Matthew 6
Don’t worry. Pray.
Keep Your Donations Secret
1“When you do something kind to help someone else, don’t make a spectacle of it. If you show off like that, there’s no way your Father in heaven is going to reward you for it. 2So whenever you make a contribution to help someone, don’t blow your own horn. That’s what hypocrites do out in public and in the synagogues as well. They do it to impress people. I’ll tell you this, that’s all the reward they’re going to get.3“When you’re making a contribution, keep it so secret that your left hand doesn’t know what your right hand is doing. 4When you help others in secret, your Father sees the secret. He’ll reward you.
Don’t Turn Prayer into a Speech
5“Don’t pray like a hypocrite. Those people love to pray standing up in the synagogues and on street corners where lots of people can see them. I’m telling you, that attention is all the reward they’re going to get.6“When you pray, don’t make a spectacle of it. Go into a room where you can be alone. Shut the door. Then pray privately. Your Father sees what you do when others aren’t looking, and he’ll reward you.
7“When you pray, don’t ramble on and on the way the non-Jews do. They think that the longer they talk, the more likely they’ll be heard. 8Don’t be like that. Your prayer isn’t a news bulletin to your Father. He already knows what you need.
Lord’s Prayer
9“Here’s the kind of prayer I’m talking about. Pray like this:“‘Father in heaven, may everyone respect your name and who it represents.
11Please provide us with the food we need today and every day.
12Forgive us when we sin, just as we forgive people who sin against us.
13Don’t test us with temptations. [1] Don’t let Satan get the better of us; protect us from him. {You have the power to do all of this—and you deserve the honors forever. What an awesome God you are.}’ [2] 14“Here’s the way it works. If you forgive others for the sins they committed, your Father in heaven will forgive you for the sins you’ve committed. 15But if you don’t forgive others for their sins, don’t expect your Father to forgive your sins.
How to Skip Meals for Religious Reasons
16“When you go on a fast, skipping meals for religious reasons, don’t make a spectacle of it. Hypocrites put on their hungry faces to make it obvious to everyone that they’re fasting. Don’t do that. People who put on a show like that have all the reward they’re going to get.17“When you fast, try to look like you’re not fasting. Wash your face. Comb your hair, and add some scented oil. 18Do this so people won’t think you’re fasting. Your Father will know better. He sees what you’re doing privately, and he’ll reward you for it.
Don’t Obsess over Money
19“Don’t stockpile money and expensive assets on earth. It doesn’t last here. Moths and rust devour them. Thieves steal them. 20Stockpile treasures in heaven. That’s where moths and rust can’t do any harm. Thieves can’t break in, either.21“Find your treasure, and you’ll find your heart. 22Light pours into you because of what you see and experience with your eyes. If your eyes are healthy, your life will be full of light. 23But if your eyes covet, [3] evil will do nothing but fill your life with darkness. And if you’ve got nothing but darkness inside, you’re completely in the dark.
Boss: God or Money
24“You can’t work for two bosses at the same time and do justice to both. You’re going to favor one over the other, perhaps giving one all your loyalty while resenting the other. So, you can’t devote your life to God and to money.Don’t Worry
25“Don’t worry about the everyday matters of life: what you’re going to eat or drink, what you’re going to wear, or what you’re going to do if you get sick. [4] There’s more to life than food and clothes, isn’t there?26“Look up at the birds flying above you. They don’t plant a garden. They don’t harvest a crop. They don’t store grain in barns. But your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you more important than the birds?
27“Let me ask you this. If you worried hard enough, could you grow a millimeter taller or live a day longer? [5] 28Why do you worry about clothes? Look at all the wildflowers in the field. They’re everywhere. They don’t lift a petal to do a thing. They don’t spin fabric to make their own clothes. 29But I’ll tell you this, King Solomon decked out in his best royal robes didn’t look nearly as good as a flower.
30“People, if God dresses the grass of the field with flowers as beautiful as this—grass that grows here today but tomorrow will burn as fuel in the oven—won’t he put clothes on you too? 31So don’t get worked up over this. Don’t go around saying things like, ‘What are we going to eat?’ Or ‘What are we going to drink?’ Or ‘Where are we going to get some decent clothes?’ 32Folks who don’t know God [6] obsess over all of that. Your heavenly Father knows you need it.
33“Don’t go chasing those things. Run toward the kingdom of God and live like a model citizen who makes God proud. If you do that, everything you need is going to be provided for you. 34So, here’s what I’m trying to say. Don’t worry about tomorrow. At least wait until you get there. Every new day has all the trouble we need.”
Footnotes
Often translated, “Lead us not into temptation,” the Greek word can mean trial, testing, tragedy, affliction, or temptation. In this context, after a sentence about forgiveness of sins, “temptation” seems to fit the main idea Jesus was talking about; many Bible translators agree.
Some of the oldest copies of the Gospel of Matthew don’t have this sentence. A more literal translation: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (New American Standard Bible).
“Covet” isn’t in the original language. But some scholars say it’s in the context and helps explain what Jesus is talking about. Some scholars say that in Matthew 6:22-23, wedged between two sections dealing with money matters, the eyes that Jesus talks about seem to be the “evil eye” that shows up a lot in teachings of the ancient Middle East. Jesus seems to be contrasting the coveting “evil eye” against the healthy and generous eye. Jews in ancient times taught that a “good eye” represents kindness toward others. Rabbi Eliezer, who lived in the first and second centuries in what is now Israel, taught that an “evil eye” is worse than a bad neighbor and an evil heart.
More literally, “about your body.” It’s unclear what Jesus had in mind.
Bible experts debate whether or not Jesus was talking about height or time. This paraphrase uses both. The more literal translation would be that worry cannot add “a single cubit to his height.” A cubit is roughly the distance of the forearm to the tip of the middle finger. That’s about 18 inches (46 cm). That sounds like Jesus was talking about how tall a person is. But in some Jewish writings, measurements like that also referred to the amount of time: “You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand” (Psalm 39:5, New Living Translation).
Literally, “Gentiles.”
Discussion Questions
- 1
Jesus seemed to tell us to keep our donations secret. “Don’t make a spectacle of charitable giving.” What do you think that says about the huge donations that churches and Christian institutions receive that are sometimes rewarded by naming a building or a room after the major contributor? Smith Hall, for example, might have been named after a man named Smith whose donation helped build this college dorm or classrooms.
- 2
After reading the sample prayer Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, in Matthew 6:9-13, how do you think that compares with the prayers we hear in church or the prayers we pray at home?
- 3
Some Christians fast. They skip meals for religious reasons (Matthew 6:16). Often, it functions a bit like prayer on steroids. A person facing extreme crisis turns to God not only in prayer but also in fasting. How is that not arm-twisting God as though we are trying to compel him to do something he would not otherwise do?
- 4
Jesus told his disciples not to worry about “everyday matters of life” (Matthew 6:25), such as food and clothing, along with what’s going to happen if we get sick. How is that not crazy talk?
- 5
Jesus told the people not to focus so much time and energy on thinking about where they’re going to get their food and clothing. He said, “Your heavenly Father knows you need it” (Matthew 6:32). What do we have to say for God when people remind us that not everyone has enough to eat or drink?
- 6
LIFE APPLICATION. In the sample prayer Jesus gave his disciples, he said we should ask God to “Forgive us when we sin, just as we forgive people who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12). Some sins are difficult to forgive in this lifetime, and seemingly impossible. What do you think that means to us when it comes to getting God’s forgiveness?
- 7
LIFE APPLICATION. What do you think about this quote from Jesus: “You can’t work for two bosses at the same time and do justice to both. You’re going to favor one over the other, perhaps giving one all your loyalty while resenting the other. So, you can’t devote your life to God and to money” (Matthew 6:24).
- 8
LIFE APPLICATION. Let’s answer the question Jesus asked: “If you worried hard enough, could you grow a millimeter taller or live a day longer?” (Matthew 6:27). Is there any value to worrying?
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