60-75 min Distinguish public witness from religious performance. Pray the Lord's Prayer as a pattern centered on the kingdom rather than a formula to rush through. Connect treasure, generosity, loyalty, and anxiety to trust in the Father. Matthew 6 is not against visible faith; chapter 5 has just told disciples to let their light shine. Jesus is against doing good 'to be seen.' Giving, prayer, fasting, money, and worry all become windows into the question of who actually has our attention and trust. Life with the Father is freed from the exhausting need to perform for people, hoard for security, or carry tomorrow before it arrives; Jesus teaches a hidden faithfulness centered on God's kingdom and daily trust. 6:1-18: An Audience of One Jesus addresses giving, prayer, and fasting with the same warning: do not practice righteousness in order to be seen. He is not condemning public prayer or generosity, but the conversion of devotion into reputation management. 6:9-13: The Lord's Prayer The prayer begins with God's name, kingdom, and will before turning to daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance. It is strikingly communal: our Father, our bread, our debts, our testing. 6:19-24: Treasure and the Undivided Eye Treasure shapes the heart. Jesus then speaks of the healthy eye and concludes that no one can serve both God and Mammon. Money is not treated as a neutral possession when it becomes a rival master. 6:25-34: Do Not Carry Tomorrow Today Jesus points to birds and flowers not to deny real hardship but to call disciples away from anxious preoccupation. 'Seek first the kingdom' reorders attention; each day has enough trouble of its own. Hypocrite In this setting, a person whose religious practice is organized around being seen rather than around faithful relationship with God. Mammon Wealth regarded as a power or master competing for allegiance. Kingdom first A reordered priority in which God's reign and righteousness govern the way other needs are pursued. Practice one act of generosity or prayer that nobody needs to know about. Slow down the Lord's Prayer and let each line become a real request. Name the difference between responsible planning and carrying tomorrow's imagined troubles today. How can chapter 5 call for visible good works while chapter 6 warns against being seen? Which line of the Lord's Prayer most challenges your current priorities? In what ways can money function like a master? Do not use 6:25-34 to shame people with clinical anxiety or severe financial insecurity. Let the communal language of the Lord's Prayer challenge highly individual spirituality. Keep generosity practical rather than abstract. R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 6. Jonathan T. Pennington, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing. Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 6. Piety, prayer, fasting, treasure, mammon, and anxiety Read Matthew 6 slowly in two translations and mark repeated words, quotations, and narrative transitions. Compare the parallel material in Luke 6 where relevant and note both overlap and Matthean emphasis. The Lord's Prayer Textual traditions differ slightly in the doxology. The earliest manuscripts of Matthew likely end the prayer at 6:13, while the familiar doxology reflects early liturgical use. Reward and secrecy Jesus does speak of reward, but he contrasts divine approval with public performance. The chapter critiques religious theater, not embodied practices of giving, prayer, and fasting. What problem unites almsgiving, prayer, and fasting in 6:1-18? Practicing piety for human recognition rather than for God. What is the central petition of the Lord's Prayer's opening? That God's name be hallowed, God's kingdom come, and God's will be done. What does Jesus contrast with serving God? Serving mammon/wealth as a rival master. Authentic Piety and the Lord's Prayer Write 700 to 900 words analyzing the critique by Jesus of ostentatious religious performance in Matthew 6. Examine the structure and petitions of the Lord's Prayer, the warning against mammon, and the call to seek first the kingdom of God over worldly anxiety. Analyze the three traditional Jewish practices of piety (almsgiving, prayer, fasting) in Matthew 6:1-18. Explain the theological priorities embedded in the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, especially the arrival of the kingdom and daily bread. Examine the emotional and spiritual dynamics of anxiety and divided loyalty between God and wealth. Provide concrete guidance for Christian communities seeking rhythms of quiet devotion and generous stewardship. Combines careful exegesis of the Lord's Prayer with perceptive ethical analysis of materialism and performance religion. Read Matthew 6 as part of the Gospel's developing narrative rather than as an isolated chapter. Where Synoptic parallels exist, differences in wording or placement can illuminate Matthew's theological emphasis without assuming contradiction. R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, discussion of Matthew 6. Ulrich Luz, Matthew 1-7 (Hermeneia), relevant section. Choose one spiritual act this week (giving a secret gift, praying in private, or quietly fasting from a habitual indulgence) without telling anyone. Let the joy of the Father who sees in secret be your sole reward. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Free us from the tyranny of worrying about tomorrow and hoarding for security, and grant us grace to seek your kingdom first. Amen.