Approaching the King

Matthew 6:5-18

Context: Matthew 6:1-34

Memory Verse: Matthew 6:33

Main Idea: Jesus taught His followers how to approach the Father through prayer.

FIRST THOUGHTS

     Have you watched a golfer prepare to hit a tee shot? The process can be an ordeal: Place the ball on the tee just so. Step away for a few warm-up swings. Take a comfortable position over the ball. Plant the feet the appropriate distance apart. Concentrate on the ball. Take a mighty yet controlled swing. An explosive connection between club head and ball sends the ball soaring down the fairway. The actual union of club and ball lasts a split second. The preparation necessary to hit the ball properly, however, takes longer.

What kind of activities do you engage in that require extensive preparation to make the activity productive? What happens when you take a shortcut in your approach to an activity?

     Jesus taught His disciples the proper approach necessary to connect with God in prayer. He did not offer this information as a set formula for effective prayer. We are not required to use only Jesus’ words when praying. In fact, Jesus insisted that prayer originate from the heart. Prayer, then, involves a personal interaction between a believer and the Father. The discipline of prayer requires a humble, reverent approach to God.

I. UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

Matthew 6:1-34

     The first major teaching of Jesus recorded by Matthew is in chapters 5–7. It is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 6, the heart of the teaching, can be divided into two parts. First, Jesus described the proper motivation of a Christian’s practice of faith (vv. 1-18). Second, Jesus called for a right attitude toward material things (vv. 19-34).

     Jesus warned His followers about righteous acts done “before other people” (6:1). This sets the tone for the first section of the chapter. Rightly motivated religious activity is not done for public show. True righteousness emanates from a desire to honor God.

     Jesus used three illustrations of religious activity familiar to Matthew’s readers to explain right motivation. First, He spoke of rightly motivated almsgiving or giving to the poor (vv. 2-4). He called for secret giving done for God alone to see. Second, Jesus appealed for rightly motivated prayer (vv. 5-15). Sincere prayer is communication between the believer and the heavenly Father. Jesus offered a blueprint for effective praying, often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. Third, Jesus taught rightly motivated fasting (vv. 16-18). Fasting is to be an act of dedication intended for God’s eyes.

     In 6:19-34, Jesus challenged believers to answer the question, What do you value? How disciples related to material things garnered Jesus’ attention. Why? Material things threaten allegiance to God. Jesus cautioned against allowing possessions to be life’s priority, which amounts to the sin of idolatry. Jesus summarized the teaching by stating that a Christian cannot have two masters. A person treasures either God or money. In the context of this teaching, Jesus warned against worrying about personal security. Submission of our lives to God’s control leads to assurance of His ample supply for what we need to live for Him. This is the basis of anxiety-free living.

II. EXPLORE THE TEXT

A. Between him and us (Matt. 6:5-6)

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Verse 5

     After an illustration of rightly motivated giving (Matt. 6:2-4), Jesus used similar wording to describe rightly motivated praying. He identified inappropriate prayer as that done like the hypocrites. Hypocrite meant play actor or pretender. Hypocrites prayed without sincerity and to gain the attention and approval of those who watched.

     Jesus described hypocritical prayer as prayers offered standing in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. To be asked to pray publicly in the synagogue service was an honor. It showed that person’s importance to the congregation. A love to pray publicly, however, exposed a prideful spirit. Praying on street corners was another occasion for public prayer. It was Jewish custom to pray at three specific times daily: morning, noon, and nightfall. When one of the set times for prayer arrived, the dedicated Jew stopped in his tracks and prayed regardless of location. Jesus identified those who made it a point to be in a public place at the time of prayer. This guaranteed they would be seen and heard as highly religious.

     The objective of such hypocritical prayer was to be seen by others. This amounted to a pretentious self-righteousness that aimed to impress others. Such prayer was of no benefit. Hypocrites have received their reward. The recognition of people amounted to payment in full. Jesus implied that the prize of public recognition negated any chance of reward from God.

Verse 6

     In contrast to the hypocritical praying described in verse 5, Jesus taught His followers: go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. This left little potential for disturbances and removes the temptation to pray to impress others. In private prayer, the audience is God alone.

     The reward for rightly motivated prayer originates with God because such prayer honors Him. What is the reward? Since prayer strengthens the connection between God and the believer, the reward is a richer, more intimate relationship with God. What greater reward exists than that?

     It is important to note that Jesus’ instruction about prayer did not prohibit public prayer. Public prayer holds an important place in corporate worship and among groups of Christians when they gather. Jesus’ teaching, however, highlighted the proper motivation of the one who prays. Self-advancement is the wrong reason to pray.

Do you reserve a regular time for private prayer? What can you do to protect your regularly scheduled prayer times from distractions?

B. Honest communication (Matt. 6:7-8)

⁷ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Verse 7

     Jesus added a further contrast between rightly and wrongly motivated prayer. He discouraged the prayer of people that heap up empty phrases. Empty phrases indicated meaningless and senselessly repetitious speech. Pagans claimed an endless array of gods. Some sought to get the attention of the appropriate god by repeating lists of the names of pagan deities. Perhaps the right god would answer the prayer. This practice revealed a misguided attempt for humans to control their gods.

     Some pagans believed the gods heard them for their many words. These idolatrous worshipers thought they needed to flood their deity with lots of words or oft-repeated formulas to get his attention. The words possibly included instructions to the deity about how to act. Genuine prayer never seeks to manipulate God. Words alone do not demonstrate righteousness. God responds to the sincere prayer of the righteous heart, not to those who try to manipulate Him or who utter empty words.

Verse 8

     Jesus urged the disciples not to be like them. Their many words made no impression on God. He knows what you need before you ask him. God requires no instruction from you on how to be God. He already knows everything He needs to know about you in order to respond to your prayer. That’s what makes Him God.

     Why pray if God already knows our needs? When we pray, we are admitting to God our inability to meet our own needs. We are exercising our faith and expressing our dependence on Him.

Do you find yourself using the same words or phrases often in your prayers? How might you go about freshening up your prayers by limiting the use of tired, worn-out phrases?

C. Respectfully requested (Matt. 6:9-15)

⁹ Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Verse 9

     Jesus offered a framework for prayer to demonstrate how we are to approach God and make requests of Him. Naturally, the model for prayer begins with a focus on God. Our Father in heaven reveals two important things about Jesus’ view of God. First, Jesus addressed God as Father, the Aramaic word Abba. Jewish children used this word to address their fathers. It carried a sense of the love and intimacy of the relationship between a father and child. The term underlines God’s approachability. Second, Jesus addressed God as in heaven. God reigns over the world as sovereign in power. He rules the universe. Jesus stressed the balance needed as we communicate with the personal yet supreme God.

     In the rest of this verse and verse 10, Jesus provided three descriptions of God that display His glory. First, He taught us to pray that God’s name be hallowed. To the Jews, a name represented the character and personality of a person. God’s name referred to His distinctive nature as God. Honoring His name as holy means acknowledging that there is no one else like Him in perfection and goodness and also expresses a desire to see God’s name honored in the world.

Verse 10

     Second, Jesus taught us to pray that God’s kingdom would come. The kingdom of God is a major emphasis of Matthew’s Gospel. To pray for the coming of God’s kingdom has both a present and future focus. Followers of Jesus desire God’s rule in their lives to grow in ever-increasing measure. They also are to pray for the consummation of God’s full and complete reign over the world.

     Third, Jesus taught His followers to pray that God’s will be done. The prayer is not that God’s will be known, but that it is done. Much of our praying is to know God’s will. While knowing God’s will is important, is it not more important to ask God to enable us to do His will?

Verses 11-13

     In verses 11-13, the focus of the prayer changes from God’s glory to God’s provision. Three petitions are included. First, Jesus taught us to pray that God give us this day our daily bread. Daily bread represented the food a person needs to survive. In ancient culture, people had no way to store food for long periods. A worker typically got paid daily after work and went immediately to buy the family’s food for the next day. In a society where people lived from day to day, Jesus called for prayer that acknowledged God’s interest in the most routine but necessary aspects of life. An empty stomach makes a disciple ill-prepared for Christian service.

 

     Second, Jesus taught us to pray for God to forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. The Jews understood sin to be a spiritual debt owed to God. Sin damages a relationship with God. Thus, forgiveness must come from Him. Jesus tied God’s forgiveness to the forgiveness disciples should offer to people who sin against them. He did not mean that forgiving others earns divine forgiveness. The Bible is clear that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s forgiveness (Eph. 2:8-9). Instead, Jesus was emphasizing that God forgives those who are repentant, and one of the main evidences of true repentance is a forgiving heart.

     Third, Jesus taught us to pray that God would lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The word for temptation can mean a trial or test. All Christians face testing times because of human weakness. God does not entice believers to fail. But Jesus prayed for God to strengthen us in those times so that we can endure the testing. He taught us to pray for deliverance from evil. The term evil could refer to the Devil himself or other evil forces at work to lead people away from God. We need God’s help to remain faithful to Him.

Verses 14-15

     Verses 14-15 repeat the message of verse 12 concerning forgiveness. Perhaps Jesus saw this petition as so important that He expanded on it. He continued to make the connection between our willingness to forgive others of their sins against us and God’s forgiveness of our sins. God’s forgiveness comes as a gift available to every believer. With that gift comes the responsibility to be forgiving of others.

D. with right motives (Matt. 6:16-18)

¹⁶ And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Verse 16

     Jesus concluded His teaching on the proper motivation of a Christian’s practice of faith by describing rightly motivated fasting. A fast is understood as abstaining from food for a specified period of time. The discipline of fasting allows a person to refocus his or her mind away from material things and onto God. It allows a believer to be more attuned to God.

     The Old Testament law required fasting only on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29-31; 23:27-32). The people fasted also on occasions of crisis or awareness of sin (Neh. 9:1-2; Dan. 9:2-19). By New Testament times the practice became more widespread. Fasting developed into an expression of repentance in a show of piety and mourning over sin. The most religious of the New Testament Jews, including the Pharisees, fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursdays (Luke 18:12). It became more of a ritualistic practice meant to convince other people of their devotion to God than an act of sincere dedication. Jesus reacted against that public display.

     Jesus fasted (see Matt. 4:2), and the early church fasted (Acts 13:2). Though not commanded of Christians, fasting is a legitimate expression of commitment to God and desire for a deeper experience with God. In fact, Jesus assumed His followers would fast, saying: when you fast. He cautioned His believers, however, not to go around gloomy like the hypocrites. These hypocrites rubbed ashes on the face to appear sad, disfigured, or pale as a way to call attention to their food deprivation. They did this that their fasting may be seen by others. Ironically, fasting was intended to show humility before God, but some used it to attract attention to their religiosity. As with the other wrongly motivated religious acts, this make-believe piety carried its own reward. The practitioners got the attention they wanted, but they failed to gain what they needed—God’s approval.

Verse 17

     Jesus offered a formula for rightly motivated fasting. Anoint your head and wash your face. In other words, maintain a normal appearance so as not to call attention to yourself. Good grooming keeps you from standing out. God knows your heart. Do you desire to be recognized by people for your self-righteous act? Or do you have a burning desire to present yourself humbly before God in repentance? What motivates you to fast? That’s what determines its worth as a spiritual discipline.

Verse 18

     When you fast before your Father who is in secret, He sees in secret and rewards you. Personal, private communion with God through fasting may not be seen by anyone but Him. He’s the One who counts. The reward has to do with the connection established between you and God through what He sees in secret (compare v. 6). A fulfilling relationship with the Holy God is the ultimate reward for the humble Christian.

     Jesus used the examples of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting as religious activities that could be used either improperly or properly to show devotion to God. The motivation of the heart separates right and wrong uses of these disciplines. Christians practice their faith in many other ways, but motivation remains a determining factor in the efficacy of any act of devotion.

Under what circumstances do you see yourself practicing the spiritual discipline of fasting? If, for personal or physical reasons, you see fasting as inappropriate for you, what other means of private devotion might you practice to establish a personal connection with God in times of need?

KEY DOCTRINE

The Kingdom

Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth.

BIBLE SKILL

Use a Bible dictionary (either print or online version) to research religious practices mentioned in Scripture.

     The Jews of the first century placed a major emphasis on religious practices such as fasting and prayer. Read articles about fasting and prayer in a Bible dictionary. Give attention to the origins of those practices in Judaism and how the use of them changed over time.