1516 | Matthew 6:5
Prayer 6:9 – 13pp // Lk 11:2 – 4
5“ And when you pray, do not be like the hyp o crites, for they love to pray standing c in the syn a gogues and on the street cor ners to be seen by oth ers. Tru ly I tell you, they have re ceived their re ward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Fa ther, d who is un seen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in se cret, will re ward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on bab bling e like pa gans, for they think they will be heard be cause of their many words. f 8 Do not be like them, for your Fa ther knows what you need g before you ask him. 9“ This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom h come, your will be done, i on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. j
12 And forgive us our debts,
6:5 c Mk 11:25; Lk 18:10-14
6:6 d 2Ki 4:33
6:7 e Ecc 5:2 f 1Ki 18:26-29
6:8 g ver 32
6:10 h Mt 3:2 i Mt 26:39
6:11 j Pr 30:8
6:12 k Mt 18:21-35
6:13 l Jas 1:13 m Mt 5:37
6:14 n Mt 18:21- 35; Mk 11:25, 26; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13
6:15 o Mt 18:35 6:16 p Isa 58:5 6:18 q ver 4, 6
Prayer as we also have forgiven our debtors. k
13 And lead us not into temptation, a l but deliver us from the evil one. b’ m
14 For if you for give oth er peo ple when they sin against you, your heav en ly Father will also for give you. n 15 But if you do not for give oth ers their sins, your Fa ther will not for give your sins. o
Fasting
16“ When you fast, do not look somber p as the hyp o crites do, for they disfig ure their fac es to show oth ers they are fast ing. Tru ly I tell you, they have re ceived their re ward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be ob vi ous to oth ers that you are fast ing, but only to your Fa ther, who is un seen; and your Fa ther, who sees what is done in se cret, will re ward you. q
a
13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing. b
13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
6:5 – 6 Prayer can be perverted into an act of hypocrisy when the external act masks an inner corrupt motive. Jesus directs his disciples to go to their inner“ room.” The focus is on intimacy with God in one’ s heart, which is at the center of all prayer, whether it happens to be given publicly or privately. 6:7 – 8 Long, continued prayer is not improper, because Jesus himself prayed through whole nights. Prayer is much about changing us, our character, our will, and our values, even while we seek God’ s response. 6:9 – 13 The way Jesus uses“ my Father” to address his heavenly Father is exceptional because Jesus is the unique Son( e. g., 7:21; 12:50). But God is also“ our Father”( v. 9), expressing the relationship we have with one another as disciples and with Jesus as our brother. Through this relationship, the disciples have entered into a relationship with Jesus’ Father. 6:9 Jesus’ disciples will honor God’ s name in their prayers, but especially as they submit to his power and authority. 6:10 This petition is reflected in a prayer expressed in the early church’ s appeal,“ Come, Lord!” This is the oldest recorded Christian prayer( 1Co 16:22). In that cry, Paul applies the divine title“ Lord” to Jesus the Messiah. 6:10 God reigns in heaven absolutely, so all of heaven experiences his perfect will. Jesus prays that earth will experience that same rule of God. Jesus’ disciples, those who have submitted to God’ s will as Jesus did, are the living testimony to the world that God’ s will can be experienced today. 6:11 In the same way that manna was only given one day at a time, disciples are to rely on God for
UNCORRECTED PROOF
daily provisions. This helps them develop a conscious, daily dependence on him. 6:12 Sin creates an obligation or debt to God that we cannot possibly repay. Jesus’ disciples are not simply to relish their own state of forgiveness; they are also to forgive others. Forgiveness of others is proof that the disciple’ s sins are forgiven and that they possesses salvation. 6:13 This petition indicates that the disciples should pray either for relief from testing or for their testing not to become an occasion for temptation. Disciples must rely on God for victory in all of the spiritual battles of life. 6:14 – 15 Once disciples have received forgiveness and salvation, they are to forgive with the same forgiveness they have received. This is the evidence they are indeed forgiven. 6:16 – 18 Jesus assumes his disciples will fast because he says simply,“ When you fast”( v. 16). Disciples are to act as normal while fasting; other people do not need to know of their religious discipline. The reward for fasting is the continued development of inner righteousness to which all disciples are to aspire.
6:1 – 18 Throughout church history, the spiritual disciplines have been a key to spiritual growth. These disciplines are viewed from different perspectives. However we might view them, the important point is to remember that the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven is an inside- out process. Jesus provides this orientation to counteract the hypocritical practice of operating only on the surface.
Personal transformation begins in the inner person through the work of the Spirit of God,