from God.
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.
The “closet” Jesus spoke of refers to an inner room. When He said to go into an inner room and shut the door, He was probably using a word picture as He did in verse 3 when He said, “let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” For example, in Daniel 6:10, we read that Daniel went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. That place was Daniel’s “closet.” Jesus meant that whenever we pray, our prayer should genuinely be directed toward God; it should not be done as a show to other people.
According to I Timothy 2:1-2,8 with 3:15, it is right for people to pray in the meetings of the church. Also, we know that when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He intentionally prayed out loud for other people to hear Him. John 11:41-42 says, Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. Jesus prayed out loud so that the people there would hear His prayer and understand the spiritual significance of what was happening. So it’s not wrong to pray in public. It’s just why we do what we do that’s the issue.
Jesus said, “pray to thy Father which is in secret.” When we go to our Father in genuine prayer, wherever we are, that place becomes a private place. And our Father is there with us in that secret place.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Genuine prayers are not set patterns that we repeat again and again in hope of fulfilling a religious requirement so that God will listen to us. It’s not wrong to pray for something a lot, though. For example, Paul said that he prayed night and day that he could see the believers in Thessalonica (I Thessalonians 3:10). In the Old Testament, when Nehemiah heard about the conditions in Jerusalem, he prayed, Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants… (Nehemiah 1:6). So sometimes we need to pray often about the same thing, but our prayers should be real and from our heart every time.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
It is amazing that God allows us to pray about our needs, answers our prayers, and rewards us for praying (verse 6). But if God already knows what we need, why should we pray? By praying about our needs, we acknowledge that God is the Provider, that we are dependent on Him, and that we believe that He can and will give us what we really need. Also, Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Faith believes that God will reward His people when they seek Him, so genuine prayer is an expression of faith.
In verse 8, Jesus only spoke about prayers for things that we need. But in the following verses, He will talk more about how we should pray.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Jesus first instructed the people at the mountain that day to pray that God’s Name be made holy. But, of course, God’s Name already is holy. But on earth it is often not treated as holy. Certainly by praying this, we declare that we do not want to do anything ourselves that would dishonor His Name. The follow-up to this prayer is in verse 10.
10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
How will God’s Name begin to be always treated as holy on planet earth? It will happen when God’s kingdom comes on planet earth. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about four earthly kingdoms and about another kingdom which would follow them. That other kingdom would destroy the previous kingdoms and itself fill the whole earth. When the prophet Daniel explained this dream to Nebuchadnezzar, he said, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever (Daniel 2:44). Daniel said that the God of heaven would set up a kingdom on earth. That is the kingdom that we long for and pray will come. Our prayer will be answered when Christ returns.
In heaven, God’s will is always done. Today on earth, God’s Name is not always hallowed and His will is not always done. When Christ comes back and establishes God’s kingdom on earth, He will see that things are done according to God’s will. We pray for that change. In the meantime, we should each work in our spheres of influence that things may be done according to God’s holy will.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
This short request summarizes all of our ongoing needs. By its brevity, this prayer instructs us to be content when those needs are met, and it tells us that every day God will be the source of all that we need.
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.
Verse 12 speaks of our “debts,” and verse 15 speaks of our “trespasses” with the same meaning. So in these verses the “debts” are moral debts, things that we have done or said or thought that are offenses before God. Jesus will speak more about forgiveness in verses 14 and 15.
Verse 13 is a prayer that God not lead us (that is, bring us) into temptation. What does that mean? In the Bible, “temptation” sometimes means enticement to sin and sometimes means testing. James 1:13-14 says, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. So Jesus does not mean that God might entice us to sin. Jesus is talking about testing. But James 1:2-3 says, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James said that we should rejoice when we encounter trials. So why did Jesus say that we should pray that God would not bring us into testing?
An incident in Israel’s history may help us here. During the time of the judges, Israel repeatedly turned away from the LORD. God still brought them into the land He promised to give them, but He judged the people by not removing their enemies:
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not (Judges 2:20-22).
God was bringing Israel into a good land. But because Israel had sinned, God said that He would leave their enemies in the land. These enemies would seek to do them harm. God did this because He wanted Israel to repent and obey Him.
Probably there is significance in the order of the requests in verses 12 and 13 of the prayer that Jesus taught. The first request is “forgive us,” the second request is “lead us not into temptation,” and the third request is “but deliver us from evil.” Like the Israelites, we first need to be right with our heavenly Father. Even after we are justified by faith in Christ, we still sin. We need to be forgiven. But like with the Israelites, if we don’t confess our sins and stay right with our heavenly Father, He may leave enemies in our way to test us. Jesus said that we should pray that God not let us go that far. The conjunction “but” in verse 13 is a strong adversative. We pray that God will stop us before we have to be disciplined – that He will “deliver us from evil,” from all the harm that Satan would like to do to us.
Verse 13 also says that the One to Whom we pray is the One to Whom the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever belong.
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.
In John 5:24, Jesus said, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
A person who has passed from death unto life is already forgiven. That forgiveness is for forever. That person has everlasting life.
The forgiveness that Jesus spoke of in verses 14-15 above is different. This forgiveness is for closeness with our Father. A real believer already has eternal life, but a real believer can still lose closeness with God. In order for us to maintain a close relationship with our heavenly Father, we need to be forgiven from day to day whenever we do something wrong. But Jesus said that in that case, God requires that we first forgive other people who do wrong to us.
What does it mean to forgive those who trespass against us? How does forgiveness work? We might first consider the example of Jesus Himself. At the cross, Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Was Jesus asking that His Father not hold accountable those who crucified Him, even if they did not repent? We know that God did hold Israel accountable and that 40 years later Jerusalem was razed to the ground by the Romans.
I Peter 2:21-23 says, …Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously….
Christ “committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Jesus knew that God would still judge those who treated Him unjustly. In I Corinthians 2:7-8, Paul wrote, But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It seems that Jesus’ prayer at the cross was a prayer that the people who crucified Him not be instantly condemned or destroyed but rather that they be given an opportunity to repent.
Luke 17:3-4 says, Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
In those verses, the condition for forgiveness is that the other person repent. No matter how many times they do us wrong, as long as they express genuine repentance, we must forgive them.
In Revelation 6, John saw the souls of believers who had been killed for their faith during the future seven-year Tribulation period:
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:10-11).
These martyrs in heaven were crying out to God to avenge their blood on those who had killed them. God did not chide them and say, “No, you ought to forgive them!” He only told them to wait a little longer. To cry out to God for retribution on evildoers who will not repent is not contrary to forgiveness.
Paul also spoke of the rightness of Divine retribution in II Thessalonians 1:6-7: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels….
The point is that God will settle accounts one day. To forgive those who trespass against us means that we want those people to be given a chance to repent and get right with God. We may feel like they deserve to go to hell for what they’ve done to us, but we don’t want them to go to hell. And we have to remember that apart from Christ’s death for us, we deserve to go to hell, too.
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.
In verses 17-48 of the previous chapter, Jesus talked about the standard of righteousness that is necessary for a person to enter the kingdom of heaven. In chapter 6, Jesus is speaking about deeds of righteousness that a believer does: giving, praying, and fasting.
What is the spiritual meaning of fasting? Matthew 9:14 tells about a question that John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus about fasting: Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? Jesus’ answer to them helps us to understand the meaning of fasting: And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. Jesus directly associated fasting with mourning. Jesus also compared His disciples to a bridegroom’s attendants and implied that He the Bridegroom would be taken away from them before the wedding took place. Then His disciples would fast as an expression of their grief.
It is likely that mourning is to be at the heart of our fasting, too. We mourn our own tendency to sin, we mourn the same tendency in the churches, and we mourn the darkness that is and will be present in the world until Christ’s return. As we mourn and fast, we pray for guidance from our Shepherd in decisions about life and how we are to best serve Him. But, as in giving and in prayer, we must not fast with the motive of being seen by other people. God will only reward fasting that is done with the right heart motive.
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.
The issue in Jesus’ words in these verses is location: treasures on earth or treasures in heaven. It’s interesting that our “treasures” (plural) in verses 19 and 20 become our “treasure” (singular) in verse 21. The things that we store up for ourselves become the thing that we value most.
Jesus emphasizes two main points in these verses. The first point is that things stored up on earth won’t last. The second point starts with the word “for.” This “for” means that the second point gives the reason that Jesus made the first point. The second point is that our heart will stay with our treasure. So when Jesus says that we should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, He’s saying that our heart should be in heaven.
What does it mean to have our heart located in heaven? Heaven is the place where God’s throne is, and Jesus is there, seated at His Father’s right hand. Jesus is saying that our heart should be there, too – our wants and the focus of our plans should be oriented around loving and obeying Him. But that won’t happen if our goal is to accumulate as much as we can down here.
It’s not wrong to be rich. But Psalm 62:10 says, ...if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. I Timothy 6:17 says that God giveth us richly all things to enjoy, but the Scriptures also say that we are responsible to God for how we use what He gives us. In Proverbs 8, Wisdom is personified and says, Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness (Proverbs 8:18). Jesus wants to give us riches that will last and a heart that even now lives with Him in heaven.
In the first part of this chapter Jesus talked about giving, prayer, and fasting. He said that God will reward giving, prayer, and fasting if it is not done for show. When Jesus says “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” He’s still talking about reward. The topic hasn’t changed. Waiting for a reward in the future requires faith. We have to believe that there is a tomorrow after death and that God will reward faithful service to Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
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!
The choice between laying up treasures on earth and laying up treasures in heaven will be determined by a person’s perception. Jesus said that the light of a person’s body is their eye. But the eye itself is not a light source; it’s only an organ of perception. Jesus is talking about how we look at things. If we look at the world rightly and perceive that treasures in heaven are better than treasures on earth, we will make right decisions in our life. But if we think that getting earthly wealth is better than having reward in heaven, that wrong outlook will leave us in the dark when we make decisions. Satan can easily influence that person to go the wrong way. If a person thinks that something is worth giving their all to when it really isn’t, that person’s life is blinded by that wrong perception.
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.
Everybody serves somebody. But nobody can be faithful to two masters. If a person tries to serve God while being determined to do whatever it takes to get rich, that person will wind up on one side of the fence or the other. Either money or God will win that person’s love and loyalty. Everybody needs to think about it. What guides our decisions? The desire to serve God or the desire to be rich?
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?
This verse begins with the word “therefore.” In the previous verses Jesus said that we should have our heart in heaven (verses 19-21), that we should look at things according to their true value (verses 22-23), and that we should serve God as our master rather than serving money (verse 24). Now Jesus says, “Therefore I say unto you….” So now He will tell His listeners and us how to apply the principles that He has just stated.
The expression, “Take no thought” means “Don’t be anxious about.” Jesus said that we should not be anxious about the food and drink that we need to sustain our lives or about the clothing that we need to protect our bodies. He said, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” He’s telling us that if we don’t have God’s perspective on life, the means become the end. We ought to think higher than that. Instead of focusing downward from soul and body to food and clothing, we ought to focus upward to how our soul and body should be used to serve God.
Jesus will return to these words in verse 31 and will bring us to the conclusion we need.
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?
In these verses Jesus gives two illustrations: birds and wildflowers. Neither one schemes about job promotions, financial strategies, or increased professional recognition. But God takes care of each of them and adorns them with a beauty that even the wealthiest of people admire. God is their Creator and ours. And, if we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus, God is also our Father. He will certainly feed and clothe His children.
Jesus does not mean that we don’t need to work. Even Adam before he sinned was given work to do in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). But the issue is working without being anxious about how we’re going to make it.
In verse 27, Jesus asked, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” In Hebrews 11:11 the same word translated “stature” here is translated “age” and is used with reference to time. Since a cubit is about 18 inches, it doesn’t seem likely that anyone would imagine making themselves 18 inches taller. Jesus probably meant that we can’t add even a little time to our lifespan by worrying about it.
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.
In verse 31 Jesus returns to His words in verse 25. He’s coming now to the point of the “therefore” in that verse. He says again that we should not be anxious about what we will eat or drink or wear. We should not be anxious because our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. In that statement is a crystal-clear implication that God’s knowing is enough. Our heavenly Father is a good Father. He knows and He cares. He knows and He will give what we need.
There is also a contrast in these verses between what the Gentiles seek and what God’s people are to seek. Those who don’t know the LORD God are passionately preoccupied with providing for themselves. Jesus said that our first and best pursuit should be the furthering of the kingdom of God and His righteousness, both within ourselves and in the world.
What does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness? There are at least four spheres where we’re to seek progress. First, in ourselves: we need to be deeply desirous of growing in our relationship with God and of being changed to be like He wants us to be. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Spending time in the Bible is essential to our growing spiritually.
The second sphere in which we should seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness is in seeking good for other believers. When our brothers and sisters in Christ grow spiritually and receive the care they need, there is good in God’s kingdom. The third sphere includes those around us who don’t know Christ. The Word of the Gospel has been entrusted to us to share with them (II Corinthians 5:18-21). The fourth sphere is the larger culture around us. We need to be instruments of restraint of evil and of the furthering of righteousness in the world by our prayers and by our voice in the public square.
Verse 33 contains both a command and a promise. Jesus said to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. That’s the command. The promise is that God won’t let us come up short. He will provide all that we need. This command and promise are the point of the “therefore” in verse 25. Jesus told His listeners that day that they should have their heart in heaven (verses 19-21), that they should look at things according to their true value (verses 22-23), and that they should serve God as their master rather than serving money (verse 24). Therefore, rather than being anxious about food, drink, and clothing, they – and we – should seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness in the confidence that He, our heavenly Father who knows all our needs, will provide for us.
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.
The target of our worry usually is not what is happening right now. Usually we worry about what will happen next. The headlines in the news are often worded to play on our fear of what may happen tomorrow. It is good for us to be aware, to be wise, and to prepare, but it is not good for us to be anxious. Jesus did not say that nothing bad would happen in the days ahead. He said that there is enough to deal with today. The root of the trouble is that Adam did sin. Sin did enter the world. Death and suffering came when sin came. Even Jesus Himself was crucified for being and telling the truth. But He rose from the dead. And He promised us, “I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20). “Always” includes now with its problems and tomorrow with its problems. The risen Lord Jesus Christ will be with us always.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.