The idea of not practicing your righteousness in front of others might seem to be in conflict with the previous instruction to be a light onto the world but you should understand this verse through the lens of Jesus focusing on heart above actions. If you sneak into someone’s house and leave them a million dollars, that’s a very different action than showing up at their door with a news crew. Someone receiving a gift without an idea where it came from is liable to praise God for the miracle whereas seeing you and having a big show of it, they’ll praise YOUR generosity. Bad motivation can turn a good deed into a bad one. Don’t let your earthly charity turn into a spiritual robbery by claiming God’s glory as your own.

I’ve struggled with this on occasion. I’ve thrown a big ol’ number into a collection basket and hoped to receive some sort of acknowledgement or something. Totally wrong. Absolutely sinful. You don’t get a scratch behind the ears for that, not in this life. And if you seek it, then fine. You earned your reward at the expense of the eternal one. You don’t need people to see your deeds. Your Father sees your deeds and it’s of far greater importance that you give ALL the glory to Him, without whom you wouldn’t be doing much of anything anyway.

Jesus is in no way a fan of hypocrites. People focusing on outward demonstrations of holiness rather than their inner attitude have a false spirituality. Big loud public displays of prayer on the street and in the temple to draw attention to how pious and dedicated you are is showy and Jesus tells us you’ve received all the reward you’re going to get. Spiritual pride disguised as righteousness is not respected by God.

Prayer is of great importance to the Christian and there’s a right way to do it. Many religions have some form of prayer or another. Some it’s chants or meditations, dedicated to idols, inward focus, ancestors, etc. Repetitive chanting of words and phrases was common among them, maybe thinking that they’d be heard if they kept saying it over and over. Some people have structure to their prayer or follow pre-written prayers but it’s not an incantation. A specific series of words doesn’t add “power” to it through the merit of the WORDS themselves. Specific language isn’t the point, sincere communication from the heart is. God gets it the first time, you don’t need to repeat like an incantation.

Also God knows what you want. He’s not a monkey’s paw looking to ensnare you for failing to use the exact right language. “I want a piano” and then one falls on your head “AH yes but you didn’t say WHERE you wanted it teehee”. “Why pray at all if He knows what we want?” Because it’s a relationship. He’s a loving parent, not a dutiful servant.

Jesus then provides the Lord’s Prayer which is the Christian prayer. And this isn’t meant to be a chant or the ONLY words we utter to God, He didn’t immediately contradict Himself, but this is an example of a meaningful way to pray to God we can follow. That we will say it as one or as a unit doesn’t take away from that.

“Our Father in heaven”: referring to God as our Father is unique to Christians and centers a relationship with God that other faiths don’t have. This is also a correct way to address Him.

“Hallowed be thy name”: His name is holy. Names are a huge deal throughout scripture and packed with meaning, so this acknowledges His greatness.

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”: We submit to God’s will. Our prayers must be aligned with His will because it’s His will that rules over all creation.

“Give us this day our daily bread”: The bread can be spiritual “food”, the actual food we need to survive, or a broad reference to all our daily needs (like a paycheck and good night’s sleep). Most people go with food. The idea being you don’t pray for a one time stockpile, but you keep coming back to God because you WILL need Him again.

“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”: Time to talk sin and forgiveness. Yeah you know, a sentence or two should do it. “Debts” is interchangeable with “transgressions” and “obligations” here and this would’ve spoke clearly to Matthew, as he was a tax collector (total hated entity to the Jews, considered a race traitor). It’s a request to God to forgive your sins (trust me, you need it. Daily, if not more) as well as a declaration of the need for us to forgive sins. If God can send Jesus to die for sins in the most excruciating manner imaginable, I think you can forgive someone for cutting you off in traffic. Note: look up the origin of the word “excruciating”.

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”: The Greek used here is the same as when referring to Jesus’s trial in the wilderness so it could refer to temptations to sin or trials of sin. We should ask God to steer us away from sin because when we’re tempted, there’s a way out and we may need help finding it. For example, the chubby girl at work is very pretty but she’s also very married, so I ask God to help me not break that very clear commandment about our neighbor’s wife. Not because I’m like plotting to steal her or something, just “please help me not have immodest thoughts”.

The Lord’s Prayer over, we should note that Jesus gave this to us but would not have prayed this Himself because there’s the line “forgive our sins” and Jesus was without sin. He wouldn’t need to. Here Jesus creates a condition for your forgiveness: if you forgive others, your heavenly Father will forgive you. This isn’t EARNING salvation (forgiveness) by works (forgiving others) otherwise you lose it. You can’t earn it, period. This is more saying that your ability to forgive others is an indicator of a saved nature. That is, a Christian in good standing with God will be the type to forgive others. Your stubborn refusal can indicate a spirit issue and be a red flag that you may not have a saving faith.

Fasting: He speaks of fasting in the same way as he does prayer and charity: Don’t do it for your glory and to draw attention to yourself. “Oooooh I’m just so hungry and tired, this FAST I’M DOING FOR THE LORD is really taking it out of me but you know, I just love the Lord so much it’s worth it”. Bad. Human approval will be the sole reward you receive for your efforts. Keep yourself tidy. Your outward appearance should not suggest you’re mid-fast. Less that it has to be super secret, just that you’re not broadcasting for attention. Rituals were very performative in that time, so this may have been taken as shocking.

Don’t build up treasures on earth. So this isn’t about savings. You’re encouraged to hold on to stuff for a rainy day and manage God’s gifts so you’re not hurt in the future. This isn’t a command to ignore your light bill to donate to a soup kitchen. The point is that you shouldn’t be putting your faith in them. You’re so scared of going broke you’re hoarding money, hoarding food for fear of a natural disaster, etc. You’re putting faith in your material ability to weather anything that comes your way. This is wrong. You materials are not reliable like God is. Thieves will take it, mice will eat it. The rewards you’ve been building in heaven are forever and you stockpile them through prayer, devotion, and charity. Now, entrance to heaven can’t be earned, so what rewards are Jesus referring to? Uh…. No one really knows. But if God is telling you to aim for them, they must be pretty good.

You cannot serve two masters so you have to choose between God and money. That is, if you have an abortion to stay employed, you’ve chosen money. If work asks you to celebrate Pride Month and you participate out of fear of reprisal, you have chosen money. There are many ways to over focus on earthly treasures. You can care about both God and money, after all we need both to live, but your priorities matter.

Panic about the future isn’t justification either. Don’t be anxious about your life (easy, right?). Birds don’t have a system of storing crops or providing beyond the current day but they are taken care of by God and He likes you way more than birds. This doesn’t mean everything will go your way, but you will have all you need to execute His vision for your life, which should be your chief concern. And can worrying add a day to your life or an inch to your height? What good is it really going to do beyond drive you to despair? Worry is ineffective and evidence of faulty faith. Jesus says to chase after food and money and fret over earthly problems is the way of the gentile (unbeliever in this context).

Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. My most referenced Bible quote and entirely straightforward.