Day 3: Lord's Prayer, Fasting, Treasures, Do Not Worry

Reading: Matthew 6

Listen to: Matthew chapter 6

Historical Context

Matthew 6 forms the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, and its central concern is the interior life of the disciple – the hidden world of motivation, devotion, and trust that lies beneath all outward behavior. The chapter divides into three major sections: the practice of piety (6:1-18), the orientation of the heart (6:19-24), and the antidote to anxiety (6:25-34). Together they form a coherent argument: authentic religion is practiced before an audience of One, the heart must be directed toward heavenly rather than earthly treasure, and the person whose heart is rightly oriented is freed from the tyranny of worry.

The first section addresses three pillars of Jewish piety that were central to first-century religious practice: giving to the needy (eleēmosynē), prayer (proseuchē), and fasting (nēsteia). In Second Temple Judaism, these three disciplines were considered the essential expressions of devotion to God. Jesus does not question the practices themselves; he takes it for granted that his followers will give, pray, and fast. What he attacks is the corruption of motive. The Greek word hypokritēs (“hypocrite”), which Jesus uses three times in this section, comes from the world of Greek theater, where it referred to an actor who wore a mask. A hypocrite, in Jesus’ usage, is a person who performs religious devotion for a human audience rather than for God. The giving, praying, and fasting may be real, but the motive transforms them from worship into performance. Jesus’ repeated phrase “they have received their reward” (apechousin ton misthon autōn) uses a commercial term – apechō was the standard word on ancient receipts meaning “paid in full.” The hypocrite’s reward is human admiration, and that account is now closed. There is nothing more to receive.

The Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13) stands at the center of this section, and its placement is theologically significant. It is the model of the prayer that is not performed for human audiences but offered in the secret place to “your Father who sees in secret.” The prayer’s opening – “Our Father in heaven” (Pater hēmōn ho en tois ouranois) – invites an intimacy with God that was unusual, though not unprecedented, in Jewish prayer. While the Old Testament occasionally addresses God as Father (Isaiah 63:16, 64:8), and some later Jewish prayers use the term, Jesus makes it the primary mode of address and teaches his followers to do the same. The Aramaic word behind this is almost certainly Abba, the intimate family term for “father” that Jesus used in his own prayers (Mark 14:36) and that the early church preserved as a marker of the Spirit’s presence (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).

The prayer moves from God’s concerns to human concerns in a deliberate sequence: God’s name, God’s kingdom, God’s will – and only then daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. This order is instructive. Prayer begins not with our needs but with God’s glory. The petition “hallowed be your name” (hagiasthētō to onoma sou) is a passive construction – a “divine passive” common in Jewish prayer, where God is the implied agent. It asks God to act in such a way that his name is recognized as holy throughout the earth. “Your kingdom come” asks for the full manifestation of God’s sovereign rule that Jesus has been announcing. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” extends the petition – what is already perfectly accomplished in the heavenly realm should break through into earthly reality.

The request for “daily bread” (artos epiousios) contains one of the most debated words in the New Testament. The Greek epiousios appears nowhere else in all of Greek literature – it may be a word coined by Jesus or the evangelist. Its meaning has been debated since the early church fathers. Jerome translated it as supersubstantialis (“supersubstantial”) in the Vulgate, understanding it as a reference to the Eucharist. Others derive it from epi + ousia (“for existence,” i.e., bread necessary for existence) or from epi + iōn (“for the coming day,” i.e., tomorrow’s bread). Most likely it carries the sense of “bread sufficient for today” – echoing the daily manna provision in the wilderness (Exodus 16), where Israel was forbidden to hoard and learned to trust God one day at a time.

The petition for forgiveness introduces a reciprocal dynamic: “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew uses the word opheilēmata (“debts”), reflecting an Aramaic metaphor where sins are conceived as debts owed to God. Luke’s parallel uses hamartias (“sins”). Jesus underscores the reciprocal nature of forgiveness in verses 14-15, making it clear that unwillingness to forgive others blocks the experience of God’s forgiveness. This is not a transactional arrangement but a relational reality: the heart that refuses to extend mercy has not truly grasped the mercy it has received.

The second section (6:19-24) pivots from religious practice to the orientation of the heart. The metaphor of treasure is vivid and grounded in first-century reality. In a world without banks or investment accounts, wealth was stored physically – in the form of fine garments (vulnerable to moths), grain stores (vulnerable to vermin, the likely meaning of brōsis, often translated “rust” but better rendered “consuming” or “eating”), and coins buried in the ground (vulnerable to thieves who would literally dig through mud-brick walls). Heavenly treasure, by contrast, is secure because it exists in God’s eternal realm. The eye saying (6:22-23) is often misunderstood. In ancient Jewish thought, the “good eye” (ophthalmos haplous, literally “single” or “generous” eye) referred to generosity, while the “evil eye” (ophthalmos ponēros) referred to stinginess and greed (see Proverbs 22:9, 28:22). Jesus is saying that generosity floods your whole life with light, while greed plunges it into darkness.

The chapter’s climax (6:25-34) is Jesus’ sustained address to anxiety – the Greek merimnate (“do not worry”), repeated three times. Jesus does not dismiss the real needs of food, clothing, and shelter; he reframes them within the context of a Father’s care. The argument from creation is elegant: birds do not sow or reap, yet the heavenly Father feeds them. Wildflowers do not toil or spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of them. If God cares for birds and flowers, how much more will he care for his image-bearing children? The logic is qal vahomer – a “lesser to greater” argument that was a standard rabbinic method. The conclusion is among the most memorized verses in Scripture: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33). The word “first” (prōton) is the key. Jesus does not say material needs are unimportant. He says they must not be first. When the Kingdom occupies first place, everything else finds its proper order.

Key Themes

• Audience of One – Authentic spiritual practice is directed toward God, not performed for human approval. The secret place is the proving ground of genuine devotion.
• Prayer as Reorientation – The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to begin with God’s concerns before our own, and to trust God for daily provision rather than hoarding against an uncertain future.
• Freedom from Anxiety – Worry is not merely an emotional problem; it is a theological one. It reveals a heart that has not yet grasped the generosity and faithfulness of the heavenly Father.

Connections

• Old Testament Roots: Exodus 16 (daily manna as a lesson in trust), Psalm 37:25 (“I have not seen the righteous forsaken”), Proverbs 22:9 and 28:22 (the good eye and the evil eye), Isaiah 63:16 and 64:8 (God as Father).
• New Testament Echoes: Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 (the Spirit enabling us to cry “Abba, Father”), Philippians 4:6-7 (do not be anxious but pray), Colossians 3:1-4 (set your minds on things above), 1 Peter 5:7 (cast all your anxiety on him).
• Parallel Passages: Luke 11:1-4 (Lord’s Prayer in a different setting), Luke 12:22-34 (do not worry, in a different sermon context), Luke 16:13 (no one can serve two masters).

Reflection Questions

1. Jesus assumes his followers will give, pray, and fast (6:2, 5, 16 – “when you,” not “if you”). Which of these three disciplines is most present in your life? Which is most absent? What might change if you practiced all three?
2. The Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s name, kingdom, and will before moving to human needs. How does this order challenge the way you typically pray?
3. Jesus commands “do not worry” three times in 6:25-34. He does not say “do not plan” or “do not work.” What is the difference between responsible planning and the anxiety Jesus prohibits?

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. We confess that we often practice our faith for human eyes rather than for yours alone. We confess that we worry about tomorrow as though you were not in it. Teach us to pray as Jesus taught, to seek your kingdom first, and to trust that you who feed the birds and clothe the wildflowers will surely provide for us. Free us from the tyranny of anxiety, and anchor our hearts in your unfailing generosity. Through Christ, who taught us to call you Father. Amen.