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Matthew 6

Jesus places devotion, possessions, and daily needs under the Father’s care and his rightful claim on the whole heart.

Jesus teaches his disciples about giving, prayer, and fasting, warning against doing these things to win public praise. He describes a Father who sees what is hidden and knows their needs before they ask. His model prayer begins with God’s name and Kingdom, then turns to bread, forgiveness, and deliverance. Jesus then addresses treasure and divided loyalty, before pointing to birds and flowers as evidence of the Father’s care amid concern about food and clothing.

job loss or money fearwanting a steady prayer habitfear for the future
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1“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.
2Therefore, 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.
3But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,
4so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5“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.
6But 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.
7In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
8Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.
9Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
16“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.
17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18so 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.
19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.
23But 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!
24“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.
25Therefore 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?
26See 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?
27“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
28Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
29yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
30But 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?
31“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
34Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Matthew 6:33Seeking God’s Kingdom and righteousness gathers the chapter’s teaching on loyalty and provision into one clear priority.
Matthew 6:25Jesus connects freedom from anxious concern about necessities with the greater gifts of life and the body.
Matthew 6:24The image of two masters exposes the rival claims of God and wealth, linking treasure with trust.
Where this chapter reaches

Luke shares Jesus’ teaching about prayer, treasure, and the Father’s provision, while Mark also connects prayer with forgiving others. Psalm shares the theme of God feeding his creatures, and Proverbs shares warnings about trusting wealth and the limits of earthly riches.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do the repeated mentions of the Father reveal about the kind of prayer Jesus teaches?

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Where do you notice a connection between your treasure and your worries about tomorrow?

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Questions people ask about Matthew 6

What does Mammon mean in Matthew 6:24?

Mammon means wealth or riches, pictured here as a master demanding service. Jesus places it alongside God to expose competing loyalties. The surrounding verses concern stored treasure, the heart, and material needs. His warning is that devotion to wealth cannot coexist with undivided service to God.

What does seeking first God’s Kingdom mean in Matthew 6:33?

In context, seeking God’s Kingdom and righteousness means giving priority to God’s rule and the life he commands. Jesus has just described concern over food, drink, and clothing. The promise concerns these needs. It offers no guarantee of riches or a life free from hardship; verse 34 acknowledges each day’s trouble.

Does Matthew 6 forbid public prayer or repeated prayers?

Jesus identifies the motives and assumptions he condemns: praying to be seen and thinking that many words secure a hearing. The command to pray behind a closed door removes the audience. The passage does not issue a blanket ban on public prayer or on using the same words more than once.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).