Matthew 6 ~ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6


“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,^{[temptation can also mean testing.]}
but deliver us from the evil one.
^{[Some late manuscripts add,  for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]}

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,^[generous] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[stingy], 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?

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.

We face a tough crowd when we discuss Matthew.  More people begin reading the New Testament, making Matthew the most widely read book in all the world. In fact, it's said, "Matthew - the most important book of all Christendom."


Jesus sat down to speak this. Intimacy meets who you really are. When you read this, read this as His conversational answer to your prayer. Frequently while thinking, I draw a cartoon speaking circle around these thoughts and add Him in conversationally. He is there always.

Aren't you touched with the intimacy of the chapter. The reality of the Scriptures. Each day has its troubles. Don't worry so much. Find the sufficiency of what He brings. We have to do this with effort.

Effort. Jesus said here intentions are important. Jesus sat with this crowd. Be comfortable, be with God. There is no hair shirt. No austere precipice. Jesus is comfortable with His people. This part we are reading, Matthew arranged this talk into three Chapters. More than likely the people sat with Jesus, and Matthew records the conclusion we can relate to - the people recorded feeling awe at Jesus.

Matthew 7
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.


Isaiah 28:9-10
Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

I hope I'm conveying the picture. Jesus lives, moves and dwells with us.

Revelation 4

‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

 God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega,  Shepherd of our souls, would name you, choose you and want your attention, your love. The joy of knowing, He is there with you. Effort, the effort to please Him. The God who would sit with us to teach us - is pleased with us just to seek Him. Like a Father is pleased when His children lean to Him.


Motivations - God did not give us Matthew 6 as a rule, He gave this as Spirit. There are times to speak when this encourages others. Probably you knew that!

Worry less. Entertain problem solving. God inspires us when we have a need, knowing to think within the boundaries a loving Father would give us, is part of His Plan. Give us the Day. Daily bread. Living Bread.  In Seeking to please the Lord, we do. Fairly simple idea.

Emmanuel- God with us. Hallelujah. Hallelu Yah. Yah is short for Yahweh. Daddy. Holy 'Father'. Let your will be done. Amen. So be it. All men, let His Will be done.



[+] Verse 2

The Court in front of the Temple. These steps had 13 Contribution Steps. This ended where Women could enter the Temple. Jesus witnessed the poor widow but her coins here. The trumpets made noise to "show" alms and prevent theft. The inner area of the Temple contained three courts. The easternmost court was the Court of the Women, and it contained the Temple treasury where people donated their money Mark 12:41-44.

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