Meaning of Matthew 6:5

[coolcatholicguy]

"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. (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Would this make it a sin to pray in public? Because I do.

 

[nickybr38]

I do not know the churches teaching but my understanding is that this verse means;

1st. Do not pray if you do not believe. They are hypocritical because they are praying just for show, for everyone to see.

2nd. Do not make a show of your prayer. You can pray in public, just be discreet so that no one knows you are praying. This way you are not praying just for show but instead are truly seeking God.

 

[Bookcat]

"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. (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Would this make it a sin to pray in public? Because I do.

no.

 

[po18guy]

The condemnation came not from public prayer, but from vanity in prayer. They chose to pray in public so that they would be perceived by the public as holy and righteous. This practice could very well be the source of the phrase “holier than thou”. The Pharisees also drew condemnation for their vain repetitions in prayer. The operative word here is vain.

If we cannot pray from the heart in public, neither can we spread the faith in public. What we are to avoid is vanity - the cause of Lucifer’s rebellion.

 

[jerry_kelso]

"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. (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Would this make it a sin to pray in public? Because I do.

It couldn’t be a sin to pray in public for this happened on the day of pentecost. The Pharisees did this to make people think they were spiritual. This is hypocritical legalism
From enemies of God who were apostate. God Bless’ Jerry Kelso

 

[diggerdomer]

Would this make it a sin to pray in public?

No

 

[ebcat]

Its not a sin to pray in public. I think Jesus was looking into the hearts of the Jews who intentionally pray in public only to be recognized by other people as holy. I think that is what He meant by they have already received their reward. Their reward is that the other people think they are holy.

I see this kind of thing all the time. I think its about being humble. One of my old roommates always insisted on telling me all the good things he did during the day. My response in my head was always, “congrats, want a cookie?” It was like he was always seeking approval, for someone to say, “wow, I wish I did great things like you”. People always look for that instant gratification. They want the reward for their actions right now. We shouldn’t need other people’s approval of how good and holy we are, what you do in private, God sees in private. People will know you by your actions but your heart has to be in the right place. Are you going on that retreat to talk to that pretty girl from school who is going, or are you going to have a spiritual revelation?

I may have missed the boat here, but its kind of like doing something nice for somebody who will never find out you did it for them. Its that kind of situation, IMO.

 

[thistle]

"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. (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Would this make it a sin to pray in public? Because I do.

D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 5. Hypocrisy is forbidden in all these three good works of justice, but not the doing of them openly for the glory of God, the edification of our neighbour, and our own salvation. Let your light so shine before men, i.e. let your work be so done in public, that the intention remain in secret. (St. Gregory)

 

[wfr]

"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. (Matthew 6:5, NIV)

Would this make it a sin to pray in public? Because I do.

Hi Cool,
Keep in mind the historical context. The Pharisees Jesus was addressing used prayer not as petitions to God, buy as a way of self-aggrandizement. They would call out in the streets crying and wailing. The prayer was a show to convince people that they were righteous and holy. This isn’t limited to Jesus’ day. I had a youth pastor once who would like to stand up in crowed restaurants, raise his hands in the air and make long, and loud prayers. He would actually say things like, “Lord bless all these sinners here, lead them to Your Son and save them from eternal damnation.” Which, as you might expect, didn’t go over well with all those sinners just trying to have a quite meal before their rendezvous with judgement.
This guy on the other hand got fired from his position because he liked the teen aged girls a little too much. I think this was the kind of hypocrisy Jesus was condemning.
PAX CHRISTI

Bill