Mt. 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in Heaven.”
Mt. 6:2 “Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
Yeshua warns the Pharisees about sounding the trumpet when giving their alms. The word alms was a synonym for charity to the poor during the first century. Since the Lord had previously declared there would be a reward for charity and that He would bless all who participated. Yeshua was obviously not against the principle of giving. Ancient Jews were taught that the three virtues of prayer, charity and repentance were the evidence of a true heart which had turned from sin.
Sources: Deut. 14:38; 15:10
In the Women’s Court of the Temple during the first century were thirteen trumpet shaped collection boxes for alms that made a specific sound as the coins entered. The containers were wider at the bottom and narrow at the top, resembling a trumpet. Often some of he Pharisees that wished to boast would drop a large amount of coins in at one time, which was called “sounding the trumpet.” It was this practice of letting everyone know how much they were giving that Yeshua was opposing. There was also a special treasury-chamber, into which at certain times they carried the contents of the thirteen chests, and, besides, what was called a Chamber of the Silent, where devout persons secretly deposited money, afterwards secretly employed for educating children of the pious poor. It was the “Chamber of the Silent” to which Yeshua referred when He said not to let your right hand know what your left hand was doing and to give secretly.
Mt. 6:3 “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your tight hand is doing.”
Mt. 6:4 That your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
BT:Baba Bathra 9b says, “He that gives tzedakah (charity) in secret is better than Moses.” M:Shekalim 5:6 says, “There are two vessels in the Temple, one called the Vestry of the Secret Ones, and the other called the Vestry of the Utensils. In the former, the sin-fearing men used to pour their gifts secretly and the poor of gently birth were supported from them secretly.” M:Shekalim 2:16 says, “Just as there was a Vestry of the Secret Ones, so was there in every city for the sake of the respectable people who had come down in life so that they might be helped in secret.”
Sources: BT:Baba Bathra 9b; M:Shekslim 2:16; 5:6
Mt. 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues an on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
Mt. 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Yeshua leads to the issue of private prayer in a private room. In the original language, this means a room without windows, which is the opposite of what the rabbis taught. BT:Berachoth 31a says one should always pray in a room that has windows. Possibly this was a carry-over from the Babylonian Exile where prayers were offered through a window facing the direction of Jerusalem.
Sources: Daniel 6:10; BT:Berachoth 31a
Mt. 6:7 “But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think they will be heard for their many words.”
Although Yeshua agreed with the theology of the Pharisees, it was obvious that He did not condone their hypocrisy. He rebuked them for praying long public prayers, as well as sounding the trumpet, to draw attention to themselves when giving public offerings. By Yeshua’s time, prayers were memorized like a prayer book, and there were disagreements among the rabbis as to what could be summarized in those prayers. Yeshua talks about vain repetitions because by this time all the prayers were memorized. “Do not prattle in the assembly of the elders, nor repeat yourselves in your prayers” (Eccl. 7:14). Like Yeshua, who warred against making meaningless repetition in prayers mindlessly repeated over and over again, Rabbi Simeon declares, “Do not allow your prayer to become a fixed mechanical task, but rather it must be an appeal for mercy and grace before the Omnipresent, as it is said, ‘For He is gracious and full of mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness, and relenting of evil’” (Joel 2:13; M:Avoth 2:18).
Source: Eccl. 7:14; Joel 2:13; M:Avoth 2:18
Mt. 6:8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
Much of our prayers are vain prayers without much spiritual depth. In Hebrew, the only prayers that will last for all eternity are the prayers of thanksgiving. The highest form of prayer and praise is silence. It is taught that you should rise early enough each morning to spend an hour in silence before God. The concept is that you cannot hear God speaking to you while you are talking.
Mt. 6:9 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
“Our Father” emphasizes that we are God’s creation and that, as His children, we have a responsibility to Him. “Our” means that no single person or denomination has a monopoly on God, and that, as His followers, we have a responsibility to each other. The phrase “who is in Heaven” is an indication of God’s supernatural qualities. God is all-powerful. He is able to do all things. These opening words are filled with Hebrew imagery. They describe the disciple’s relationship with God, but do not neglect His connection to the family of God. The father is the provider and protector, and even though he is distant because of his place of honor and respect, he displays love and affection for his children.
The sense of the word “hallowed” could be better expressed in English by the word “sanctity.” The whole phrase should be translated May Your name be sanctified.” It expresses an intense desire: “Grant it that all the world may recognize and sanctify the name of our Father.” The name of the Lord can either be sanctified or profaned by the conduct of His people. In fact, because a martyr would frequently cause others to glorify God as a result of his sacrifice, the Hebrew idiom “to sanctify the Name” was often understood as referring to someone who would give his life for his faith. This is a powerful concept. One sanctifies God by living a holy life. The Lord makes a powerful promise through the prophet Ezekiel that will come to pass one day: “I will sanctify My great name which has been profaned among the nations - among whom you caused it to be profaned. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord - declared the Lord god - when I manifest My holiness before their eyes through you.”
Source: Ezekiel 36:23
Mt. 6:10 “Your Kingdom come. Your will be one on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Today many Christians wrongfully view the Kingdom as meaning either Heaven or a future monarchy that God will establish. No where in the Gospels do we read about the Kingdom that “comes.” In Hebrew, one normally would not speak about the “coming” of the Kingdom. This common terminology is similar to that expressed in the words of the Kaddish: “May He cause His Kingdom to reign.” Thus Yeshua’s words could be better translated “May You continue establishing Your Kingdom.”
Sometimes one line will elucidate the meaning of other lines. “May You continue establishing Your Kingdom” is reinforced by the following parallel, “Your will be done.” Doing the will of God is part of the Kingdom. In other words, “My You continue establishing Your Kingdom and may Your will be done.” Yeshua does not instruct His disciples to pray, “If it be Your will.” It is within God’s purposes that all men repent and become part of God’s reign. The expression May Your will be done” is connected to the theme of man’s need to live in accordance with God’s will as taught in the Scriptures. This application does not deal with discerning God’s will in a person’s life, but in God’s will being accomplished.
“On earth as in Heaven” expresses an intense inward yearning. The disciple that prays this prayer is urging God to continue to be involved in people’s lives and to accomplish the divine will in earth.
Mt. 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Mt. 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Proverbs 30:7, 8 seems to have formed the petition for this prayer. “Two things I request of You, (deprive me not before I die). Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food You prescribe for me.” When a person petitions god, he does not ask for wealth, but rather for his assigned determined portion. The request of the Disciple’s Prayer appeals to God for man’s necessary provisions. Yeshua’s reference to the disciples “daily bread” is reminiscent of the children of Israel in the wilderness. God sends them manna. As only the amount needed each day is provided, the people have to depend on god for their daily portion.
Source: Proverbs 30:7, 8
Mt. 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Mt. 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Mt. 6:15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.”
A quote from Ben Sira says, “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he had done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet, seek healing from God? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet, pray for his own sins?” This quote demonstrates that like Yeshua, the rabbis realized that a man’s relationship with his fellow man affects his relationship with his God. One must forgive before requesting forgiveness. “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he had done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray” (Eccl. 28:2). If you forgive others, your Heavenly Father will forgive you whether they do or not. If you do not forgive, you will not receive forgiveness.
Sources: Eccl. 28:2; Ben Sira
Mt. 6:16 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
In Judaism, there is only one reason for fasting - repentance. If you don’t need to repent, you don’t need to fast. Fasting is for repentance and introspection that leads to repentance. You don’t fast in order to get something. Also, you only fast from morning until evening (the daylight hours). God can cleanse you only after you repent. When you fast, do it in secret.
The disfiguring of the face spoken of here was done with ashes. It was the custom for fasting in Yeshua’s day that several things should happen. These can be found in M:Taamid 1:6; 2:1. First, work was to be stopped. Second, no eating or drinking during the day, but these could resume at night. Third, the individual should abstain from sex during this time. And fourth, washing or bathing was not permitted. Yeshua encouraged the people to go ahead with a normal life so that no one could tell that an individual was fasting, so it was between God and him.
Source: M:Tamid 1:6; 2:1
Mt. 6:17 “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.”
Mt. 6:18 “So that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
An example of gezerah can be seen in the episode of the Pharisees demanding everyone to fast twice a week. During the time of Yeshua, Jews were expected to fast on the second and fifth day of the week. After the Babylonian Exile, five additional days of fasting were added and the Jews began to argue with Zechariah as to whether all this was necessary. By the time of Yeshua, fasting had become burdensome and had to be treated as a tradition.
Source: Zechariah 7
Yeshua contradicted several aspects of the Pharisees’ instructions for fasting. Instead of disfiguring the face with ashes, Yeshua told them to wash their face and be cheerful, not sad. This allowed the one fasting to do so between God and himself, and not advertise it with ashes all over his face. Also, the one fasting was not to have a self-righteous attitude. And last, but not least, He would not allow the Pharisees to force their non-Biblical fasts on the people. If the Pharisees wanted to obey these extra fasts, that was up to them. But, when they began to teach that God expected the people to keep them, the Lord challenged this.
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