Matthew 6 - IVP New Testament Commentaries

Showing Righteousness to God Alone

Jesus begins this section of his teaching with a thesis statement summarizing his point: Do your righteousness for God to see you, not others (6:1). Jesus then illustrates his point with the examples of secret charity (vv. 2-4), prayer (vv. 5-15) and fasting (vv. 16-18). The middle section on prayer is the longest (following accepted practices of arrangement in his day, Matthew may have inserted the Lord's Prayer from a different context; compare Lk 11:1-4).