seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
a. Matthew 6:13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.
b. Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
c. Matthew 6:22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
d. Matthew 6:23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
e. Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height
It's really really really hard not to worry when a deadly virus is marching across the world putting people out of work and killing hundreds of people a day. Matthew wrote that when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the side of the mountain and started to teach. In chapter 5 of Matthew, Jesus told the Pharisees they were going to hell for all the restrictions they put on people. Jesus told the humans gathered on the side of that mountain that they should live by the "meaning" of the law. Here in chapter 6, the tax collector writes that Jesus talked about the personal side of life.
This is from the easy English site.
Jesus’ disciples must be careful how they act. They may want other people to praise them. But they must try to please God alone. Jesus then gives three examples of what he means:
1. The right way to give, verses 2-4
2. The right way to pray, verses 5-15
3. The right way to act when you are not eating, verses 16-18.
The Jews taught that to give to the poor was a special duty. It was a duty that people did for God. Jesus showed that his disciples should continue in this way. But they must give secretly, and they must not be proud about it. He used an example of the wrong way to give. Some Jews made their gift very noticeable. It was like making a loud noise to announce it. They wanted people to look at them. They wanted other people to praise them. But that would be the only reward that they would receive. Jesus used a word that came from business. If someone bought something, they received a receipt. Other people may praise you when you do something good. That is like a ‘receipt’ for the good action. There will be no reward from God.
Jews usually stood up when they prayed. They prayed three times in the day. A Jew might choose to be in the house where people meet. Or he might choose to be in the street when it was time to pray. Then people would notice him. They were selfish, proud people, sometimes called ‘hypocrites’. Jesus said that such people were not really praying to God. The Pharisee in the story in Luke 18:9-14, prayed ‘to himself’. We should each pray to God in a private place. God can see what we do in secret. He will reward us. Jesus did not mean that nobody should join in public meetings with other people. But he wanted people to be sincere whenever they pray. Christians must not pray so that other people will admire them.
When we do not eat by choice, we are ‘fasting’. In Jesus’ time there was only one time in the year when Jews had to stop eating. It was on the day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31). Some Jews chose to ‘fast’ at other times. It was a sign that a Jew did not want to do wrong things. He wanted to turn away from evil things. Sometimes the whole nation decided to not eat. The people recognised that they had not obeyed God (1 Samuel 7:6). Many Jews chose to ‘fast’ twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Some wanted other people to see how good they were. So they let themselves look untidy, miserable and pale. Jesus said that this way to ‘fast’ was wrong. Such people got their reward when other people noticed them.
Worry is no use. Nobody can increase the length of his life by worrying. Worry will probably make his life shorter rather than longer. This verse can also mean that nobody can make himself taller by worrying.
Someone who does not believe God worries about things. They do not know what God is like. They may believe in a jealous god who can act sometimes with kindness and at other times with hate. A Christian knows that the Lord God himself is different. He is a Father who always acts with love. He provides everything that his children need.
If God rules our life, worry will disappear. We will be able to trust God for everything.
One day at a time is enough to think about. Each day produces problems and difficulties. To worry about the future is foolish in two ways:
1. It will make it more difficult to deal with today’s problems.
2. The things that we worry about may never happen.
This is from bibletrack.org.
Verses 19 to 34 drive home a spiritual concept foreign to the Sadducees and Pharisees: It's not about show; it's about pleasing God. They were all show. In that process of show, their treasures were being laid up on earth rather than Heaven. In verses 22-23, it is the eye that provides the light for one's body. Blind eyes provide one with only darkness. Obviously the metaphor here refers to spiritual light as opposed to spiritual darkness or authentic righteousness compared to fabricated righteousness - just like the corrupt religious leaders practiced. You must choose one or the other (verse 24). Is your master to be the praise of others or the praise of God? Jesus encourages his audience to demonstrate a true relationship with God that ignores haughty appearances and lays up treasure in heaven. This message flies in the face of Pharisaical practice.
In the remaining verses here Jesus encourages a life of dependence on God. The point is this: We don't really have control over the events of our lives anyway; only God does. Therefore, being in sync with God is key to a life of righteousness and joy. The rest? Well...it's covered in verse 33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When one's first priority is pleasing God, all the right stuff follows.
I'm a Baptist. The reason I say that is as a Baptist I believe that the Holy Spirit will help me understand the Bible. I've been a Christian for decades but I have always had a different slant on this chapter. I thought Jesus was talking to me..... and other Christians.... which He was, somewhat.... BUT after reading the whole Old Testament.... I have a different view of everything. This old woman with an online Bible and some online commentary is looking at things through a new light. The last time I went through the gospels.... the crowds that Jesus gathered stood out. This time... it's the disciples. I don't think Jesus was talking to the crowds.... I think He was teaching His disciples how to act. He saw that the Pharisees were all bluster. So, when the crowds began to form.... He had to get those four disciples trained to be pastors instead of blustery figureheads. To make my point I'm going to go back to the verse.
Matthew 5:1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
As I post this chapter.... the news reporter is lamenting the hundreds of people who died last night due to the virus. I have to admit.... when I looked at the calendar.... and I saw Passover and Easter in this month while the virus, locusts, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and wars complete with an idiot shooting off rockets..... I thought about what it might have felt to be back in Egypt on the night when the angel of death went over taking out the first born of every family that hadn't painted the door jam with the blood of a lamb.
Did those people back in Egypt worry? When the angel of death was hovering over their neighborhood... and they could hear the mournful screams of the family of the dead and dying..... did they worry?
Jesus knew the disciples were going to be representatives of His ministry and He trained them. He told them to be giving and loving. He warned them not to be proud.... to remember the reason for the season [as we so often blurt nowadays].... and avoid hypocrisy. Jesus knew they couldn't be perfect.... they are after all only humans..... but they could show us how to keep our worship in line.
I don't know how many times I have reminded myself.... "look at the birds and the flowers". God was so interested in detail.... He created distinguishing colors and designs for even the tiniest petals or feather to help them through their day. I read there is a bug designed to lure birds to lava flows so the birds will poop seeds to create new life while they enjoy a delicious bug. I figure a plan that detailed includes me somehow.... so I can relax.
