Matthew (Written)

Wednesday, 1 January 2025

In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Therefore, thus you – you pray: ‘Our Father, the ‘in the heavens,’ it be hallowed – Your name” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus said that the Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Therefore, rather than focusing on the needs, focusing on other things is appropriate. When these are the main words of one’s prayer, it demonstrates proper priorities exist. And so, Jesus begins with, “Therefore, thus you – you pray.”

The meaning of the word thus is that this is a model prayer, meaning, “in this manner.” However, Luke more precisely says, “When you pray, say…” This would then indicate a repetition of Jesus’ words. Either way, the substance is what should be focused on. Understanding that, He begins the prayer, saying, “Our Father.”

The idea of God as the Father is one that takes on several connotations in Scripture. He is the Father of creation and, thus, humanity. He is the Father of Israel (Exodus 4:22). He is the Father in the sense of love, discipline, sanctuary, and so much more. In this case, Jesus is speaking to His disciples within the context of the community of faith.

This appears more certain based on what it says in John 8 –

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? ⁴⁷ He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.’” John 8:42-47

It is doubtful Jesus would extend His word here to those of Israel who were not truly a part of the community of faith. With that noted, He next says, “the ‘in the heavens.’”

In other words, it is an affirmation that this is not an earthly father. Nor is it a symbolic father, such as a priest (as in Judges 17:10). The words are a prayer to the One in heaven with whom a filial bond exists because of faith. Because of this bond, which rightly calls out for a son to humble himself before his Father, Jesus next says, “it be hallowed – Your name.”

Here, Jesus introduces the verb hagiazó, to hallow, into Scripture. Strong’s Lexicon says the word “means to sanctify or make holy. It involves the act of setting something or someone apart for a sacred purpose or dedicating them to God. In the New Testament, it is used to describe the process by which believers are made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit, aligning them with God’s will and character. It also refers to the consecration of objects or places for divine use.”

In this case, it is a hallowing of the name of the Father, treating it with absolute holiness as well as expecting it to be treated in this manner by others. Of this hallowing of His name, some scholars try to insert the idea of the Trinity into Jesus’ words. This does not seem like a sound approach to what Jesus is saying.

The concept of the Trinity, though a valid doctrine in Scripture, was not yet developed at this time. Rather, the term Father is being used as an appellation or designation of God in general. This would be in accord with Paul’s words of 1 Corinthians 8:6, which say, “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

It is true that there is God the Father within the Trinity, but the words here refer to God, the Father of the community of faith. As such, Paul’s words there and elsewhere are not to be taken as a separation between God and Jesus, as if Jesus is not God, but a distinction within the Godhead.

As a way of grasping this, a human government might be considered a fatherly entity. Of it, someone might say, “We have one father (the various branches of authority) ruling over us and one office of propaganda to establish us.” A distinction is made within the government even though the office of propaganda expresses the entirety of the government’s decisions conveyed to the people.

Life application: When discussing the nature of God, or when evaluating statements about God that are recorded in Scripture, care needs to be taken to ensure that we do not stray from what is explicitly expressed elsewhere.

For example, in the Bible, it is explicitly stated that there is a Father who is God. However, it is also explicitly stated that the Son is God and that the Spirit is God. And more, it is clearly seen that the Father is not the Son and the Father is not the Spirit, nor is the Son the Spirit. As these things are explicit, we cannot deny the concept of the Trinity without falling into heresy.

As this is so, then when verses seem to separate Jesus from God (as may be wrongly implied from 1 Corinthians 8 above), we must strive to understand what Paul is saying. Jesus is clearly expressed elsewhere as God and yet He is referred to in addition to God in that verse. Therefore, Paul is teaching us something about the functioning within the Godhead.

It is our duty to accept what the Bible explicitly teaches and then to work within that framework to understand the nuances of words that are affected by those explicit references. When we do this, we will keep from error or outright heresy.

Lord God, we can get easily confused or even led astray by evaluations of Your word that are not in accord with what is clearly revealed. Because of this, we pray that You lead us to sound instruction through teachers and commentaries that are in accord with what is correct. Please keep us from error as we consider who You are and what You have revealed to us in Scripture. Amen.

Tuesday, 31 December 2024

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Therefore not you resemble them, for your Father, He has known, what you have need before you ask of Him” (CG).

The previous verse gave Jesus’ words concerning using stammer-speak in one’s prayers. Now, to continue that thought, he says, “Therefore not you resemble them.”

The words are a logical continuation of what Jesus just said. The ethnicities called out words simply for the sake of calling them out. They repeated themselves, figuring their multiplication of words would somehow have an additional effect. An example of this is noted in 1 Kings –

“So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
²⁷ And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ ²⁸ So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. ²⁹ And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.” 1 Kings 18:26-29

The priests of Baal called out again and again and acted like modern charismatics as they jumped around the altar. They also cut themselves. This is not unlike what many in the RCC do in places around the world (such as the Philippines), flagellating themselves until they bleed during Easter time. Rather than such nonsense, Jesus next tells them, “for your Father, He has known, what you have need before you ask of Him.”

This begs the question, if God has known (the verb is in the perfect tense) what you need before you ask of Him, then why do we need to ask of Him? The answer is the same as any other such thing. God knows that we need to be saved, but He doesn’t just save us because the need exists. Rather, we must believe and receive His salvation through faith, calling on the name of the Lord.

Likewise, it would be unreasonable for believers to walk around getting everything they need simply because the need exists. Such a notion is presumptuous, arrogant, and dismissive of what a relationship between parties entails.

Rather, God expects us to make our prayers known without any fanfare or hoopla and to then wait upon His response in His own good timing. As an example of this respectful attitude, the account in 1 Kings 18 continues –

“And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.’
³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!’” 1 Kings 18:36-39

Elijah merely spoke out his prayer (he “said”) and waited on the Lord. There was no stammer-speak. Rather, he acknowledged the Lord as God, that his prayer was in accord with the word of the Lord, and that the Lord had the power and ability to do what he asked. With that uttered, the Lord responded.

Our prayers should likewise be prayers of faith, knowing that if He responds, it is according to His will and His timing. We are to simply wait upon Him.

Life application: How often do people’s prayers border on blasphemy, right in services that come on TV? People misquote the Bible in their prayers, they snap their fingers and make claims of God, such as, “I claim healing in Jesus’ name.” They call out for prosperity that is not spiritual but carnal. They use the name of Jesus as a talisman for benefit and not as a source of glorifying God.

We must strive to not get caught up in such things. It is true that we are physical beings with physical needs, but God may have a purpose for our afflictions. To claim healing for something when it is not God’s will is then an implicit attempt to thwart God’s will.

We may not understand the reason for financial trials, physical afflictions, loss through death, or other such things that profoundly affect our lives, but we should never question God’s goodness through these trials. The universe, after all, does not revolve around us. Let God be God. Trust that His plan is perfect and that what He does is perfectly in accord with that perfect plan.

Lord God Almighty, it is not always easy for us to accept the difficult events that come about in our lives. But we do trust that You knew they were coming, that they are a part of Your unfolding plan, and that You will see us through to a good end because of our faith in Jesus. Comfort us in our afflictions and give us the ability to praise You through every storm. Amen.

Monday, 30 December 2024

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Matthew 6:7

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And praying, not you shall stammerer-speak just as the ethnicities. For they think that in their verbosity they will be heard” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke about the appropriate way to pray, meaning by doing it in secret. Now, He provides another example of how not to pray, beginning with, “And praying, not you shall stammerer-speak.”

It is a word found only here in Scripture, battalogeó. The word is said to be from battos, a proverbial stammerer, and logos, word or speech. As such, it signifies to stutter or prate tediously. Some identify the first half of the word as coming from the Aramaic word battah, meaning idle or vain. Thus, translations will say something like the NKJV, “vain repetitions.”

Either way, the point is made. People are not to just babble out prayers as if they become more important by the many words or repetitions that come forth. As Jesus says, this is “just as the ethnicities.”

He uses the word ethnikos, ethnicities. Of this word, Strong’s Lexicon says –

“In the first-century Greco-Roman world, the term ‘ethnikos’ was used to distinguish between Jews and non-Jews. The Jewish people were set apart by their covenant with God, marked by practices such as circumcision, dietary laws, and Sabbath observance. Gentiles, or ‘ethnikos,’ were those who did not follow these practices and were often seen as outsiders to the faith community. The early Christian church grappled with the inclusion of Gentiles, as seen in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), which addressed how Gentile converts should be integrated into the predominantly Jewish Christian community.”

Thus, the word refers to any of the ethnic groups of the nations separate and distinct from the Jewish nation. Hence, it is translated at times as pagans, heathen, nations, Gentiles, etc. The word ethnicities is a direct translation into modern English, the word being the etymological ancestor of our modern word. Of these people, Jesus next says, “For they think that in their verbosity they will be heard.”

Here is another word found only this one time in Scripture, polulogia. It is a singular noun derived from polus, much or many, and logos, word or speech. The word verbosity rightly translates this word. However, by using the two Greek words as a basis for a new word, someone could be inventive and say polylog or the plural polylogs.

Such a word would be a nice addition to the English language to describe many in the church today. Charismatics and Pentecostals are famous for such prayers. But this type of behavior is not exclusive to them. It is fashionable in many other churches and denominations to continuously repeat words and phrases. Watching Christian TV might lead someone to think their video was broken because the same thing is repeated ad nauseam at times.

Because Jesus says, “For they think that in their verbosity they will be heard,” He is indicating that this type of prayer is perfectly pointless. If something is prayed to God only once, it will be received by Him. Babbling repetition has no more effect than the first prayer that was uttered to Him.

Life application: Repetition can be a good thing for learning and memorizing. However, if something is continuously repeated too often or in too short of a time, it can become an annoying distraction. And yet, for some reason, when people pray, that principle is tossed out the window.

It is as if shouting out repetitive words or phrases somehow makes people think they will be perceived as more holy than others or maybe more in tune with God. However, Jesus says that just the opposite is true when He equates this conduct to the ethnicities.

As the church is now the focal point for proper worship of God, why would we bring the bad habits of the past into our worship of the Lord now? Instead, there should be an attitude of respect, honor, and glorification of God when we speak to Him. To inanely babble off repetitions to Him is actually demeaning because we make it seem as if He is too dull to get our prayers the first time.

Let us not find ourselves with this type of attitude. Instead, all things should be done in proper order and in a manner that acknowledges His ability to adequately receive and process our prayers without overloading the spiritual airwaves with our polylogs.

Lord God, may the words of our mouth be pleasing and acceptable to You at all times. May our prayers to You be respectful and honoring of You. Help us in this, O God. Amen.

Sunday, 29 December 2024

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And you, when you may pray, you enter into your chamber, and having closed your door, you pray to your Father, the ‘in the secret.’ And your Father, the ‘seeing in the secret,’ He will reward you in the revealed” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus gave directions to His disciples on how not to pray. Now, He will give instructions to them on what prayers are acceptable to God, beginning with, “And you, when you may pray.”

As with the previous verse, the verb is subjunctive. It is thus a hypothetical intended for any such situation. When someone decides to pray, Jesus says, “you enter into your chamber.”

The Greek word is tameion. Of this word, Strong’s says, “A chamber on the ground-floor or interior of an Oriental house (generally used for storage or privacy, a spot for retirement) — secret chamber, closet, storehouse.”

This room, set aside for quietness, storage, or whatever else is completely different than the open synagogue or plaza corner of the previous verse. It is not a place you would expect to see the masses thronging to. In fact, you would not expect anyone to show up there. Once in the chamber, Jesus next says, “and having closed your door.”

It may not be that someone would show up to come into another person’s chamber, but someone else may be in the house and could walk by and see someone in there. To make sure that total privacy is obtained, He says to close the door. There would then be total isolation from anyone coming by and seeing or hearing. Once so secreted away, He continues with, “you pray to your Father, the ‘in the secret.’”

Without any fanfare, any accompanying ears, or any distractions, a person in the chamber should only then make his prayer to God. In such a state, there is no chance of anyone else noting you for your supposed piety, and in such a place while praying to God, it indicates a state of faith that the Father truly does see and hear. As such, Jesus then says, “And your Father, the ‘seeing in the secret,’ He will reward you in the revealed.”

The words are the same as Matthew 6:4. The Father will respond according to His will for each person who prays in this manner. Jesus does not say how a person will be rewarded, and it would be presumptuous to expect that every prayer of petition a person makes will be favorably responded to as requested.

Further, there are various types of prayers, including praise, thanksgiving, intercession, supplication, petition, etc. Jesus does not specify what prayer is being referred to. Therefore, His words must cover each and every type. In whatever way God will openly reward such prayers, it is assured that it will come about.

Life application: In the gospels, it is seen that Jesus went to isolated places to pray, such as on a mountain, in the wilderness, or away from the disciples when in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden, we are given insights into what He prayed as He poured out His heart to God.

We may pick up the phone to call a friend for advice or help. We might drive to a family member’s house to do the same thing. But are we willing to go somewhere private and speak of those things with the Lord?

God is omnipresent. Any place we go, He is already there. So why should we find it a simple thing to call or go to someone to relay our needs but not feel that way with God, who is right where we are or where we will be when we isolate ourselves from others?

Let us take Jesus’ examples along with His words of instruction to heart and be willing to meet intimately with the Lord at whatever time we may find it convenient. Jesus doesn’t tell us how long we should pray. He doesn’t tell us what time of day we should pray.

So many things are left open for us to meet with the Lord and commune with Him through prayer. So take advantage of this marvelous avenue God has set forth for us to meet with Him. As Jesus is our High Priest, it is good to include Him in our prayers to the Father, knowing that He is perfectly mediating on our behalf.

Heavenly Father, thank You that we have the assurance that when we pray, You will hear and respond according to Your wisdom. We know that our prayers will be found acceptable to You as we pray through our great Mediator, Jesus. Amen.

Saturday, 28 December 2024

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:5

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And when you may pray, not you will be just as the hypocrites, for they love to pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the plazas – having stood – that they may be seen of men. Amen! I say to you, they obtain their reward” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus continued His thought about doing charitable deeds in secret. Now, He goes from that subject to the subject of prayer, beginning with, “And when you may pray.”

The verb is subjunctive, and thus this is a hypothetical intended for any such situation, “when you may pray.” At any time someone finds himself desiring to pray to God, Jesus instructs the disciples that “not you will be just as the hypocrites.”

The meaning is that there is actually a wrong way to pray, represented by the two-faced people He will continue to speak about. As seen in verse 6:2, the hypocrites say one thing but do another. In this case, it involves praying, something that is to occur between a person and God.

If one is going to speak to another about private matters, the two will withdraw and speak privately. The same is true with speaking to God. If one is to have a private prayer, why would he feel it is acceptable to openly pray it? But this is what Jesus will next speak of, saying, “for they love to pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the plazas.”

Here are two new words, gónia, a corner, and plateia, a wide place. One can trace the word plaza back to this Greek word which corresponded to the Latin platea. That followed into later languages, such as the Spanish and English word “plaza.”

In cities with walls, there was usually a plaza inside of the gate where people could congregate. This is because the gate was normally the place where judgments were rendered and business was transacted.

By having a plaza, a wide place, in front of the gate, people could gather to see these things conducted, bring matters to attention, sell to those gathered, etc. It was also the place where the hypocrites went to pray so that everyone could witness their drummed-up attention-seeking.

Like the busybodies who hang everyone’s dirty laundry out for everyone to see, these are the types who want to be heard by everyone else. And so, they openly would pray for everyone else to watch.

Obviously, Jesus is not speaking of group prayers or settings which call for someone to pray over another person. He is referring to people who want to trumpet their supposed piety in front of everyone else, just like those described in the previous verse who trumpeted their alms-giving in front of others. In order to get this attention, He next continues with, “having stood.”

Just as teaching in rabbinic circles involved sitting, praying often involved standing. This continues to this day as Jews gather and pray in open settings. For example, those who gather at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem stand in the open and pray towards the wall. This is normally accompanied by all kinds of body motions like rocking back and forth and the like.

This type of praying is so that they can be seen by others, demonstrating a supposed humility before God. But Jesus says it is really “that they may be seen of men.”

The position of standing makes one more visible. The rocking back and forth is like a magnet to others’ eyes. The prayer is audible so that those around can hear. The entire purpose of such actions is to draw attention to oneself. And that is exactly what happens. When it does, Jesus says, “Amen! I say to you, they obtain their reward.”

People who do these things are looking for the reward of being seen. They receive what they desire. As such, they should expect nothing else from God the Father. The obvious implication is that no positive response to any prayers will be provided by Him.

Life application: Praying is something that is spoken of by Paul in most of his epistles. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, he says, “pray without ceasing.” The meaning is that one can talk to the Lord at any time and anywhere. This does not contradict what Jesus is going to say about praying in the coming verse.

Rather, Jesus is explaining the attitude of people in Jewish society who thought that their open, showy prayers somehow merited God’s attention because they brought about the attention of those around them.

Paul’s words mean that we can simply walk along the road and talk to God. We can thank Him for the beautiful scenery. If someone comes to mind who is having trouble, we can say a prayer under our breath for their situation.

God knows our thoughts, and He hears our silent prayers. As this is so, we don’t need to trumpet our words out loud –

“And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’
¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.’
¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.’” 1 Samuel 1:12-17

Glorious God, we know You hear our prayers, even when silently uttered to You in moments of grief and despair. Thank You for hearing and being attentive to our words. Amen.