An Exploration of The Lord’s Prayer – Matthew 6, Verse 5

An Exploration of The Lord’s Prayer – Blog Series – Part Two

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward” (Matt 6:5 NRSV).

Matthew chapter six continues Jesus’ exhortation of the Sermon on the Mount. This chapter begins with a discussion on, with what Mounce describes as “the three most prominent religious obligations of Jewish piety” (Mounce 1991, 53), which are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Verse five picks up with the topic of prayer. For the Jewish believer prayer was a vital observance and action of one’s daily routines. Mounce says, “In the morning and in the evening the devout Jew would recite the Shema (three short passages of Scripture from Deut 6 and 11 and Num 15), and at nine in the morning, noon, and three in the afternoon he would go through Shemoneh Esreh (the Eighteen Benedictions)” (Mounce 1991, 54).

Prayer was a daily responsibility that was performed for religious obligations, but also became an issue of social consideration. For those who considered themselves the most religious in the community, the time for prayer would usher in the opportunity to show those in surrounding proximity the extent of their religiosity, piety, and devotion. Wilkin says, “Some people were sure to find themselves in a place where they would be noticed, such as a synagogue or on a street corner. In those cases, the inner motivation for offering public prayer was public recognition and acclaim of their piety, which has no value with God” (Wilkins 2004, 273). Although these people were praying to God with their words, their hearts were pointed directly at themselves.

In a similar fashion to those mentioned earlier in the chapter (6:2), those who call attention to themselves have already received their reward, the attention of others, or as Chouinard says, “momentary fame and admiration” (Chouinard 1997, 126). No longer do the prayers connect them with God or allow them to grow deeper in their eternal relationship with Him, but rather the benefits they receive are only temporary and fleeting.

This teaching applies to Christians in the modern context, just as much as it did to the first century Jewish believer. Jesus does not want his followers to exhibit their faith in such a way that points the attention back onto them. The eyes of an audience or the attention of others has no place in one’s private prayer life. Although public prayer has its place within the community of believers, Jesus’ teaching points to the heart of the matter: proper motives.

Prayer should always be approached within the proper context of the situation, and always point directly to God Himself. Blomberg adds, “What is more, prayer ought not to be used to gain plaudits, summarize a sermon, or communicate information to an audience but should reflect genuine conversation with God” (Blomberg 1992, 117).