Analysis of Bible Passage, Matthew 6:5-13

In 28 chapters, Matthew (tax-collector, Levi) emphasizes righteousness and how Judaism became the New Covenant. Chapters 5-7 contain sermons and teachings on righteousness (generally) and on prayer (specifically). The audience comprises Jews, but Matthew criticizes their worship, and ostentatiousness. "Matthew" builds on Judaism, but subtracts priest-led-sacrifices and showmanship. The thesis: Matthew pericope compares righteous, effective prayer with hypocrisy and vanity in religion that cannot lead to "kingdom" rewards. Misguided worship occurs not only "in the synagogues" but also in "the streets." Righteousness seeks God's "rewards," not those from humans and "hypocrites." Matthew, a Jew, is not anti-Semitic; he traces how Christianity diverged. Recall Jesus instructed His Apostles to work among Israel's "lost sheep;" He upheld baptism and Law (Mt 3:15; 5:17; 13:14). In Mt 15:22-28, Jesus seems compelled by a Gentile's faith to "reward" her, and others in Tyre, Sidon, the east, west ....

Only gradually do John the Baptist and Matthew redefine "the kingdom of heaven." As John MacArthur argues (below) Matthew upheld Law and God's monotheistic name. "Elect" status was redefined as keeping the letter of the Law (Moses') and its spirit (both Sabbath and Law were made for people, and not the other way around). Jesus Himself demonstrates/d prayer, fasting and worship, for instance after baptism (Mt 4:1-11) and after John's beheading (Mt 14:13; 14:23). Two words are worth analysing: "hypocrites" and "vanity." The first, from Greek theater, refers to the use of masks during role-playing. God has no use for our masks! The second refers to human ineffectiveness. "Vain" in Greek is best translated "futile" not "vanity" deriving from/for one's body. In Ecclesiastes, "vanity" appeared with "all is vanity and vexation of spirit" per human "works." (Ecclesiastes 1:2;14)

Matthew 5 includes/d Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. These words promote a love-reaction in everyday trials. Again Jesus/Matthew turns logic on its head, as if asking those who have been slapped, to turn the other cheek, to lead by becoming servants, or even by losing one's life to save it. The pericope resonates with the "faith without works is dead" message (James 2:17-18). Also in Mt 5:16 the Lord declared, "Let your light so shine ... that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father ...." Mt 5:20-22 could be said to summarize Chapter 6: "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom ...." The named subgroups comprised a majority of first-century Jews: the Pharisees dominated the Temple council (Sanhedrin), and the scribes were lawyers and among the most literate. Before Jesus' baptism, John labeled the Sad'-du-cees, a "generation of vipers" (Mt.3:7). Jesus corrects both their doctrines, as in Mt 16:1-12. In Mt.23:13-37 He is almost shrill in alloying "scribes and Pharisees" with "hypocrites" and "ye blind guides." Mt 23:37 weeps for Jerusalem that "killest the prophets."

The repeated advice in Mt 6:5-13 and the Gospel is that we avoid seeking human approval! We are to pray daily for physical and spiritual needs, yet "y[our] Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before you ask him." It is a relational God we serve, who respects our choices but desires us to go to Him daily and often. The Lord's Prayer is a concise, sharp and effective approach that balances horizontal and vertical relationships, and avoids the personal pronoun for the communal "us." (Mt 6:9-13).

Un-righteous prayer uses formulae and "vain" ramblings. Christ wishes us to "walk the talk." The verse following Mt 6:5-13 highlights the golden law of forgiveness: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you ...." In Mt 5:7 Jesus taught "Blessed are the merciful: they shall obtain [God's] mercy." Mt 6:15-17 returns to teach how to fast "righteously" and in "secret." Then another triad of verses compare temporary, earthly treasures with heavenly treasure (Mt 6:19-21). The final verses, Mt 25-34, echo John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled ..." about this life and "death." We are to forgo anxiety for "tomorrow" with righteous living. God daily provides "bread" (He is the Bread of Life) and He has provisions the fauna and flora, who are not plan for their tomorrows.

Mt 6 is about charity/forgiveness, worship/prayer and needs/treasures, with prayer dominating the pericope. Mt 6:1-4 advises us to give alms quietly, even secretively; following the Lord's Prayer, Matthew urges believers to practise forgiveness, fasting, and trust in His provision but avoid serving two "msters." Overall, then, Matthew 5 and 6 offer instructions on a triad, plus one: charity, prayer and fasting ... and trusting and serving only Christ.

The Lord's Prayer addresses God as "Father." This is a Jewish conception of Godhead, different than the Hellenized approach which eschews anthopomorphisms for the metaphysical and transcendant. "Our Father which art in Heaven ..." also differentiates our celestial Creator from earthly kingdom, of satan. In Mt 6:10, we are urged to allow, "Thy will be done in earth ..." Why? When we voluntarily go to our Father, daily, we align our will with His. The range is comprehensive: from daily needs ("bread") to justification from our "trespasses" and "debts." Quiet, effective prayer will allow "thy Father which seeth in secret [to] reward thee openly" (Mt 6:6). We see Jesus at prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and during His 40-day fast and Scriptural warfare against satan's temptings. Daily prayer complements daily bread; we ought to nourish our bodies and spirits.

In summary, then, the first three verses in the Lord's Prayer is about the vertical relationship with our Father; the next three verses speaks for humans communally, not individually: "And lead us not into temptation ... deliver us from the evil [one]." I had heard the Lord's Prayer begs God to deliver us from both evil and "the evil one" or satan, in the original (Greek?) God will strengthen us against all the glittering enticements that satan proverbially offers. I do not think "Lead us not into temptation" means that God "tempts" us; but He allows trials - when we are less rigorous in our walk - but our salvation is never revoked.

After this exegesis (Gideons International Bible,1978: National Publishing Company), I used The MacArthur Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, NASB: 2006). MacArthur believes Matthew's is the first Gospel, dated 50 C.E. ... defintely before "the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70" (MacArthur, p.1357). The Jewish flavor of Matthew is substantiated by quotations "more than 60 ..." from the Old Testament (that Christ is "the Son of David" and the Jewish Messiah). Matthew uses 'the kingdom of heaven' 32 times (MacArthur, p.1357), again, out of respect to Jews who do not pronounce YHWH's name.

The pericope shows a relational God that we worship, but a God who also wants us to have healthy horizontal relations with humans. The concluding verses say: never be anxious for anything, and, avoid storing riches here because heavenly treasure is what matters. Such a message is different than Pharisaism, but it builds on the Mosaic Law. Another way to summarize this pericope is to recall Genesis and the first two sons of Adam. The Lord found Abel's sacrifice worthy and rewarded him, but rejected the way in which Cain made his offering of the first fruits. We are from the same human and divine lineage, and Jesus helps us avoid the unacceptable of Cain.