6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.1
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,2
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,3
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.4
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Section Overview
Jesus’ programmatic statement declares that the righteousness of a disciple must surpass that of scribes and Pharisees, lest he “never enter the kingdom” (Matt. 5:20). From one perspective, 5:21–6:34 defines such surpassing righteousness. Disciples exceed scribes by finding the intent of the law, which the wrong sort of attention to the law can obscure (5:21–48). Disciples surpass Pharisees by performing righteousness for the Lord without hypocrisy (6:1–18). It is true that Jesus does not mention Pharisees in chapter 6, but the hypocrites of 6:1–18 resemble the hypocrites of 23:13–37, and he calls out the Pharisees six times there. The common theme in chapters 6 and 23 is the desire for recognition, the tendency to display righteousness in order to “be seen” (6:1, 5, 16).
Pious Jews labored to be righteous. Tobit, an influential intertestamental writing, said, “Prayer is good when [it is] accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness” (Tob. 12:8 RSV). Matthew 6 mentions the same terms but makes righteousness the leading principle: righteousness shows itself in alms, prayer, and fasting. The difference between a disciple and hypocrite lies more in intentions than in practices. Hypocrites want to “be seen.” But disciples live for an audience of One, their Father who sees everything.
The rebuke of hypocrisy also has a positive agenda, as Jesus teaches disciples how to give, pray, and fast. Disciples avoid public displays of piety. The hypocrite gives to the poor, not so much for the sake of the poor as for his reputation. As disciples give, pray, and fast, they hardly notice what they do. They attend to neither self-image nor public image. Righteousness is not a performance; it is spontaneous action.
Section Outline
III.C. Jesus Explores Hypocritical and Sincere Religion (6:1–18)
1. Alms (6:1–4)
2. Prayer (6:5–15)
3. Fasting (6:16–18)
Chapter 6 opens with its theme: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (v. 1). Parallelism unites verses 1–18.
Each subsection labels a pious deed: “when you give” (v. 2), “when you pray” (v. 5), “when you fast” (v. 16). A prohibition follows: do not sound a trumpet, pray on a street corner, or look gloomy. There is a second refrain: hypocrites practice righteousness to “be seen” (vv. 1, 5, 16). If hypocrites aim for human praise, they will get it. Men will praise them, but God will not (vv. 2, 5, 16). Next, each segment exhorts disciples to give, pray, or fast in secret. Finally, each closes with the refrain: “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (vv. 4, 6, 18).
Structurally, the Lord’s Prayer extends the comment on secret prayer. The length of the section on prayer conveys its centrality. The prayer has an address and two sections, and each section has three interlocking petitions; the first three are theocentric, while the last three are anthropocentric.
Response
Prayer
Since the proper response to 6:2–4 seems obvious, these notes focus on prayer, temptations, and fasting. In chapter 6, Jesus teaches disciples to offer personal, familial, God-centered, and appropriately self-centered prayers. Scripture also encourages believers to pray for each other (James 5:16). Still, believers focus on God’s kingdom first and their proper needs second. The Father’s knowledge of human need shapes personal prayers: the Lord is “neither ignorant, so that we need to instruct him, nor hesitant, so that we need to persuade him.”99 But if human prayer neither instructs nor rouses God, what does it do? Calvin says that believers pray to “arouse themselves to seek him.”100 So prayer does not change history in the sense that prayer leads God to take unanticipated actions, but it does change reality, since it changes the one who prays. The model prayer is merely a technique to move God to act on petitions—the wording and circumstances need not be just right in order for God to act. The Father hears petitions that proceed from faith.
Temptations
There is an apparent paradox in biblical teaching on tests or temptations: tests are inevitable, yet disciples pray for deliverance from testing. But this message is hardly unique. Scripture says that war is inevitable, yet Christians can pray for peace (Matt. 24:6; 1 Tim. 2:2). Again, disciples both rejoice in persecution and flee from it (Matt. 5:10–12; 10:23). Until the struggles of this age end, disciples live in tension.101 Matthew 6:13 both summons disciples to holiness and also concedes that temptations abound. Disciples strive to be just, loving, and holy. Indeed, disciples aspire to be holier than others, without wearing a “holier than thou” attitude. They never suggest that godliness is easy. Disciples always ask the Father to deliver them from fierce temptations.
Fasting
Jesus assumes that his disciples will fast sincerely and humbly. Religious acts done for public display “use God” and foster pride.102 There is a proud, legal religion that makes rules and imposes them on others. There is also a self-made religion that features “severity to the body.” Paul points out that this has “no value” in stopping self-indulgence (Col. 2:20–23). By definition, genuine disciples cannot be full-blown hypocrites, but they can act hypocritically by living for human audiences. Jesus asks believers to please God and to ignore the crowd. If someone labors for human praise, he may gain it, but he will gain nothing more. It is better to do good in secret for God, who sees and rewards.