Matthew 6

“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,

so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.

Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.

Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.

Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?

Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,

yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’

For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter centers on the righteousness that surpasses mere external conformity to the law, calling disciples to a holiness of heart and deed that is directed toward God rather than human approval. Building on the Sermon on the Mount’s vision of kingdom citizens, Jesus addresses three key practices—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—emphasizing sincerity, purity of motive, and trust in God’s fatherly provision. It culminates in a summons to single-hearted devotion to God amid the competing claims of material security and spiritual allegiance.

Flow.

Begins with a warning against performing righteous acts for public recognition, using almsgiving as the first example, and calls for secret service known only to God.
Moves to prayer, rejecting ostentatious displays and offering the Lord’s Prayer as a model of reverent, God-centered petition, followed by a sharp link between forgiveness received and forgiveness given.
Turns to fasting, again condemning outward shows of piety and urging inward integrity marked by ordinary appearance yet divine awareness.
Concludes with a broader exhortation against materialism: the heart’s orientation must be toward heavenly treasure, unwavering devotion to God, and trust in His provision, not anxiety over temporal needs.

Connections.
Following chapter 5, where Jesus redefines righteousness as inward and heart-deep rather than merely external, this chapter applies that principle to core religious practices, showing what kingdom righteousness looks like in personal piety. It prepares the way for chapter 7, which continues unpacking kingdom ethics by addressing judgment, prayer persistence, and the narrow path, grounded in the same call to sincerity and trust. The progression from inner righteousness (ch. 5), to authentic practice (ch. 6), to discernment and perseverance (ch. 7) forms a cohesive portrait of life under God’s reign.

What it teaches.
True righteousness is not performed for human applause but cultivated in secrecy before God, who both sees and rewards (WCF 16.5). The Lord’s Prayer exemplifies how God’s name, kingdom, and will are to be first in prayer, while also acknowledging human dependence on His provision and grace (HC LD 45, 47). Forgiveness is not severed from duty; one’s reception of divine pardon is tied—though not as grounds—to the forgiveness one shows others (WCF 18.4). Material concerns are not to master the disciple, for God sovereignly cares for His creation and calls His children to seek His kingdom first, trusting His promise to supply all needs (BC Article 13, ).

Apply.
Act faithfully in unseen places, confident that the Father who sees in secret sustains and will one day honor what the world overlooks.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.