| Matthew 6:1
Take 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. 2 Therefore 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. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And 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. 6 But 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. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. |
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| Much of this
chapter speaks to our motives for doing things required by a life of faith.
Just the act of doing -- giving to the poor, praying, fasting -- means
nothing at all if we act for the wrong reasons. As pointed out in the
notes to the last chapter, the motivation of many good deeds, such as giving
to those in need, is pride, wanting to appear great in the eyes of others.
For nonbelievers, pleasing the Father is not an issue, because they don't
know him. The Sermon on the Mount is addressed primarily to those who
have a relationship with God, through Christ, and this chapter addresses
some of the most basic parts of that relationship. Though the first
few verses particularly focus on giving to those in need, it might as easily
apply to all acts of kindness and compassion, whether they involve money or
giving emotional and spiritual support. As Christians, we should
perform all our service as unto the Lord, not so that others can see how
loving and kind we are. The love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, points out
this truth in a most powerful and specific way; if we give away all we have,
or give up our lives as martyrs, if we don't do it out of love, all of it
amounts to no more than an empty gesture (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Like giving for show, prayer for show has no power or meaning in the eyes of God. Praying aloud to impress others with our spirituality goes no further than the ears of the listeners. If the reward we seek is the approval of others, rather than of God, then, as Jesus says, that's the only reward we will ever have. Although public prayers certainly have their place, our private prayer life is a matter between us and God, and should remain private. Each prayer should be unique, because it is based on the needs and thoughts and attitudes of that particular moment in our lives. A prayer that simply involves repeating the same things day after day, or the kind of repetitious prayer found in some church liturgies, has no more power or effect than one spoken for public consumption. Prayer is communication between us and God, and involves his response as well as our own petitions and praise. For many believers, prayer is little more than a monologue, a catalog of needs and wants. It is with the Lord's model prayer that Jesus gives instruction on how we ought to pray. |
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| Matthew 6:9 After this
manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy
name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 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. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. |
Luke 11:1 And it came
to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of
his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. |
| Luke indicates
the Lord's model prayer, often misnamed "the Lord's prayer", was given in
response to a request by his disciples as to how to pray. The record
in Matthew and the one in Luke could well have been two different occasions,
since there's every reason to believe that Jesus repeated the themes in that
first great sermon in later ones. The fact that Luke's account takes
place after the Lord had finished praying lends support to the idea that two
different events were involved. The disciples could easily see the
power that the Lord achieved in his prayers, and they wanted the same for
their own lives. Further, John the Baptist had given some instruction
in prayer to his disciples, so they assumed the Lord would do the same.
They were not disappointed. The pattern for prayer that Christ gives us is one we can all follow, without just ritualistic repetition of the prayer itself. Every prayer should begin with praise and adoration, acknowledgment of who God is and of his worthiness of our praise and worship. The first words define our relationship to God, as Father; his residence and reign, in Heaven; and his nature, which is holy, and summed up in his very name. "Thy kingdom come" expresses our confidence in God's promises, including the triumph of his kingdom, and his status as King of all creation. We next acknowledge our own submission to God, in obedience to his will, and his ultimate sovereignty in both Heaven and earth. This, in a sense, is a repetition of the phrase "thy kingdom come", because it looks forward, again, to the time when the earth will be subject to God's perfect will just as Heaven already is. It is not only a Messianic prayer, looking to the coming of the kingdom in Jesus Christ, but a prayer that looks forward to the end times and beyond to God's eternal reign on Heaven and earth. After the initial section of adoration and praise, the prayer moves to our petitions for our needs, not just our physical needs, but our other needs as well. This section would also include the petitions we lift on behalf of others. Though this is the shortest section in the model prayer, for most of us it takes up the greater part of our time in prayer. While there is nothing wrong with spending much time in interceding for others, and in praying for our needs, God already knows our needs, as the previous verses indicate. What he wants most of all is the fellowship that comes from our season of prayer, and that is what is often most lacking. We should try more to keep a sense of proportion in our prayer lives. The next section deals particularly with maintaining relationships, both with God and with others. When we sin, we incur a debt; when others sin against us, they incur a debt as well. We maintain our relationship with God through confession and repentance, trusting in his promise that when we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse from the unrighteousness it produces (1 John 1:9). Failing to forgive others, though, sets up a roadblock in our relationship with God, because failing to forgive is itself a sin, and any unconfessed sin is a barrier to prayer. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness eventually, and cuts off our fellowship with God. That doesn't mean we lose our salvation; it does mean we lose fellowship with God, and our prayers lose their power and effect. Matthew's version of the prayer ends as it began, with an expression of praise. That is the same model as found in many of the Psalms, and serves to reaffirm our relationship with the Lord. A particular prayer doesn't end our prayer, though; our whole attitude should be one of constant communion with God. That's what it means to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). |
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| Matthew 6:16
Moreover 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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That 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. |
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| Fasting, going without food and / or drink, was, and is, a form of self-sacrifice. Symbolically, we are giving up our lives to God, foregoing the necessities of life as a sacrifice for sin, which results in death. Further, we deliberately remove our focus from our own needs and wants, and direct our thoughts and motives toward God. Usually, fasting has a specific motive, to help in an attitude of prayer, whether for a particular need or just to attain to a closer relationship with God. For the Pharisees, though, fasting served to call attention to themselves, to let others know just how holy they were. As with the other pretensions of holiness in this section, the original purpose of the practice was perverted to one of self promotion. The world's view of religion calls attention to the worshipper or to a false god; godly worship does not call attention to itself at all, but is directed towards God. | |