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Summary

Matthew 6:1–4 – Giving to the Needy

What happens:
Jesus warns against practicing righteousness to be seen by others. When giving to the needy, donors should not announce it with trumpets or seek public praise but give in secret so that the Father, who sees what is done in private, will reward them.

What it means:
True generosity flows from a sincere heart, not a desire for human acclaim. God values humble acts of compassion that honor him rather than public displays of piety.

Matthew 6:5–15 – Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

What happens:
Jesus instructs his followers not to pray like hypocrites who love to stand and pray in view of others. Instead, they should pray in private. He then provides a model prayer:
“Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
He concludes that if they forgive others their sins, their heavenly Father will forgive them.

What it means:
Prayer is a personal communion with God, focused on his holiness, provision, forgiveness, and guidance. Genuine prayer includes a heart posture of mercy toward others, mirroring God’s forgiveness.

Matthew 6:16–18 – Fasting

What happens:
Jesus advises that when fasting, believers must avoid looking somber or drawing attention. They should wash their faces and look normal so that fasting is a private matter between them and their Father, who will reward them openly.

What it means:
Spiritual disciplines like fasting are meant to deepen one’s reliance on God, not to earn admiration. God honors private acts of devotion that stem from genuine humility and faith.

Matthew 6:19–24 – Treasures, Eye, and Two Masters

What happens:
Jesus teaches not to store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but to store up treasures in heaven. He explains that where one’s treasure is, their heart will be also. He compares the eye to a lamp that lets in light or darkness. He warns that no one can serve two masters; one cannot serve both God and money.

What it means:
Godward focus frees believers from material anxiety. A clear, generous heart allows God’s light to guide life. Undivided loyalty to God, rather than wealth, aligns one’s priorities with the kingdom.

Matthew 6:25–34 – Do Not Worry

What happens:
Jesus tells his followers not to worry about their life, what they will eat or wear. He points to birds and flowers as examples of God’s care. He urges them to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, promising that all these necessities will be provided.

What it means:
Anxiety over material needs distracts from trusting God’s faithful provision. Prioritizing God’s rule and values recalibrates priorities and secures both temporal and eternal well-being.

Application

  • Give quietly and sacrificially, trusting God’s reward rather than human applause
  • Cultivate private, heartfelt prayer, using the Lord’s Prayer as a guide and extending forgiveness to others
  • Fast without fanfare, focusing on spiritual communion with God over public recognition
  • Store up eternal treasures by investing in kingdom work and generous living, not in perishable wealth
  • Keep a clear, generous heart that allows God’s light to guide your choices
  • Release anxiety by seeking God’s kingdom first and trusting his provision for daily needs

Bible

1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

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

10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

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

22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24No 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.

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

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

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

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