Matthew 6: Yes, the Entire Chapter (Updated from 6/10/2014)

 

“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. 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."

-- Matthew 6:5-6

I was reviewing Matthew 6:5-6 in 2014 in preparation for a post on one of my favorite issues... churches.  I scanned the rest of the chapter and found most of it paralleled my viewpoint.  These verses are quoted time and time again, so it isn't as though I'm presenting any revelations.  But, lately, I've been hearing a lot from people that are having issues that this chapter directly addresses, and 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 brown print.  The chapter is well worth a read or a re-read if you've read it before.

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 almsgiving 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. Doing the righteous thing for the pure sake of righteousness seems 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 verses, churches are not only not required but they are also 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, churches are not required and seem 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 called "The Lord's Prayer." It is short, sweet, and to the point. The point being? This is how we pray - short, sweet, and to the point. Don't overthink it! Worship was never meant to be that 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 address humility again. Who are you trying to impress by acting this way? Certainly not God. 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 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? Are our life, health, and family second fiddle to wealth? If you believe this, you have 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 plucking out an offending eye. "And if thine eye offends 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." How literally to take this? 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 wildflowers 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 He exists. This faith is, in itself, a proclamation that you have found God. The search is learning to acknowledge what you have known since before birth.

Does God exist?  One needs to have faith. Faith is simply a belief in something for which there is little or no proof. Both atheists and theists suffer from a lack of this proof.

As always, these are just my humble opinions. 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 is hard to ignore. 

What do you think?

 

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions offered. After over twenty years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center. 

 Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com