“Matthew 6–7,” Scripture Helps: New Testament (2024)
Scripture Helps
Matthew 6–7
The Savior continued the Sermon on the Mount, teaching how to pray, fast, and serve others. He taught His disciples to place love of God over the cares of the world. He concluded by teaching that the way to eternal life is narrow and that those who do the will of Heavenly Father enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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Background and Context
How did the culture in New Testament times affect how people gave alms?
People in New Testament times lived in an honor culture. Honor was largely determined by the expectations of the social group, such as a family, clan, or village. If a person met the expectations of the group, he or she increased in honor. One way to acquire honor was to receive public recognition for giving alms, or doing good works.
“In this context,” one scholar observed, “Christ’s statement in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Do not your alms before men, to be seen of them. … Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret’ (Matthew 6:1–4), would have been shocking. Christ negated the very reason for giving alms and challenged the conventional expression of a core value.”
What types of prayers did the Lord condemn?
In New Testament times, prayer was an important part of Jewish life. Jews prayed in the morning and evening, facing Jerusalem. They offered prayers before and after meals. They prayed bowing or standing. In this passage, the Savior was not condemning public prayers but prayers that were done to impress others.
The Lord also warned against using vain repetitions during prayer. The phrase “vain repetitions” is translated from the Greek word battalogēsēte, which can also be translated as “babble” or “speaking without thinking.” It was a pagan (heathen) practice to constantly repeat “long lists of the names of their gods” to appeal for their help. Thus, the Lord was condemning long-winded prayers that relied on empty words.
What did the Lord mean by “lead us not into temptation”?
The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that this phrase means the Lord does not lead us into temptation: “And suffer us not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
What does “if therefore thine eye be single” mean?
The word single, as used in this verse, comes from a Greek word meaning simple, sincere, upright, or frank. Knowing this definition helps us understand the Savior’s teachings concerning the giving of alms, praying, and fasting. These actions should all be done with a simple and sincere focus on our Father in Heaven or on the recipient.
What is mammon?
Mammon commonly refers to worldly riches and can be translated as meaning wealth or money.
What does it mean to “take no thought”?
In the King James Bible, the phrase “take no thought” means to not be overly anxious or worried. Although the version in 3 Nephi 13:25–34 indicates that these teachings were directed to the Lord’s Apostles, these teachings are applicable to all who are called to serve.
What does it mean to “judge not”?
The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies the Savior’s words in this verse: “Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment.”
President Dallin H. Oaks explained the meaning of righteous judgment as follows:
“First, a righteous judgment must, by definition, be intermediate. … It will refrain from declaring that a person has forfeited all opportunity for exaltation or even all opportunity for a useful role in the work of the Lord. …
“Second, a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest. …
“Third, to be righteous, an intermediate judgment must be within our stewardship. We should not … act upon judgments that are outside our personal responsibilities. …
“Fourth, we should, if possible, refrain from judging until we have adequate knowledge of the facts. …
“A fifth principle of a righteous intermediate judgment is that whenever possible we will refrain from judging people and only judge situations. …
“Sixth, forgiveness is a companion principle to [this] commandment. … In modern revelation the Lord has declared, ‘I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men’ [Doctrine and Covenants 64:10]. …
“Seventh, a final … principle of a righteous judgment is that it will apply righteous standards.”
What is a mote and a beam?
The Greek word translated as mote refers to a tiny “speck, chip, or splinter.” The Greek word translated as beam refers to a large “wooden beam used in constructing houses.” In these verses, the Savior teaches that we should turn our focus from other people’s faults to our own.
What did the Savior mean by “I never knew you”?
The Joseph Smith Translation corrects “I never knew you” to “Ye never knew me.”
How was the Savior’s way of teaching different from the scribes’ way of teaching?
“The listeners of Galilee had … reasons to be astonished that might escape us. First of all, Jesus of Nazareth, the consummate teacher and theologian, did not have the credentials of a teacher according to the customs of his time. …
“Secondly, not only did Jesus not teach with the authority of the teachers of the day, he did not teach like the teachers of the day. The New Testament world was one that embraced the adage ‘Older is better, oldest is best.’ The more ancient someone or something was, the more credibility it had. Thus, it is common to find in rabbinic texts, ‘Rabbi X said in the name of Rabbi Y, who had it as a tradition from Rabbi Z.’ This was an authoritative way of substantiating a statement. However, Christ did not cite previous rabbis. Moreover, he did not speak as prophets, who often said, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ With bold audacity, he declared, ‘I say unto you,’ asserting his word to be the final authority and holding precedence over the law, its commonly held interpretation, and the customs of the day.
“Finally, what gave people authority to act in public was their honor rating. Lower-born people (like the son of a carpenter) were not expected to lead in public, to perform miracles, or preach with great wisdom. Yet Christ preached with power, boldness, and unsurpassed wisdom. No wonder the masses were astonished. Jesus Christ, the son of a carpenter, spoke as though he were the son of a king.”
Learn More
How to Pray to Heavenly Father
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Russell M. Nelson, “Lessons from the Lord’s Prayers,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 46–49
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Dallin H. Oaks, “The Special Language of Prayer,” New Era, Jan. 2006, 2–5
Judging Righteously
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Tyler J. Griffin, “How Do We ‘Judge Righteous Judgment’?” Ensign, Feb. 2019, 54–59
Media
Videos
Images
On Earth as It Is in Heaven, by Justin Kunz
The Lord’s Prayer, by James Tissot