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Matthew 6

Chapter Text

Giving to the Needy

The Lord's Prayer

Fasting

Treasures in Heaven

Do Not Worry

Summary

Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount, teaching about charitable giving, prayer, and fasting, urging that these be done in sincerity before God rather than for human recognition. He gives the model prayer known as the Lord's Prayer.

He instructs His followers to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, to keep a clear spiritual eye, and to serve God rather than mammon. He calls them to trust the Father's provision and to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.

Meaning

The central principle of this chapter is the contrast between outward religion performed for human approval and genuine devotion offered to God in secret. The Father who sees in secret will reward openly, establishing that divine approval is infinitely more valuable than human praise.

The Lord's Prayer provides a framework for communion with God that begins with reverence, continues with dependence, and concludes with surrender. The command to seek first the kingdom liberates believers from the anxiety that dominates those who live for material security.

Background

The religious practices Jesus addressed, namely almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, were the three pillars of Jewish piety in the first century. The Pharisees were known for performing these acts publicly to enhance their reputation.

The word mammon is an Aramaic term for wealth or material possessions. Jesus personifies it as a rival master, making clear that devotion cannot be divided between God and worldly gain.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-4Giving in Secret
  2. vv. 5-8Praying Without Pretense
  3. vv. 9-15The Lord's Prayer
  4. vv. 16-18Fasting Unto the Father
  5. vv. 19-24Treasures and Two Masters
  6. vv. 25-34Trust Over Anxiety

Key Verses

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.6:9

The opening of the Lord's Prayer, the most universally recited prayer in Christendom and the model Jesus gave for all prayer.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.6:21

A piercing diagnostic of the human heart, revealing that our affections inevitably follow our investments — one of the most quoted sayings of Jesus on stewardship.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.6:24

A foundational text on the exclusive claim of God upon the believer, naming mammon (wealth) as a rival deity that demands undivided allegiance.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.6:33

The summary verse of Jesus' teaching on anxiety and provision, ordering the believer's priorities and promising God's faithful care.

People & Places

People

  • JesusThe teacher delivering the Sermon on the Mount, instructing His disciples on righteous living.
  • SolomonIsrael's king renowned for his glory and wealth, invoked as a contrast to the lilies of the field.

Places

  • SynagoguesJewish gathering places for worship and instruction, where hypocrites are described as praying for show.

Devotional

Jesus reframes the spiritual life from performance to intimacy. Giving, praying, and fasting are not stages for human applause but quiet conversations with a Father who sees in secret. The reward He offers is Himself.

Anxiety, too, is gently dismantled. The birds are fed, the lilies clothed, and you are worth more than these. When the kingdom moves to first place, the lesser things fall into proper order. Today, practice one hidden act of devotion, and let tomorrow keep its own troubles.

Literary Style

Wisdom discourse within the Sermon on the Mount, marked by antithetical parallelism (hypocrites versus disciples), a liturgical centerpiece (the Lord's Prayer), vivid nature imagery (birds, lilies, grass), and rhetorical questions that drive home Jesus' call to single-hearted devotion.