Matthew 6 is Jesus’s teaching on the inner life of faith, the motives behind what we do for God and the trust that should shape how we live. People read it because it answers a few pressing questions: how to give, how to pray, how to fast, what to do with money and worry, and why Jesus keeps returning to the heart. The chapter is famous for the Lord’s Prayer, but its larger aim is to show that God sees what is hidden and rewards a sincere heart.
Matthew 6 Summary
The chapter opens with a warning against doing religious acts to be admired. Jesus names three practices common among devout Jews of his day, giving to the needy, praying, and fasting, and says each should be done quietly, with attention to the Father who sees in secret. Then he gives the model prayer, followed by a short reminder that forgiving others is tied to receiving forgiveness.
From there the focus moves from outward acts to the direction of the heart. Jesus says you cannot serve both God and wealth, and he moves into a long call not to be anxious about food, clothing, or tomorrow. The final verse ties the whole chapter together: seek God’s kingdom first, and trust him with the rest.
Background and Setting
Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and is traditionally attributed to Matthew, a former tax collector and one of the twelve disciples. Most scholars date the Gospel to roughly the 70s to 90s AD, though some place it earlier, and it was written with a Jewish-Christian audience in view that knew the Hebrew Scriptures well. This explains the frequent appeal to the Father in heaven and the emphasis on righteousness and the kingdom.
Chapter 6 sits within the Sermon on the Mount, which spans chapters 5 through 7. Chapter 5 introduced the kingdom and its ethic, and chapter 6 turns to how that kingdom shapes worship, money, and trust. Read in that setting, the chapter is not a set of separate rules but a sustained picture of a life lived before one Father.
Matthew 6 Section by Section
Verses 1-4: Giving Without an Audience
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. 2 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. 3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Matthew 6:1-4 (WEB)
Jesus begins by warning that good deeds done for applause lose their reward from the Father. He is not condemning generosity but pointing to the motive behind it. The image of not letting the left hand know what the right hand does is vivid: genuine mercy does not need to be advertised or measured by others’ praise.
The section stresses that the Father who sees in secret is the true audience. When giving is kept quiet, it becomes an act of trust rather than self-promotion. This reorients generosity toward God and toward the real needs of people rather than toward how one looks to others.
Verses 5-15: Praying to the Father
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. 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.
Matthew 6:5-6 (WEB)
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
Matthew 6:9-13 (WEB)
Prayer is treated the same way as giving. Jesus warns against praying to be noticed and encourages a private place where the believer speaks to the Father who sees in secret. The point is intimacy, not performance, and the reminder that the Father knows what you need before you ask frees prayer from the pressure of eloquence.
The Lord’s Prayer then offers a pattern: honor God’s name, long for his kingdom and will, ask for daily bread, seek forgiveness, and ask for protection from temptation. Its shape moves from God’s glory to human need, and it teaches that receiving mercy and extending it belong together, which Jesus underlines right after the prayer.
Verses 16-18: Fasting Before the Father
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. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 18 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.
Matthew 6:16-18 (WEB)
Fasting, like giving and praying, can become a display. Jesus describes people who disfigure their faces to look pious and says they have their reward already. His instruction to anoint the head and wash the face is not a call to hide the practice for its own sake but to refuse the stage of public approval.
What matters is that fasting, when it is done, is directed to God and not to human eyes. The hidden act is seen by the Father, and the reward he gives is the real one.
Verses 19-24: Treasure, the Eye, and Divided Loyalty
19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21 (WEB)
“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.
Matthew 6:24 (WEB)
Jesus contrasts earthly treasure, which moths, rust, and thieves destroy, with treasure stored in heaven. He adds that where your treasure is, your heart will follow. The sentence works in both directions: the heart shapes where we invest, and our investments shape the heart.
The statement that no one can serve two masters presses the point home. Jesus does not say wealth is evil in itself but that a divided allegiance cannot hold. The language of the healthy eye and the evil eye in verses 22-23 describes a single outlook through which everything else is seen, which is why the heart must be set rightly.
Verses 25-34: Freedom From Anxiety
25 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? 26 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? 27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
Matthew 6:25-27 (WEB)
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Matthew 6:33-34 (WEB)
The longest section addresses worry. Jesus points to birds and lilies, creatures that receive what they need without storing up or toiling as people do. Anxiety adds nothing to a person’s lifespan, and the Father who feeds the birds and clothes the grass cares far more for his children, though he does not promise a life free of hardship.
The chapter closes with the call to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, and to take each day as it comes. The final line acknowledges that each day has its own troubles, which is why trust must be practiced one day at a time rather than postponed until life feels settled.
Key Themes in Matthew 6
- Hidden devotion: Giving, praying, and fasting are meant to be offered to the Father who sees in secret rather than to the watching crowd.
- Forgiveness received and given: The Lord’s Prayer ties God’s forgiveness of us to our willingness to forgive others.
- Heart and treasure: What we value reveals and shapes the direction of our hearts.
- Undivided loyalty: No one can serve both God and wealth, and the chapter asks which master will hold the first place.
- Trust over anxiety: The Father’s care for birds and flowers invites believers to seek his kingdom first and release daily worry.
Lessons From Matthew 6 for Today
Consider a person who posts every act of kindness online. Matthew 6 invites a gentle check: is the praise of others the real reward? Giving quietly to a neighbor who is struggling, or supporting a ministry without public recognition, can restore the sense that God is the one who sees and rewards.
The teaching on treasure fits the ordinary pressures of budgets, retirement plans, and job security. It does not forbid planning, but it asks where the heart rests when the account balance shrinks. Practicing generosity and setting aside money for God’s work are concrete ways of answering that question.
Anxiety at three in the morning, scrolling through worst-case scenarios about health or work, is exactly what verses 25-34 address. The chapter does not dismiss real concerns. It offers a way to bring them into the Father’s care, one day at a time, and to notice what it would look like to seek his kingdom in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday.
Questions for Reflection
- When did you last do something good that no one else knew about, and how did it feel?
- What does your prayer life look like when no one is watching, and what would change if you made more room for it?
- Where is your treasure right now, and what does your spending or saving reveal about your heart?
- Which worry keeps returning to your mind, and what would it mean to hand it to the Father this week?
A Prayer From Matthew 6
Father, you see what no one else sees, and you know what I need before I ask. Teach me to give, pray, and fast with a heart that wants only your approval. Shape my treasure toward what lasts, and loosen my grip on the things that quietly claim my loyalty. When worry rises about tomorrow, remind me that you feed the birds and clothe the grass, and that you care for me more than I can imagine. Help me seek your kingdom first today. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of Matthew 6?
The main message is that faith should be lived sincerely before God rather than for human approval. Jesus addresses giving, prayer, fasting, money, and worry, and calls his listeners to trust the Father who sees in secret.
Why is the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6?
Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer as a model for prayer that is simple, sincere, and focused on God’s name, kingdom, and will. It follows his warning against empty, showy prayer and shows what honest prayer sounds like.
Does Matthew 6 mean Christians should not be concerned about money or food?
The chapter does not call believers to ignore practical needs or to avoid planning. It warns against anxious, divided hearts that place wealth or worry above God, and it invites trust in the Father’s care.
