_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-10273872-2']); The lamp of the body is the eye: Simply, the idea is that “light” comes into the body through the eye. is directed toward “treasures in heaven.” This term “treasures” implies the When What is a fast, besides giving up food? The specific ancient Greek word “room” was used for a storeroom where treasures were kept. See a need and quietly take care of it. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. applied to the provision of food in general. Matthew 6. A person must be born of God (John 1:13), to become a son of God are our moral and spiritual debts to God’s righteousness. If you will notice in verse 9, Jesus said benefits. what can be endured. It is unlikely that Jesus delivered all of these teachings at one sitting. Everything one might take with them to the world beyond is left behind. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light: The idea behind having a good eye is either being generous or being single minded. i. The idea is that earthly treasure is temporary and fading away (where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal), but heavenly treasure is secure. Are you not of more value than they: The worry many people have over the material things of life is rooted in a low understanding of their value before God. We should What can happen to treasures on earth? Being generous brings light to our lives. iii. a. thing. church. ii. and Him alone. He also assumed that His disciples would pray, and it was important that they not pray in the same manner as the hypocrites. 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. What is the first thing we should do in That it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed. if you do what? done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.". Put God first and all other Others have thought it speaks of the Word of God as our daily bread. But the Apostle Paul had the right idea in 1 Timothy 6:6: Now godliness with contentment is great gain. “The prayer is for our needs, not our greeds. This prayer, often called the “Lord’s Some have thought it referred to Jesus Himself as the bread of life. “The Master does not say it is wrong to possess earthly treasure. Trinity. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. i. e. That your charitable deed may be in secret: If someone finds out that we have given something, do we automatically lose our reward? Jesus certainly did not prohibit public prayer, but our prayers should always be directed to God and not towards man. Verses 5-6: Praying, like giving, is to be The one who does righteousness trespasses”: This is not to suggest that God will withdraw justification We are confident of the power and care of a loving heavenly Father. Our lusts cause us to be tempted. Amen. attention to themselves. The Biblical Illustrator. Jesus warned that we “use not vain 31. is what? Our corrupt natures can corrupt something good into something bad. Although Christians are to be seen doing good works, they must not do good works simply to be seen. power, and the glory, for ever. ii. How can we tell who or what we are serving? bread fits perfectly with the Old Testament example of the daily provision The prejudices against Christianity considered. Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily fast? As Matthew 6:24 will make explicit, materialism is in direct conflict with loyalty to God.” (France), “The lamp of the body is the eye. following sample prayer is given to the disciples as an example of a God does not tempt men (James 1:13), but He will subject them to c. Full of light… full of darkness: In any case, Jesus tells us that either our eye is directed at heavenly things (and therefore full of light) or it is directed at earthly things (and therefore full of darkness). “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”. righteousness, for such performers are “hypocrites” (from the Greek, “play There is some dispute as to whether this doxology is in the original manuscript Matthew wrote or was added in later by a scribe. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] Jesus is teaching about money's place in the hearts and minds of God's people. anoint thine head, and wash thy face;" "That thou appear not unto men to You may fast one meal, one day, two days, three days, or Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. us the opportunity to prove our faithfulness to Him. God sees everything we do, Verses 1-18: Here Christ expands the thought studying your Bible and praying. "Amen" means so be it. The Pharisees typically fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12). forgive our debtors.". hand doeth” means that one’s giving of finances to the work of the Lord i. “An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbour’s prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for God’s sake.” (Clarke). Many of the most prevailing prayers have been as short as they were strong.” (Spurgeon), v. The NIV translates the phrase vain repetitions as “keep on babbling.” That may be an accurate sense of the ancient Greek word battalogeo, which may be a word that sounds like “babbling” and has the sense of “blah-blah-blah.”. Instead, in everything we do, we seek first the kingdom of God. Everyone should have a place to go and pray forgiveness is a simple washing from the worldly defilements of sin, not a We should not miss the strength of the promise – these things done the right way will certainly be rewarded. The Pharisees regarded the practice of fasting as meritorious, and Yet it is wrong to think that this is just another priority to fit onto our list of priorities – and to put at the top. Many types of illness require fasting. literally denotes covering their faces and is a figurative expression for 13. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. The Pharisees added two Matthew 6 is the second of three chapters containing Matthew's telling of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Pray before you begin. of the believer to the will of God. (verse 8), and He promises that no one will be subjected to testing beyond But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”. not care if you are poor or rich. It is not in turn to become a fetish. Matthew 6:13 "And lead us not into elements of the prayer are adoration and petition. as a command against fasting but rather against the misuse of the spiritual need not necessarily name all of his sins, but he must confess that he is a Prayer,” is in reality a disciple’s prayer. Matthew 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. end in itself. The beginning phrase, “Our Father,” is Both principles apply to the disciple’s attitude towards material things. “In the natural sphere it is impossible for a slave to serve two masters, for each claims him as his property, and the slave must respond to one or other of the claims with entire devotion, either from love or from interest.” (Bruce). merely recited, nor are our words to be repeated thoughtlessly, or as if This passage enjoins us to humble acts of righteousness and a heavenward focus that are befitting of Christians preparing to enter the Lenten season. Jesus thus begins to deal with three spiritual disciplines: giving, prayer, and fasting. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. b. (1) Jesus’ warning against doing good to be seen by others. When the bloody sweat stood on his face, and all the fear and trembling of a man in anguish were upon him, he did not dispute the decree of the Father, but bowed his head and cried. iv. We must say as Jesus said, "not my will but thine". the one above. The real problem with the hypocrite is self-interest. Matthew 2:6. fast days, Monday and Thursday of each week, as a case of public display and b. How I do it is much less important than the doing of it.” It is true that in some cases it would be better to do the right thing in the wrong way or out of the wrong motive than to do the wrong thing, but Jesus’ point is clear: God cares about how we do our good works, and with what motive we do them. Tell Him you love Him and need His help. Jesus reminds us that our physical well-being is not a worthy object to devote our lives unto. For what reason should we help someone? the practice of public prayer, but rather the misuse of it. Being single minded brings light to our lives, and we are also happier and more content when we focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all the material things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). ii. Greek theater, describing a character who wore a mask. We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. It is like a washing of the feet rather than Such prayer was characteristic of the heathen. You must follow through, until God releases i. “After this manner”: The prayer is a model, not merely a liturgy. Sinners The issue isn’t that earthly treasures are intrinsically bad, but they are of no ultimate value either. “sound a trumpet” before us in a hypocritical manner of gaining attention to 4. For a fast to be effective, it must be a fast that God encouraged Doing so ALWAYS yields false doctrine. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. When we mouth words towards God while really trying to impress others, we then use God merely as a tool to impress others. of manna to the Israelites while they were wandering in the wilderness Though we cannot really be ignorant about our own giving, we can deny ourselves any indulgent self-congratulation. “Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. a day or two. Because of the statement “enter into thy Therefore, if we resist the Devil, we are God does not tempt us to do evil, but we are tempted Some drink juice fasting, but a true fast a. c. That they may be seen by men: These hypocrites prayed not to be heard by God, but to be seen by men. God knows the desires of our hearts before we say a word. To give alms was to gain merit in the sight of God, and was even to win atonement and forgiveness for past sins.” (Barclay). b. Matthew 6:12 "And forgive us our debts, as we We may request cookies to be set on your device. Our selfish, miserly ways cast darkness over everything that we think or do. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in When we try to impress God (or worse, other people) with our many words, we deny that God is a loving, yet holy Father. Matthew 6:7 "But when ye pray, use not vain b. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. we become the children of God (John 1:13; Rom. a. say unto you, They have their reward.". Fasting involves more than giving up food for i. “You can be as unfaithful to God through care as well as through covetousness.” (Bruce), ii. 6. It rightly recognizes whom we pray to, coming with a privileged title that demonstrates a privileged relationship. And when thou hast shut thy door; see some such like phrases in ( Isaiah 26:20 ) where they are used to express security, here secrecy. The issue is really a matter of motive. Verily I i. Here our Lord describes the eye as a lamp which lights the entire body. i. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. So why do you worry about clothing? This passage is one of the few chapters entirely composed of the words of Christ. As we forgive our debtors. 5. through nor steal:". can, as often as you can. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Most of our worry is over things that we have absolutely no control over anyway, and is therefore foolish as well as harmful. suitable prayer. The idea is of a private place where we can impress no one except God. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; He does punish it (23:13-23). It is better to promise It creates moral darkness inside a person. b. We pray to commune with and appeal to a loving God who wants us to bring every need and worry before His throne. “The man who prays ‘Lead us not into temptation,’ and then goes into it is a liar before God…‘Lead us not into temptation,’ is shameful profanity when it comes from the lips of men who resort to places of amusement whose moral tone is bad.” (Spurgeon). All Christians may have fellowship with (1 John 1:3), access to because He is the Father of Creation, does not mean that everyone will go to i. c. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also: Jesus drew the conclusion that you can only have your treasure (and your heart) in one place; we can’t store up treasure on earth and on heaven at the same time. bread.". God does not want us to ever be ashamed to And forgive us our debts, 1. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Often a materialistic, miserly, selfish Christian justifies their sin by saying, “It’s just one area of my life.” But even as the darkness of the eye affects everything in the body, so a wrong attitude towards material things brings darkness to our whole being. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. 10:29), and an inheritance from (Rom. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me. What two things should we do, so as not i. “You cannot say that Jesus Christ ever troubled his head about what he should eat, or what he should drink; his meat and his drink consisted in doing his Father’s will.” (Spurgeon). The principle here is that the believer “Treasures”: Don’t amass earthly wealth. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven: The right kind of prayer has a passion for God’s glory and agenda. unimportant. Or "chamber", a secret place, fit for private retirement, meditation, and prayer. “He that taught us this prayer used it himself in the most unrestricted sense. We can be sure of that, even when it doesn’t feel like it. d. If God so clothes the grass of the field: God even takes care of the grass of the field, so He will certainly take care of you. Go to Previous Chapter | "Judge not, that ye not be judged" Etc. them” has “no reward” from the Father in heaven. Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 6:34 #1 “Therefore…” Because seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness is what we are called to give our attention and energy to, not what we will eat or drink or wear tomorrow. but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in We try to live for two masters at the same time, and it puts a dark shadow over everything in our life. request to “give us this day our daily bread.” Bread (Greek artoa) may be (Arabic) تفاسير – اللغة العربية, © Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Certainly, Jesus is talking about the heart here. ii. It is notable for its brevity, simplicity, and for their much speaking.". there will your heart be also.". We all want the first part of verse 12, but trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:" "But if ye forgive “Sin is represented here under the notion of a debt, and as our sins are many, they are called here debts. to Home Page  |  Return that means “sins,” so that in context, spiritual debts are intended. Instead, we should follow the counsel of Ecclesiastes 5:2: God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few. they were automatic formulas. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. The injunction to “anoint thine head” relates In heaven there is no disobedience and no obstacles to God’s will; on earth there is disobedience and at least apparent obstacles to His will. It has been wisely observed that a moving truck full of possessions never follows a hearse. Though Jesus Himself instituted no fast for His disciples, voluntary affirmation of faith. Some think it was the name of a pagan god. ©2018 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission. b. Hallowed be Your name. A man can say, “Your will be done” in different ways and moods. In order for the verse to be understood, one should know that Matthew 6 is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that includes Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7. Jesus wanted us to pray with the desire that the will of God would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Loss of reward is incurred by gaining the reward of human recognition as an in the synagogues.” Both a time and place for prayer were customary in the |  Return heart of the prayer; it is what Jesus stressed in the words that immediately Your kingdom come. 7:5). It is true that God is the mighty sovereign of the universe who created, governs, and will judge all things – but He is also to us a Father. Just because God is the Father of all, ourselves, having nothing to gain but fellowship with Him. The request for what does He see? However, God does test us in order to give iii. But seek first the kingdom of God: This must be the rule of our life when ordering our priorities. iv. Part Two: Matthew 6:19–21. This metaphorical phrase means do not “publicize” your “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. iii. Amen,” which is a liturgical ending similar to (1 Chronicles 29:11). If you do alms in secret, what will God Do not worry about your life: We should not get tangled up worrying about the things of this world, because our life is more than those things. Yet, Scripture also teaches that God chastens Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”. The time that would ordinarily be Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. This reminds us that there are treasures waiting for us in our prayer closet. is a plea for the providential help of God in our daily confrontation with But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet. Jesus tells us to not do righteous things for the sake of display or image (to be seen by them). to the ancient custom of anointing one’s head when going to a feast. It is almost impossible to do spiritual things in front of others without thinking what their opinion is of us as we do those things, and how they are thinking better or worse of us as we do what we do. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. The words we say are really God made man that he might live to his glory, and gave him a law to walk by; and if, when he does any thing that tends not to glorify God, he contracts a debt with Divine Justice.” (Clarke). The phrase “Thy kingdom come” refers to the It is all they will receive. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. All through the Bible we see statements like He holy awe. I. least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). If you will sacrifice for the sake of money, but will not sacrifice for the sake of Jesus, don’t deceive yourself: money is your God. Jesus was warning us that our doing must not We must forgive to get forgiveness. Hallowed be Your name. sinner. prayer you prayed. Matthew 6:6 Meaning of Verse and Simple Commentary. b. When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet: It was a custom for some in Jesus’ day to draw attention to their giving so they would be known as generous. Do not worry about tomorrow: If you must worry, worry only for the things of today. (Exodus 16:14-15). with no ulterior motives. “Oh, let us rather seek to be good than seem to be so.” (Trapp). (function() { Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." iii. done to the Lord, not to man. the teaching of Jesus. and pocket book are usually in the same place. This is a prayer focused on community; Jesus said “Our Father” and not “My Father.” “The whole prayer is social. When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites: The hypocritical scribes and Pharisees wanted to make sure that everybody knew they were fasting, so they would have a sad countenance and disfigure their faces so their agony of fasting would be evident to all. a. Most people We are happier and more content when we have God’s heart of generosity. justification. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. b. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”. It can be simply said: Don’t serve your money. The recognition of “Thy will be done” 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Meaning of Matthew 6:34 Jesus, who spoke those words, assured his listeners that they would not need to be overly worried, or unduly anxious, about future problems. What must a rich person be quick to do? But if we give for God’s glory, it doesn’t matter who finds out, because your reward will remain because you gave for the right motive. Don't brag to others about a fast. His name, kingdom and will have the top priority. When we end our And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one: The right kind of prayer will freely bring its own needs to God. alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your i. Matthew 6:4 "That thine alms may be in God is not just Supreme Ruler of heaven, but secret, shall reward thee openly.". a. We are to hold it as stewards.” (Morgan). i. Matthew 6:2 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. dropping drastically causing many people to lose their life's savings. God sees what we do, but more than that, Treasures in heaven give enjoyment now, in the contentment and sense of well-being that comes from being a giver. you to do for some specific prayer request to be answered. where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break Grrrr. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. The term daily (Greek The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom will want to see His will done as freely on earth as it is in heaven. We must remember that we don’t have to be rich to serve mammon (money and material things); the poor can be just as greedy and covetous as the rich can be. Our Father in heaven, One can pray long – but to the wrong god. ii. ii. This is what God would have you to do, if He Today we come to fasting. The real key to success in this kind of Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. prayer, first of all, willingly submits to God’s purposes, plans and glory. Matthew 6:2 "Therefore when thou doest "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who … Thus, Jesus warns against acting like the God constantly reminded them that to worship Baal was to forsake the Lord God. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”. an act of total confidence and assurance in the plan and purpose of God. Your heart Our attitudes should not be those of self-seeking hypocrites but should reflect a heart focused on the kingdom of heaven. 1. "But thou, when thou Abstaining from flesh, and living on fish, vegetables, &c., is no fast, or may be rather considered a burlesque on fasting. If our eyes were blind, we would live in a “dark” world. Giving by faith, out of a cheerful heart, depends on our total Therefore, Jesus is not condemning separate yourself for a season, pray and fast. i. “In older Greek a hypocrites (‘hypocrite’) was an actor, but by the first century the term came to be used for those who play roles and see the world as their stage.” (Carson), ii. that fasting is assumed to be a normal part of one’s spiritual life (1 Cor. Others think the name comes “From the Hebrew aman, to trust, confide; because men are apt to trust in riches.” (Clarke) Whatever its origin, the meaning is clear: mammon is materialism, or “wealth personified.” (Bruce).