Matthew 6
6
1 #
Mt 23.5. “Beware of practicing your piety before men 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 alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4#Col 3.23-24. so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 #
Mk 11.25; Lk 18.10-14. “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 men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But 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 #
1 Kings 18.25-29. “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8#Mt 6.32; Lk 12.30. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9#Lk 11.2-4. Pray then like this:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread;#6.11 Or our bread for the morrow
12And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 #
2 Thess 3.3; Jn 17.15; Jas 1.13. And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.#6.13 Or the evil one. Other authorities, some ancient, add, in some form, For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 #
Mt 18.35; Mk 11.25; Eph 4.32; Col 3.13. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 #
Is 58.5. “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18#Mt 6.4,6. that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 #
Lk 12.33-34; Mk 10.21; 1 Tim 6.17-19; Jas 5.1-3. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust#6.19 Or worm consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust#6.20 Or worm consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 #
Lk 11.34-36; Mt 20.15; Mk 7.22. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 #
Lk 16.13. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.#6.24 Mammonis a Semitic word for money or riches
25 #
Lk 12.22-31; 10.41; 12.11; Phil 4.6; 1 Pet 5.7. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26#Mt 10.29. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27#Ps 39.5. And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?#6.27 Or to his stature 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29#1 Kings 10.4-7. yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30#Mt 8.26; 14.31; 16.8. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33#Mt 19.28; Mk 10.29-30; Lk 18.29-30. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Matthew 6
6
Jesus Teaches About Giving
1“Be careful! When you do something good, don’t do it in front of others so that they will see you. If you do that, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“When you give to those who are poor, don’t announce that you are giving. Don’t be like the hypocrites. When they are in the synagogues and on the streets, they blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They want everyone to praise them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. 3So when you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you are doing.#6:3 don’t … doing Literally, “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” 4Your giving should be done in private. Your Father can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
Jesus Teaches About Prayer
(Lk. 11:2–4)
5“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. 6But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
7“And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. 8Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9So this is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
we pray that your name will always be kept holy.
10We pray that your kingdom will come—
that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven.
11Give us the food we need for today.
12Forgive our sins,
just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us.
13Don’t let us be tempted,
but save us from the Evil One.’#6:13 Some Greek copies add: “For the kingdom and the power and the glory belong to you forever and ever. Amen.”
14Yes, if you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, then your Father in heaven will also forgive your wrongs. 15But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do.
Jesus Teaches About Fasting
16“When you fast, don’t make yourselves look sad like the hypocrites. They put a look of suffering on their faces so that people will see they are fasting. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. 17So when you fast, wash your face and make yourself look nice. 18Then no one will know you are fasting, except your Father, who is with you even in private. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
You Cannot Serve Two Masters
(Lk. 12:33–34; 11:34–36; 16:13)
19“Don’t save treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy them. And thieves can break into your house and steal them. 20Instead, save your treasures in heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21Your heart will be where your treasure is.
22“The only source of light for the body is the eye. If you look at people and want to help them, you will be full of light. 23But if you look at people in a selfish way, you will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, you have the worst kind of darkness.#6:23 Literally, “22 The lamp of the body is the eye. So, if your eye is pure, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. So, if the light in you is darkness, how much is the darkness.”
24“You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money#6:24 Money Or “mamona,” an Aramaic word meaning “wealth.” at the same time.
Put God’s Kingdom First
(Lk. 12:22–34)
25“So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 26Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? 27You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.
28“And why do you worry about clothes? Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. 29But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 30If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? It’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!
31“Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. 34So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.
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