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Matthew 6. Christ having, in the former chapter, armed his disciples against the corrupt doctrines and opinions of the scribes and Pharisees, especially in their expositions of the law (that was called their leaven, ch. 16 12 ), comes in this chapter to warn them against their corrupt practices, against the two sins which, though in their ...
- Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 6:1-4 Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties.
- 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.
- But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth
- That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Verses 5–8. In prayer we have more immediately to do with God than in giving alms, and therefore are yet more concerned to be sincere, which is what we are here directed to. When thou prayest (Matt. 6:5). It is taken for granted that all the disciples of Christ pray. As soon as ever Paul was converted, behold he prayeth.
- A. Doing Good to Please God.
- B. The Place of Material Things: A Warning Against covetousness.
- C. The Place of Material Things: Anxiety Over Material things.
1. (1) Jesus’ warning against doing good to be seen by others.
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” a. Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men: Charitable deeds is actually the word righteousness. Jesus tells us to not do righteous things for the sake of display or image (to be seen by them). i. Jesus has just clearly shown God’s righteous standard; perhaps He anticipated the thought “Wouldn’t everybody be impressed if I was like...
2. (2-4) Examples of the wrong kind of giving and the right kind of giving.
“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” a. When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet: It was a c...
3. (5-6) Examples of the wrong kind of prayer and the right kind of prayer.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 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.” a. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites: Jesus assumed that His disciple...
1. (19-21) The choice between two treasures.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” a. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth: The ancient Greek more literally says do not treasure for yourself treasures on earth. The idea is that earthly treasure is temporary and fa...
2. (22-23) The choice between two visions.
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” a. The lamp of the body is the eye: Simply, the idea is that “light” comes into the body through the eye. If our eyes were blind, we would live in a “dark” world. b. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light: The idea be...
3. (24) The choice between two masters.
“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. You cannot serve God and mammon.” a. No one can serve two masters: Having two mastersis not like working two jobs. Jesus had the master and slave relationship in mind, and no slave could serve two masters. i. Jesus states that serving two masters is a simple impossibility. If you think that you are successfully serving two masters, you are deceived. It...
1. (25) Therefore: because the Kingdom of God is so greatly superior to earthly pursuits, it deserves our attention.
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” a. 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. i. “You can be as unfaithful to God through care as well as through covetousness.” (Bruce) ii. What you will eat or what you will drink… what you wil...
2. (26-30) Example and arguments against worry.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow i...
3. (31-32) You have a heavenly Father that knows your needs.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” a. Therefore do not worry: We are invited to know a freedom from the worry and anxiety that comes from undue concern about material things. We can reflect the same kind of heart that Matthew Henry showed when he said the following after being robbed: Lord, I thank You: That I have...
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) Originally written in 1706, Matthew Henry's six volume Complete Commentary provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the Bible.
Matthew 6:1 describes the general character of Pharisaic righteousness. hen follow three special examples: alms, Matthew 6:2-4; prayer, Matthew 6:5-6; fasting, Matthew 6:16-18. The transition from the one theme to the other was almost inevitable, and we may be sure that what follows formed part of the instruction on the hill.
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