Matthew 6:6

4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^awill Himself reward you openly.

The Model Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the¹ hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6 But you, when you pray, ^ago into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you¹ openly.

7 And when you pray, ^ado not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. ^bFor they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father ^aknows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

9 In this ^amanner, therefore, pray:
^bOur Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your ^cname.

10 Your kingdom come.
^aYour will be done
On earth ^bas it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our ^adaily bread.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Matthew 6:6 Mean?

Matthew 6:5-8

In Jesus' time, the act of prayer had devolved mainly into hypocritical public prayers and memorized rote prayers. Because Jesus had shown Himself to be so different from other teachers of God's way of life, His disciples were understandably confused about how they should pray. When they ask Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1), Jesus responds with what has often been called—mistakenly—“the Lord's Prayer” (see Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4; the real “Lord's Prayer” appears in John 17). He does not intend us to recite this prayer mindlessly but offers an outline for our own far longer, deeper, and more personal prayers to the Father in heaven.

Jesus' disciples had grown up in Judaism, which was dominated at the time by the Pharisees, pious laymen who observed and taught strict adherence to the law. However, as Jesus pointed out, the Pharisees put their traditions (their Oral Law, restrictions to keep them from sinning and becoming ritually impure) above the law of God. Their instruction on prayer, then, proved to be insincere, as they prayed publicly to receive the approbation of men rather than to honor God.

Thus, Jesus instructs His disciples to shun the example of these hypocrites. He teaches them to find a private place to pray, away from an audience, so that they could have genuine, one-on-one conversations with God. He also tells them to avoid going to the opposite extreme of using “vain repetitions,” rote prayers repeated endlessly. God is a real Person who desires a real relationship with those He calls. We should speak reverently and respectfully to Him, certainly, but we should not yammer at Him like an unhearing block of wood, stone, or metal, as the heathens treat their idols.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Model Prayer (Part One): Introduction

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 6:6:

Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew 6:9-13
Mark 7:33

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Matthew 6:7 >>

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The Model Prayer

What Does Matthew 6:6 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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