Scripture Study: Matthew 6

From: Young Christian: Volume 2, 1912

Matthew 6 • 7 min. read • grade level: 7

Matthew 6:1-18¹Take 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. 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. 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. ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. 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. 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. 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. (Matthew 6:1‑18) is the spirit in which the disciples were to perform good works.

Matthew 6:19-34¹⁹Lay 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. 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! 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. 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? 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? 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. 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. (Matthew 6:19‑34) is separation from the spirit of the world and from its anxieties.

Matthew 6:1-4¹Take 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. (Matthew 6:1‑4). The disciples are to have the sense of being under the Father’s eye. Their inner man is with the Father which is in heaven, and this molds their conduct. If they did their righteousnesses to be seen of men, that is all the reward they would get. If done in secret before the Father, He would openly reward them.

“Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”

Matthew 6:5-15⁵And 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. 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. ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. 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. 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. (Matthew 6:5‑15). This secrecy is applied also to prayer: “Enter into thy closet” “Shut thy door.” It is to tell out their hearts to the Father, and “He will reward thee openly.” It is not saying prayers, nor “much speaking’’, nor “vain repetition”; the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul each prayed three times for the desires of their heart (Matt. 26:44⁴⁴And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (Matthew 26:44); 2 Cor. 12:8⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (2 Corinthians 12:8)) Supplication is prayer intensified, and with what assurance they could ask, when they knew that “the Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him.”

We get no forms of prayer in Scripture. The prayer the Lord taught His disciples was not a form to repeat, but a model to teach them to pray. It was suited to the time before the Lord died, and before the Holy Spirit was given.

We need again to notice the difference of their position from ours. They had an earthly calling, so were taught to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven.” “Heavenly Father,” or “Father which art in heaven,” is not used after redemption is accomplished. We, Christians, have a heavenly calling, are “blessed with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places, in Christ” (Eph. 1:3³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)); we are also sealed with the Holy Spirit, and say “Father,” in nearness and relationship (Rom. 8:15, 26¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15)
²⁶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26); Gal. 4:6⁶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6)). Also we pray now in Christ’s name (John 16:23-24²³And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. ²⁴Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23‑24)). Thus they and we are taught to think whom we are addressing.

“Hallowed be Thy name,” expresses the holy reverence they should have in the Father’s presence.

“Thy kingdom come” is the Father’s kingdom; all that “die in the Lord,” and all the living that are changed and caught up, will have their place in the heavenly part of it (Matt. 13:43⁴³Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)). Israel and the Gentiles who are saved through the tribulation period, will have a place in the kingdom of the Son of Man on earth, when the Lord comes to reign. This is what they prayed for. We are waiting for the coming of the Lord to gather His church home, and now pray that the gospel may reach many souls till His body, the church, is completed.

“Thy will be done in earth, as it is done in heaven”; this is looking for the fulfillment of the prophecies, and will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth; but now it applies itself to our lives here. Jesus, the Faithful witness, did the Father’s will here on earth. He leads us to walk as He walked.

Up to this point they have asked nothing for themselves; teaching us that in prayer, God’s glory and the advancement of His interests should have the first place. Next comes what concerns ourselves: “Give us this day our daily (or needed) bread.” This is expressing our dependence on God. Thanksgiving would surely accompany this.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Those disciples did not yet know eternal forgiveness through the work of Christ; it was governmental or daily forgiveness. We know and have eternal redemption (Heb. 10:14¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14); 1 John 2:12¹²I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (1 John 2:12)), but we also need daily forgiveness in connection with communion, if we would as children walk with the Father and the Son. We are told to confess our sins (1 John 1:9⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)). We cannot ask forgiveness, for, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We forgive others because we are already forgiven (Eph. 4:32³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32); Col. 3:13¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (Colossians 3:13)); but if we do not forgive others, What then? Then our Father will need to deal with His naughty children (Heb. 12:5-11⁵And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:5‑11)). We will lose the sense of His grace in our souls till we do forgive (Mark 11:25-26²⁵And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25‑26)). This is God’s government over His family.

Israel as a nation are now cast off because of their ways (Matt. 5:25-26; 18:23-35²⁵Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Matthew 5:25‑26)
²³Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. ²⁴And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ²⁷Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. ²⁹And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ³⁰And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. ³¹So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. ³²Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: ³³Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? ³⁴And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. ³⁵So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:23‑35); 1 Thess. 2:14-16¹⁴For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: ¹⁵Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: ¹⁶Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2:14‑16)); but they will be restored as a nation (Isa. 40:1-2¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. ²Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1‑2)).

The gospel takes in individuals of every nation in that word, “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)).

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” expresses their felt weakness and tendency to evil, as if one said, “Father, I have no strength, do not try me, or I will fall; I need Thee to keep me all the way.” There in reality the prayer ends, then the Lord emphasizes the seriousness of allowing an unforgiving spirit (Matt. 6:14-15¹⁴For 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. (Matthew 6:14‑15)). May we all take heed to it.

Matthew 6:16-18¹⁶Moreover 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. (Matthew 6:16‑18). Fasting expresses humbling and denying of self, and where it is real before God, it is to be out of sight of men, “and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Fasting gives deeper reality to the exercises of the heart before God.

Matthew 6:19-21¹⁹Lay 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. (Matthew 6:19‑21) tell us where their heart’s object was to be. If the Lord is their treasure, there will their heart be also. They are enjoined not to allow their affections to go after things of earth, or disappointment will result, for loss and decay are felt in temporal things. Nothing fades and no robber can steal the heavenly treasures that are in Christ.

We now are Christ’s treasure, and His heart is ever with us. Bless His name!

Matthew 6:22-23²²The 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! (Matthew 6:22‑23) lead the disciples to examine whether the light they are walking by is of man or from God. The Pharisees thought they had light, but it was men’s traditions: it was real darkness (Compare Matt. 15:14¹⁴Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Matthew 15:14), with John 8:12¹²Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)).

Matthew 6:24²⁴No 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. (Matthew 6:24). It is impossible to serve two masters. If self is allowed, covetousness (which is idolatry, Col. 3:5⁵Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)), goes after mammon; if our object is Christ, God’s claims over us are owned in the soul. Paul said (Phil. 1:27²⁷Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27)), “To me to live is Christ.”

Matthew 6:25-34²⁵Therefore 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? 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? 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. 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. (Matthew 6:25‑34). The Lord would remove from His disciples all anxious care. The fowls of the air neither sow nor reap, nor lay up in store; “your heavenly Father feedeth them,” ‘‘Are ye not much better than they?”

And why take thought about raiment; the lilies neither toil nor spin, but surpass Solomon in all his glory. If God clothes the grass of the field, which is but for a day, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? “Therefore take no (anxious) thought, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” We are not told to seek these things second: Our Father, who knows our need, will give them—“shall be added unto you.”

“We have nothing to do with tomorrow,

Our Father will make that His care;

Its grace or its strength we can’t borrow,

Then why should we borrow its care.”

“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Note. This does not interfere with our lawful duties, such as parents providing for their families’ need. It is to check anxious care, teaching us to trust the Father, who loves us, to supply what we need and have no means of getting.

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.