Matthew 6 (Yes, the Entire Chapter)

I was reviewing Matthew 6:5-6 the other day in preparation for a post on one of my favorite issues, churches.  As I finished verse 6, I scanned the rest of the chapter and found most of it was parallel to my own viewpoint on many of the same issues.  These verses are quoted time and again, so it isn't as though what I'm presenting should be any revelations.  But, lately, I seem to be hearing a lot from people that are having issues that this chapter directly addresses with some pretty sound advice.  It is a short chapter, so I decided to present all 34 verses and opine on those of note, in blue.  The chapter is well worth a few minutes to read, or re-read if you've read it before.

Note:  I worked on the formatting of this until I gave up on it.  This program either just won't let me format it as needed, or is beyond my current level of expertise.  As the latter is probably the case, I apologize to my readers beforehand.

Matthew 6

1.  [But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.      

2.   When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

3.   But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,

4.   so that your alms-giving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

       Verses 1-4 all discuss ego.  There is a flavor of humility that permeates the Bible, and do do the righteous thing for the pure sake of righteousness seems pretty self-explanatory.

5.  “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

6.   But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

        Let's talk churches.  Why are there churches?  According to these two verses, not only is it not required, it is frowned upon.

7.   In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

8.   Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

     Tired of going to church to hear the preacher babble on about righteousness as the  crowd cries hallelujah and amen?  Again, not required and seems to be frowned upon. 

9.    “This is how you are to pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

10.   your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

11.   Give us today our daily bread;

12.   and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

13.   and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

     The prayer in verses 9-13 is commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer" and is short sweet and to the point.  The point being?  THIS is how we are to pray - short, sweet, and to the point.  Don't over-think it!  Worship was never meant to be difficult.

14.   If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

15.   But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

     We all sin, and God knows this.  What I think is being said is that if you show charity toward others, so will God show charity toward you.  

16.   “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they         may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

17.   But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18.   so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who       sees what is hidden will repay you.

       Verses 16-18 are addressing humility again.  Who are you trying to impress by acting this way?  Certainly not God, as it is evident to God what you are up to.

19.   “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break     in and steal.

20.   But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.

21.   For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

       Things.  It is just stuff, and we hoard our stuff like we would be nothing without it when, in reality, we are nothing with it.  If we were to lose our material belongings, would we not still survive?  Is life, health, and family, second fiddle to wealth?  If you believe this, you have deep issues you need to address.

22.   “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;

23.   but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how         great will the darkness be.

     Matthew seems to enjoy the recommendation of plucking out an offending eye.  "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee:  it is better to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire."  I'm not sure how literal to take this.  I think merely walking away from the offensive issue might suffice.

24.   “No one can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and     despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

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 clothing?

26.    Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly    Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?

27.    Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

28.    Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or      spin.

29.    But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.

30.    If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will      he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?

31.    So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to            wear?’

32.    All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33.   But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

34.   Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

       Verses 24-34 make my readers say, "Hey!  But, wait a minute!  Tony says to take care of ourselves first, that we may take care of others."  And, I also say, you should accept that God knows already if you have faith that God exists.  This faith is, in itself, a proclamation that you have found God.  The search is simply learning to acknowledge what you already know, and have known, since before birth.  

God does exist.  Have faith.

       As always, these are just my humble opinions and, I could be wrong.  Who is right?  I think Jesus was closer than anyone has been since His death.  After that, everyone has mucked up the teaching until it resembles little of the original intent.  Occasionally you can find little gems of wisdom that flow forth from the Bible with a truth that is hard to ignore.  I think Matthew has much of this.  What do you think?