Matthew 6:5 teaches that prayer is not a performance for other people to admire. Jesus warns his listeners against praying in public places simply so others will see them, and he says that such people have already received the only reward they will get. The words come from Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, spoken to a crowd of ordinary Jewish listeners who were gathered on a hillside in Galilee and who were learning how to live as his followers.
“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.
Matthew 6:5 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:5 Means
The phrase “you shall not be as the hypocrites” points to people who wear a religious face while their hearts are elsewhere. The word “hypocrites” comes from the Greek word for actors, so Jesus is describing people who play a part for an audience. Those he has in mind love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at street corners, places where passersby cannot miss them. Their goal is to be seen by others, and Jesus says that the applause they receive is the whole of their reward.
The verse does not condemn praying in public or praying with others. Jesus himself prayed in public at times, and the early church gathered for common prayer. The warning is about motive. It asks what the prayer is for, whether it is aimed at God or at the watching crowd. The verse promises nothing to those who pray in private except what the following verse describes, a Father who sees in secret. It simply makes clear that approval from people is a poor substitute for the reward God gives.
The Context of Matthew 6:5
Matthew, traditionally identified as the tax collector turned disciple, wrote this Gospel for a community that included many Jewish believers. The Sermon on the Mount is one of the great teaching sections of the book, and it describes what it looks like to live under God’s kingdom. Just before verse 5, Jesus speaks about giving to the needy and warns against sounding a trumpet to announce one’s generosity. Verse 5 follows the same pattern, applying the same test of motive to prayer.
Verses 6 through 8 continue the thought. Jesus tells his followers to go into an inner room and pray to the Father in secret, and he warns against empty repetition like the Gentiles use. Read together, these verses show that the issue is not the outward act of prayer but the heart behind it. The contrast between the public show of the hypocrites and the quiet trust of the disciple gives verse 5 its full sense.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:5
Matthew 6:6
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.
(WEB)
This verse is the direct continuation of the teaching in verse 5. It gives the positive picture of private prayer that the hypocrites lack, and it promises that the Father who sees in secret will reward openly. Reading it next to verse 5 shows the contrast Jesus is drawing between two kinds of prayer.
Luke 18:10-14
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
(WEB)
In this parable, a Pharisee prays loudly about his own virtues while a tax collector prays quietly with humility. Jesus says the tax collector goes home justified. The story illustrates the same concern about prayer that seeks self-display, and it shows that God looks at the humble heart.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:5
Father, you see what is hidden and you know my heart better than I know it myself. Forgive me for the times I have prayed to be noticed, or cared more about how my words sounded than whether they reached you. Teach me to come to you in quiet and in truth, without needing an audience to make my prayers feel worthwhile. Let my time with you be real, and let your presence be enough for me. Amen.
