NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER SIX

Part II

There’s an interesting story in Jewish literature from the school of Rabbi Jannai. It refers to one who gives alms to a poor person publicly. As Rabbi Jannai tells it: “He once saw a man give a silver coin to a poor person publicly. So Rabbi Jannai said to him: It would have been better had you not given anything to him, because now that you have done so publicly, you put him to shame.”¹ While this may seem admirable on the surface, it also provides a good alibi to those who pass up poor people begging on the streets. One venerable Rabbi comments on this by saying: “Great sages would give to a poor person either in person on in the charity box before every prayer service and then they would pray,² It is said that a well-known Rabbi would conduct himself in this manner, to comply with the Scripture that says: “But my prayer, in righteousness, is to see your face³.”⁴ So it appears that among some Jewish scholars, giving to the poor in public was more embarrassing to the receiver than providing accolades for the giver.

But the interesting part is how such giving qualified as righteousness for the giver? One reason for this interpretation is that the Hebrew word for righteousness “Tzedek” and charity “Tzedakah” share the same root word. So they were being righteous by giving. All of this should help give you a better idea of what Jesus was talking about concerning the right way and wrong way to give. Then He comments on the same go-for-show among the pious when they prayed. We also have Jewish teachings on giving to the poor where it says: “Greater is he who performs charity than he who offers all the sacrifices, for it is said, ‘To do charity and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice⁵.”⁶ So when all is said and done, true righteousness has little to do with how you treat yourself, but in how you treat others with love and mercy.

Verse 5: When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get.

This teaching was so important to the early church that they included it in their teaching manual: “But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. Rather, fast on the fourth day and Preparation Day (Friday). Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this: ‘Our Father who art in heaven….’”⁷ It must be noted that seldom if ever were prayers by Pharisees said spontaneously. They were most often paraphrases from Scripture or prayers written by teachers and scholars over the centuries. The Rabbis taught Jewish men that there are three blessings to be said each day. They are: “’Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a Gentile’; ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a boor’; ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who did not make me a woman.’”⁸ This can be found in the Jewish prayer book called siddur, which is thick with texts: blessings, thanksgivings, and petitions, instructions, theological traditions, and historical memories. Some traditional texts are particularly long. Others go on to thank God for opening one’s eyes, stepping on the ground, getting dressed, etc. They became so formal and rehearsed that the Jews were told when to pray, how long to pray, and what happens if they pray at the wrong time.⁹ On the other hand, the rabbis also taught: “If one prays a long prayer because that way he expects it to be fulfilled, he will only end up becoming very annoyed because the Scripture says: ‘Hope delayed makes the heart sick¹⁰.’”¹¹

Early church scholar Chrysostom, in one of his sermons on this topic, made this comment: “While they are pretending to pray to God, they are looking around for listeners; they are not wearing the cloak of a petitioner, but of ridiculous people. For he, who is to fill a petitioner’s office, letting go of all others, looks to Him alone, who has power to grant his request. But if you leave this One, and go about wandering and casting around your eyes everywhere, you will depart with empty hands. For this was your own will. Wherefore He said, such people will not receive a reward because they already have it: that is, they will indeed receive one, but from those of whom they themselves desire to have it. For this is not God’s will: He rather on His part was willing to bestow on men the recompense that comes from Himself; but they seeking that which is from men, can be no longer justly be entitled to receive from Him, for whom they have done nothing.”¹²

Perhaps you too, as I have, heard those in the congregation when called on to pray, pray more to those listening here on earth than the One listening in heaven. Most of it involves telling God what He already knows, but in the sense of letting those around them know that the one who is saying the prayer is also aware of they feel is needed. It is important that believers know the difference between praising God and praying to God. The word prayer carries with it the connotation of request. Even our own dictionary defines it as a solemn request for help. By telling God what we think or perceive to be our need, it helps us better understand the need ourselves. But just as important, never ask God for something you really don’t need or want. That does not make a fool out of God, but it makes a fool out of the petitioner.

What Jesus seems to be referring to are those prayers that contain all the good and righteous things that these Pharisees had done, so as to justify themselves before God to authenticate their rightful calling and dedication as Pharisees. I can only go by things as they were described in Jesus’ day, but having been at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem I can vouch for the fact that open prayers are still practiced daily in abundance. Rabbi Maimonides shares the Jewish approach to prayer: “A person who prays must be careful to tend to the following eight matters. However, if he is pressured, confronted by circumstances beyond his control, or transgresses and does not attend to one of them, they are not of absolute necessity. They are: 1) standing; 2) facing the Temple; 3) proper stance; 4) proper clothing; 5) proper place; 6) control of his voice; 7) bowing; and 8) prostration on the ground.”¹³ Maimonides then goes on to tell what each one of those implies.

Jesus pointed out that He was referring to those who stood on the street corners or in the open synagogues and prayed to be heard. To this, Maimonides states: “Control of one’s voice: What is implied? A person should not raise his voice during his Amidah, nor should he pray silently. Rather, he should pronounce the words with his lips, whispering in a tone that he can hear. He should not make his voice audible unless he is sick or cannot concentrate otherwise. In such a case, it is permitted except when in a congregation, lest the others be disturbed by his voice.”¹⁴ The term “Amidah” has a special meaning.¹⁵ While praying, concentrate on the meaning of the words, and remember that you stand before the divine presence. Before beginning the Amidah, take three steps backward, then three steps forward. Recite the Amidah quietly—but audibly to yourself—while standing with feet together.¹⁶

Perhaps you’ve seen pictures of Jewish rabbis praying, they rock back and forth, bowing and then straightening up until the prayer is finished. Here is that prayer with instructions: “My LORD, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.¹⁷ Blessed (bend your knees) are You (bow forward), LORD our God (straighten up) God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob, the great, mighty and awesome God, exalted God, who bestows bountiful kindness, who creates all things, who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and who, in love, brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name.”¹⁸ In Jewish tradition we find a possible answer for much of the public prayer that Jesus was so against. It says: “The Ark is taken out to the square of town as a way of saying: We shamed our usually discreet Holy vessel, the ark, by sinning and prayed discretely within the synagogue, but we were not answered. Perhaps by shaming ourselves and praying in the public square, our prayers will be answered].”¹⁹ To put this in the words of the Rabbi Simeon: “As a slinger slings and directs his stones to a certain mark or object, so should we while praying, direct and address our prayers to the Divine in a manner of which You are the target.”²⁰ As we can see, such prayers became more about the one praying than it did about the One being prayed to. It is not difficult to hear such prayers even today in houses of Christian worship.

Verse 6: But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and He will reward you.

Jesus refers here to Isaiah where the children of Israel were told what to do in order to guarantee their security, and do it in a way that would secure their guarantee: “Come, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while until the danger is past.”²¹ Jesus is not prohibiting prayer in public, because He applauded the sinner who prayed for forgiveness. But personal prayers in which thanks is given for those things that were accomplished with His help and guidance seem to be the object of His recommendation for privacy. Solomon has a bit of advice on prayer: “Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to Him. Don’t let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to Him…If you make a promise to God, keep your promise. Don’t be slow to do what you promised. God is not happy with fools. Give God what you promised to give Him. It is better to promise nothing than to promise something and not be able to do it.”²² Of course, Jesus was not telling His disciples to hide when they prayed, nor was He suggesting that prayers said in private are better than those said in public. It’s the intent and purpose of the prayer that makes the difference.

Among the scholars of the early church there were varying opinions on what Jesus meant here about praying behind closed doors. Bishop Hilary of Poitiers notes that the prayers of martyrs have been poured out in the presence of wild animals loosed against them, in prisons where they were incarcerated, and in flames as they were being burned at the stake. Therefore, he suggests that we are not admonished to enter the recesses of our homes but the bedroom of our hearts.²³ For Augustine, outside the inner chamber of our consciousness are all the things that clamor to interrupt our prayers through bodily senses. That’s why we need to shut all of that out so we can concentrate on our prayers to the Father. He takes our Lord’s words as instruction on how to cleanse the heart. He says: “Nothing cleanses the heart but the undivided and single-minded striving after eternal life from the pure love of wisdom alone” in prayer.”²⁴ Then Chromatius, Bishop of Aquileia, offers Hannah and Jonah in the Old Testament, and Cornelius in the New Testament as examples of this type of solitary prayer.²⁵

But most scholars believe that the Master was using the illustration of shutting the door inside the house figuratively of being alone with God when we pray for those things we need in order to do for Him what we believe He is leading us to do so that He receives all the honor, praise and glory. It should also be remembered that He is offering this as a contrast to the hypocritical Pharisees who stood on street corners to pray and ask God for His blessings on all the good things they did for Him. As such, He is not forbidding our open prayers in worship, nor in groups, nor bowing our heads in prayer before eating in public. That’s why the content of the prayer will dictate the conditions in which the prayer is offered to God.