TEXT [Commentary]

6. Religious practices (6:1-18)

1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need,[*]

12 and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[*]

but rescue us from the evil one.[*]

14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair[*] and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

NOTES

6:1 Don’t do your good deeds publicly. This verse enunciates the general principle that is unpacked in the three specific areas treated by Jesus in this section: giving (6:2-4), praying (6:5-15), and fasting (6:16-18). This principle relates to the disciple’s intention in prayer—disciples must watch out for a perverse tendency to do good deeds in order to receive human admiration. When this occurs, the disciple forfeits divine reward (cf. 10:41-42; 19:27-29). The NLT’s “good deeds” is lit. “righteousness,” which refers to practical or functional godliness—that is, obedience to God’s laws. Jesus had just taught that his standard of righteousness was higher than that of the religious leaders (5:20; cf. 1:19; 3:15; 5:6, 10; 6:33; 25:37-39). All in all, this verse constitutes a sort of “flip side” to 5:16. There disciples are enjoined to do good deeds to the Father’s glory; here they are enjoined not to do them for their own glory.

6:2 The first concrete application of the principle enunciated in 6:1 is giving to the needy. See the commentary below for discussion of the literary pattern that begins here and is followed in the sections on prayer (6:5-15) and fasting (6:16-18).

hypocrites. This word occurs here for the first time in Matthew (see also 6:5, 16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13-15, 27; 24:51.).

blowing trumpets in the synagogues. This may be metaphorical (like the modern expression “blowing your own horn”) or a hyperbolic reference to drawing attention to oneself. Or it might refer to a trumpet-shaped collection box that resounded when coins were thrown into it.

to call attention to their acts of charity! This refers to the sinful motive of seeking the praise and glory of humans rather than the reward of the heavenly Father. Instead of giving in a flashy public manner to attain self-aggrandizement, disciples are to give secretly so that the Father, who is aware of secret actions, will reward them (cf. 16:27).

6:3 don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. The emphasis on secrecy is underlined by this hyperbole. Disciples are to seek eternal reward from God rather than present human fleeting praise.

6:5-6 When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites . . . [but] pray to your Father in private. The section on prayer (6:5-15) is more extensive than the sections on giving and fasting. It consists of two warnings on how not to pray, each balanced by positive teaching (6:5-6; 6:7-8), followed by the model prayer (6:9-13). Jesus first forbids his disciples to pray hypocritically on the street or in the synagogue (cf. 23:5-7), commanding them instead to pray privately in an inner room (6:5-6). There is an allusion here to Isa 26:20, which in its original context speaks of Israel’s hiding from temporary judgment in anticipation of blessing. Jesus forbids hypocrisy here, not sincere prayer in public or in religious services. This critique addresses hypocritical Jewish practice, and may have in mind hypocrisy in the praying of the ‘Amidah or Eighteen Benedictions (to be uttered three times a day), the recitation of the Shema (to be done twice daily), and various other blessings.

6:7-8 don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. In 6:7-8 Jesus critiques the prayers of the Gentiles (or “pagans”). These prayers of the Gentiles evidently involved long-winded babbling in order to get the attention of a god, or the utterance of repeated magical incantations. But Jesus reminded his disciples that their Father already knows what they need before they ask (cf. 6:32).

6:9-10 As form-critical scholars note, the model prayer of 6:9-13 (cf. a shorter version in Luke 11:1-4) seems to interrupt the repeated pattern of 6:2-4, 6:5-8, and 6:16-18. But this does not necessarily bring the prayer’s authenticity or the literary unity of 6:1-18 into doubt. The model prayer gives a positive example that nicely balances the preceding critique of hypocritical prayer, and it exemplifies the Kingdom values Jesus has inculcated since the beatitudes. If one takes the two requests of 6:13 as two aspects of one petition, the model prayer is composed of six requests. Assuming this, the six seem to be arranged in two sets of three.

The first set is directed toward the glory and praise of God (6:9-10), the second toward the daily needs of the disciples (6:11-13). The similarity of this prayer to the Kaddish, a synagogue prayer, is noted by many (e.g., Davies and Allison, 1988:595-597; Hagner 1993:147). It also appears in Didache 8, where it is to be said three times a day. More on the structure, theology, and practical implications of the prayer will be found in the commentary below.

Pray like this. It is important to note (with respect to Didache 8 and much later Christian tradition) that Jesus did not enjoin his disciples to pray this prayer by rote. He says, “Pray like this,” not “pray this.” The prayer puts the interests of the Father and his Kingdom ahead of the daily needs of the disciple. This is the kind of prayer one should pray, one in which doxology (exemplified by the first three “your” requests) precedes and permeates requests for human needs (exemplified by the last three “us” requests).

Our Father in heaven. Prayer is to be addressed to “our Father in heaven” (cf. 3:17; 5:9, 16, 45, 48; 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 14-15, 18, 26; 7:11, 21). The family imagery speaks of the intimacy of the disciples’ relationship to God, but the qualifier “in heaven” reminds one that God is not a chum or a pal. Rather, one is to remember that the awesome God of heaven has come near in the person of his beloved Son and counts disciples of the Kingdom as his dear family (cf. Isa 57:15). The view of Jeremias (1967:29, 57), that Jesus’ injunction to address God as Father (Aramaic, abba) is unique, is overstated if not mistaken. God was understood as Father by the Jews in Jesus’ day (Isa 63:16; 64:8; Tob 13:4; m. Berachot 5:1; Sota 9:15; Yoma 8:9). Yet Jesus’ model prayer is remarkably simple and intimate in the way it addresses God (cf. Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6-7).

may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. The three “your” requests should be seen as three ways of asking for essentially the same thing. That God’s name (his character or reputation) be “kept holy” or revered, that his Kingdom would come, and that his will would be done are the requests of one who is famished for righteousness on earth (5:6). The final phrase of 6:10, “on earth as it is in heaven,” describes all three requests, not just the third one. Disciples long for the realities of heaven to be realized on earth. All three requests imply that certain aspects of the Kingdom are yet future, involving the progressive actualization of God’s character, reign, and will on earth, that is, universally. The Father is the Lord of heaven and earth (11:25), and after the resurrection he gave Jesus universal authority in heaven and on earth (28:18). In the meantime, as disciples are involved in the gradual extension of the Kingdom by their words and deeds, their utmost desire is for the ultimate realization of God’s reign on earth.

6:11-13a Three petitions for the needs of the disciple now balance the three previous theocentric petitions. Whatever else people may want, the deepest human needs are found in these requests: daily sustenance (6:11), forgiveness (6:12), and avoidance of sin (6:13).

Give us today the food we need. The word translated “today” is the obscure Gr. word epiousios [TG1967, ZG2157], whose etymology is translated in various ways, including “daily,” “necessary,” and “for tomorrow” (sometimes taken as a reference to the eschatological “tomorrow” that follows this age, which is “today”)—see NLT mg. The point seems to be that the disciple prays for immediate day-to-day necessities rather than for long-term luxuries.

forgive us our sins. Prayer for ongoing forgiveness (6:12) assumes that the disciple has made the decisive turn from sin to God demanded by the message of the Kingdom (3:2; 4:17). This request shows that authentic disciples still have their faults, which need to be dealt with on a daily basis.

don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. The third request (6:13) is stated in two contrasting ways, negatively (“don’t let us yield to temptation”) and positively (“but rescue us from the evil one”). Since the Spirit led Jesus into a time of testing (4:1), this petition should be understood not so much as one for God not to lead the disciple into temptation, but for the disciple to be delivered from Satan so as not to yield to temptation.

6:13b The doxology printed in the NLT mg (“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”) is not found in the most ancient manuscripts ( B D Z 0170) and is very likely not a part of the original version of this Gospel. It seems to have been added for liturgical purposes and is based on 1 Chr 29:11-13 (for a further explanation, see Comfort 2007:[Matt 6:13]).

6:14-15 If you forgive those who sin against you. Just as the phrase “on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) relates to all three of the previous petitions, so also here the words of 6:14-15 on the necessity of a forgiving spirit relate not just to 6:12, the fifth petition, but to all three requests for human needs. The disciple will not ask for his or her needs to be met with an unforgiving spirit, but will realize that his experience of God’s forgiveness enables him to forgive others (cf. 5:23-24, 38-48; 18:21-35).

your Father will not forgive your sins. The relationship of God’s forgiving humans to humans’ forgiving others is much debated. This is not “legal ground,” where our act of forgiving others merits God’s act of forgiving us, as some classic dispensationalists implied. Rather the point is that God’s initiative in graciously forgiving one should motivate one to forgive others. Forgiving others demonstrates that one has been forgiven by God. Forgiven, we are freed to forgive (cf. 9:2, 5, 6; 12:31-32; 18:32; Eph 4:31-5:2; Col 3:13).

6:16-18 when you fast, don’t make it obvious. The section on fasting addresses this religious act with the same pattern found in the previous teaching on giving and praying.

comb your hair and wash your face. One should not neglect one’s appearance while fasting so as to draw attention to oneself. Rather, one should groom oneself as usual so that God alone notices and rewards. Of the three activities treated in 6:1-18, fasting is certainly the least important to most Christians. It is not commanded in any of the NT Epistles. Fasting was a prescribed part of various OT community activities involving repentance (Joel 1:14); in addition, pious Jews fasted voluntarily (1 Sam 7:5-6; Neh 1:4; Dan 9:3; Jonah 3:5; Luke 2:37; 18:12). Here, the voluntary fasting is primarily in view. Jesus himself fasted (4:2; cf. Moses and Elijah, Exod 34:28; 1 Kgs 19:8) and spoke metaphorically of the appropriateness of fasting for his disciples after his departure from earth (9:14-15). The Pharisees fasted (9:14; cf. Luke 18:12), and Jesus did not criticize them for the practice. In Acts, the disciples fasted before the important decision of selecting church leaders (13:2-3; 14:23). Isaiah’s critique of fasting that was not accompanied by just behavior (Isa 58:1-9; cf. Zech 7:4-14) is not unlike Jesus’ condemnation of hypocritical fasting here.

COMMENTARY [Text]

Matthew 6:1-18 presents the teaching of Jesus on three religious duties that would be basic for Matthew’s Christian Jewish community. After enunciating the general principle (6:1), Jesus addresses the practice of alms (6:2-4), prayer (6:5-15), and fasting (6:16-18). This material is closely related thematically and literarily to the preceding section, 5:21-48. Thematically, 6:1-18 presents another area of life in which Jesus, the ultimate teacher of the law and prophets, explains the greater righteousness (5:20) by which disciples emulate the righteous character of the Father (5:48). Literarily, 6:1-18 resembles the structure of 5:21-48 by its logical movement from a general principle of righteousness (6:1; cf. 5:20) to specific examples (three examples in 6:2-18; cf. six examples in 5:21-48). Another literary similarity is the use of a repeated phrase that clearly demarcates the structure of the material (6:2, 5, 16; cf. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). Throughout the text, contrasting statements are used to show the difference between the greater righteousness of Jesus’ Kingdom and the traditional teaching of the religious leaders.

The general principle enunciated by 6:1 connects righteousness with the disciples’ intention. The disciples must watch out for religious acts done in order to impress people, since such acts will not be rewarded by the heavenly Father. Each time Jesus applies this to a specific practice, a similar pattern occurs:

	Hypocritical Religion Prohibited	Genuine Religion Commanded
1. The occasion	“when you . . . give . . . pray . . . pray . . . fast“ (6:2, 5, 7, 16)	“but when you . . . give . . . pray . . . pray . . . fast” (6:3, 6, 9, 17)
2. The activity	ostentatious action (6:2, 5, 7, 16)	secret action (6:3, 6, 9-13, 17)
3. The motivation	to be admired by others (6:1, 2, 5, 16)	to be seen only by the Father (6:4, 6, 18)
4. The solemn affirmation	they have received all the reward they will ever get (6:2, 5, 16)	“your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (6:4, 6, 18)

Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus’ teaching on prayer, is the centerpiece of 6:1-18. It contains more detailed teaching than the sections on alms and fasting. In 6:5-8 Jesus contrasts publicity and privacy (5-6), and verbosity and simplicity (7-8) in prayer. The Pharisees sought publicity, and the pagans were known for verbosity, but the disciples were to pray privately and simply. These two contrasts lead naturally into the model prayer, which balances three petitions for the Father’s glory (6:9-10) with three petitions for the disciple’s needs (6:11-13). The phrase “on earth as it is in heaven” (6:10) characterizes the first set of three petitions, and the attitude of forgiveness (6:14-15) characterizes the second set of three petitions.

Religious Performance and Its Proper Audience. The disciple of Jesus strives to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (5:48). This means that holiness comes from the inside out. The disciple’s character is to be modeled on the Father’s character, and the disciple’s performance is to be done for the Father’s approval. This certainly cuts against the grain of Western culture, which is often characterized by exhibitionism and ostentation. The world’s “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” principle has infiltrated the modern church as surely as it had the synagogues of Jesus’ day. But Jesus would have his disciples not only do the right thing, he would also have them do it the right way.

When it comes to giving, trumpets should not be blown, but the names of those who give the most are often publicized in modern churches. Surely this violates the central principle of this passage and forgets the lesson of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44). In the matter of praying, eloquence and length are confused with effectiveness. This makes it seem that God is ignorant of the disciples’ needs and reluctant to meet them. As for fasting, the tendency is to ignore it altogether, but similar religious endeavors we think are “above and beyond the call of duty” are often given much publicity. In all three areas mentioned in Matthew 6:1-18, we are reminded that to gain the fleeting applause of today’s crowd is to forfeit the approval of our heavenly Father tomorrow and forever. We must learn the lesson that disciples are content to be noticed by the Father, realizing that the crowd’s approval does not matter in light of eternity. Giving to the needy in order to receive publicity is not giving at all—it is paying for human approval, and it forfeits divine approval (Plummer 1915:91).

The Model Prayer. The “Lord’s Prayer” is in fact the model prayer for his disciples. It provides for them not a mantra to be mindlessly and superstitiously repeated but an example of godly Kingdom priorities in prayer. It is helpful to think of 6:9-10 as indicating the person to whom prayer is addressed (6:9b) and the priorities by which prayers are formed (6:9c-10). Concerning the person to whom prayer is addressed, he is characterized as “Father.” One’s relationship to one’s human father inevitably colors one’s view of the heavenly Father. In this day of awareness of dysfunctional families, it can be helpful to acknowledge that one’s relationship to one’s human father may help or hinder one’s perception of God as heavenly Father.

God is “our Father in heaven” because he has come near to his children by his grace. Yet he is at the same time “our Father in heaven” because he remains distant from his children due to his glory. The fact that he is “our” Father leads disciples to intimacy and community. He is not someone else’s Father—he is ours. And he is not my Father in individualistic isolation from others who know him; he belongs to all disciples. The fact that he is in heaven leads his disciples to approach him with awe and reverence. God deserves the utmost respect as the one who perfectly blends goodness and greatness, grace and power, immanence and transcendence. When prayer is made, one’s view of God must balance his goodness and his greatness to avoid a syrupy sentimentality on the one hand and an austere apathy on the other.

Concerning the priorities by which prayers are formed (6:9c-10), one must keep foremost in one’s mind that one’s motive should not be to receive goods and services from God but to render service to God. Prayer is not primarily to vindicate the disciple’s causes, meet the disciple’s needs, fulfill the disciple’s desires, or solve the disciple’s problems. Therefore, one must not rush into God’s presence with one’s spiritual grocery list and demand instant gratification. Rather, the disciple’s priorities are to be the promotion of God’s reputation, the advancement of his rule, and the performance of his will. These three petitions are essentially one, as each is characterized by a burning desire to see the Father honored on earth as he is already honored in heaven (cf. Rev 4–5). As believers become partners with God’s purposes, they begin to realize these priorities, but they also increasingly long for the day when God’s priorities will be fully realized on earth.

The Kingdom of God encroaches on Satan’s domain whenever people come to faith in Jesus Christ. The Kingdom comes when Jesus’ disciples grow in their relationships to God and neighbor. The Kingdom is not merely future, and the disciples’ hope is not escapism—they do not look to leave the earth for an ethereal heavenly existence. Rather, they look for a concrete existence in which heaven comes to earth, and they seek heaven’s interests on earth today.

It is helpful to think of Matthew 6:11-15 as concerning the problems about which disciples pray (6:11-13) and the principle that governs their prayers (6:14-15). They pray for problems relating to provision (6:11), pardon (6:12), and protection (6:13). As they pray, they remind themselves that if God had not forgiven them, they would not be praying at all. And they respond to God by forgiving others (6:14-15).

When disciples pray for provisions, they pray for daily bread, which represents the necessities rather than the luxuries of life. In biblical times, workers were paid on a daily basis (20:8). When one prays for daily bread, one asks God for immediate necessities. In Matthew 6:25, disciples are told not to worry about such necessities, and in 6:34 they are told not to worry about tomorrow. Rather, they are to trust their Father implicitly for everything.

When disciples pray for pardon, they recognize that by God’s grace they are now better than they were but not as good as they ought to be. Disciples are not yet perfect and must realize that their attitudes and activities fall short of Kingdom standards. As they admit spiritual poverty, and hunger and thirst for righteousness (5:3, 6), they pray for God to forgive their ethical lapses. Receiving his pardon is an unspeakable privilege, but it comes with a corresponding responsibility—extending pardon to others. A forgiven person is a forgiving person.

When disciples pray for protection from temptation to sin, they are praying for God to break the cycle that so often plagues them (cf. Josh 7:20-21; Jas 1:13-15). Disciples are tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Temptation leads to sin, and sin leads to the necessity of praying for forgiveness. And the cycle goes on and on. That is why they pray for protection from temptation and deliverance from the evil one’s strategies (cf. 4:1-11).

As disciples pray about their problems, their petitions are governed by a principle. Just as petitions for the Father’s glory are based on the principle “on earth, as it is in heaven” (6:10), so their petitions for their own needs are based on the principle “as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (6:12, 14-15). Disciples may not presume to ask God to forgive them if they have not forgiven others. Reconciliation with God will not happen apart from reconciliation with neighbors (cf. 5:23-24). One has no right to pray for divine reconciliation if one has not practiced human reconciliation. It is not that disciples merit God’s forgiveness by forgiving others, but that they demonstrate that God has forgiven them when they forgive others (cf. 18:21-35).

Conclusion. Disciples today must reflect on how their prayers compare to the Lord’s model prayer. They must first consider whether they are truly exercised by the vision that God’s will must be done on earth as it is in heaven. They also must be reconciled with neighbors, as they depend on reconciliation with God when they pray for their own needs. As prayer for personal needs is considered, anxiety over material things inevitably surfaces. Matthew 6:19-34 presents Jesus’ teaching on this topic.