Sermon on the Mount Pagan Prayer

Matthew 6:5-8

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret,
will reward you. (6:5-6)
Jesus confronts meaningless prayer practice on two fronts religious and pagan
For the religious people, their hypocrisy is evident because they love to pray standing
in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men
Just as with conspicuous giving in seeking reward from men, they are paid in full
Though Jesus will give an example of how to pray in the presence of others (6:9-15),
here He instructs the disciples to seclude themselves and pray to the Father privately
Though the Father is unseen, He sees what is done in secret and will reward you
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that faith the assurance of what is unseen (11:1)
Again Jesus emphasizes our motivation are we praying to please God or please men?
If we pray only when in the presence of others, the answer to this question is obvious
But there is hope for us when we pray as did David, the man after Gods own heart
(Psalm 51:10): Create in me a clean heart, O God, a renew a right spirit within me
The very act of asking God to give you a heart for Himself is movement in the right
direction, as did he who said to Jesus Lord I believe, but help my unbelief (9:24)
Jesus contrasts the hypocrite who prays where he will be seen (in the synagogues and
street corners) with the one praying privately (in your room) only to be seen by God
So is there a place for public prayer? Jesus provides a model prayer in verses 9-15
The one offering a public prayer needs to continually ask himself: Am I seeking the
approval of God or man? Am I addressing God or trying to impress others? Am I more
concerned about being eloquent and articulate, or moving into the presence of God?

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be
heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what
you need before you ask Him. (6:7-8)
After confronting hypocritically religious prayer, Jesus condemns pagan prayer
Whether the practice is chanting or babbling, the abundance of words is meaningless
The liturgical Christian may fall into the trap of feeling confident in reading numerous
prayers, yet another Christian may feel secure in that he has spent much time in prayer
Jesus reminds us that the Father knows our needs before we ask, so prayer is not
providing God with information but a child reaching for his Abba (literally daddy)
Later in the sermon, Jesus teaches that the Father delights in giving good gifts to His
children; He says to the disciples: Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give
him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? (7:9-10)
Even if a father or mother knows exactly what a child has experienced and is thinking,
a good parent desires a relationship in which that child can share his heart
Prayer is not attempting to convince God of anything, but aligning our heart with His