Matthew 6:3-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:1-18

The relation of our Lord and his disciples to the religion of the day ( continued ); vide Matthew 5:17 , note. ( b ) Our Lord turns from cases which could be directly deduced from the Law to those which belonged only to recognized religious duty. Of these he instances three: alms ( Matthew 5:2-4 ), prayer ( Matthew 5:5-8 , Matthew 5:9-15 ), fasting ( Matthew 5:16-18 ). It is, indeed, true that the performance of these duties on special occasions was implied in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:1-18

The third part of the sermon: the danger of unreality. I. THE FIRST EXAMPLE : ALMSGIVING . 1. The spiritual estimate of actions. The Christian's righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. They did their righteousness, their good works, before men, to be seen of them. It must not be so with us. Indeed, we are bidden to let our light shine before men. A holy life hath a persuasive eloquence, more persuasive far than holy words; it must not be hidden; its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:1-18

Sermon on the mount: 4. Ostentatious religion. After indicating the righteousness which admits to the kingdom of heaven, our Lord proceeds to warn against a flaw that vitiates the goodness of many religious people, and to illustrate it in connection with three chief characteristics of the religious life of those days—alms-giving, prayer, and fasting. I. ALMSGIVING has been recognized as one of the first duties by most religions. Under the Jewish Law the poor were well provided for. It... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:2-4

Almsgiving. Matthew only. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:3

But when thou ; " thou " emphatic. Let not thy left hand know , etc. So little effect should thy kind action have upon thy memory. There should be no self-consciousness in it. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:4

And thy Father which seeth in secret (comp. Matthew 6:6 , note). Himself . Revised 'Version omits, with the manuscripts. Shall reward thee ; Revised Version, shall recompense thee ( ἀποδώσει σοι ). Shall give to thee in full measure corresponding to the contents of that which is really due (cf. Isaiah 65:6 , Isaiah 65:7 , LXX .). When this" recompense" shall be given is not stated. If, as is probable, our Lord is thinking of the" reward" of Matthew 6:1 and Matthew 5:12 ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 6:4

The Father's open rewards. "Shall reward thee openly." This turn of the sentence somewhat surprises us. It is not precisely what we expected. Making so much of giving in secret, and the Father seeing in secret, we expect to read, "shall reward thee in secret ways." Probably the "open reward" is promised because the man who makes a show of religion does so in order to get open and public fame. (It should, however, be duly noticed that the best manuscripts and most modern editors omit the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 6:3-4

Let not thy left hand know ... - This is a proverbial expression, signifying that the action should be done as secretly as possible. The Hebrews often attribute actions to members which properly belong to persons. The encouragement for performing our acts of charity in secret is that it will be pleasing to God; that he will see the act, however secret it may be, and will openly reward it. If the reward is not granted in this life, it will be in the life to come. In multitudes of cases, however,... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 6:2-4

Matthew 6:2-4. Therefore, &c. The caution is so important, that our Lord illustrates it in various particulars. When thou doest thine alms Exercisest thy charity by performing works of mercy; do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do From this it would appear that, in our Lord’s time, persons who affected the reputation of being extremely charitable, sometimes sounded a trumpet when they distributed their alms, on pretence, no doubt, of calling together the poor to... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Matthew 6:1-18

41. Giving, praying and fasting (Matthew 6:1-18; Luke 11:1-4)If the followers of Jesus give help to the needy with the aim of winning people’s praise, their giving is of no value in God’s sight. They will have their reward in the praise they seek, but will miss out on any reward from God. They should keep matters of giving secret from even their closest friends (Matthew 6:1-4).Prayer also is a private matter. Believers do not need to make a show of prayerful zeal, as if their heavenly Father... read more

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