The Bible is a timeless text that will continue to be use by Christians forever. Nevertheless, the conditions and culture wherein it was conceived are radically different than contemporary ones. Therefore, the faithful must always try to interpret this divinely-inspired text in accordance to their times, so as not to miss out on the glory of the Lord. Matthew 6:5-15, part of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most famous, revered and important passages in the New Testament. The present study will proceed to summarize it and extract consequences for its application in everyday contemporary life.
This passage is structured around three parts. The first one focuses on the correct way to pray, as Jesus differentiates this from the manner in which some people in his time do it. Then, he proceeds to propose a new prayer, known commonly as the “Our Father”. Finally, he briefly contemplates sin, in relation to one another, and to God the Father.
This extract from the Bible begins by establishing the correct way to pray, by making contrast with other approaches. The first consideration is that one should not be seen by others when one is praying. As this action is not about being seen doing good things, Jesus advocates for hidden prayer, minimizing collective recognition. Even though one does not see the Father, he prays to him just as well, and even though one may be out of view from other people, He will still be looking and listening. Jesus also teaches that prayers should be succinct, as the Father already knows what the person will ask for; therefore, there is no need to speak more than what is required, as He will not pay more attention because the person says more words.
Then, Jesus proceeds to teach a prayer, which serves as a well-constructed model. In it, serving and glorifying the Father, and asking for daily sustenance and forgiveness to be able to be strong enough to face temptation and be in His grace are the main subjects. After it is done, Jesus reinforces that one should forgive others so that the Father may forgive you too; as being unforgiving is wrong, the Father will not forgive those who don’t forgive their brothers.
One must remark that this rectifying commentary could be given wisely today. As we are in a society where everything is a spectacle, the temptation to do good in the presence of others in very frequent, with cameras and screens everywhere you look. Inclusively, this could be applied to those that preach on the television; as Jesus teaches that one should pray alone, with nobody watching, they are going against this, even though this passage shows that God “forbids this—the striving after that reward in which fools delight when they are praised by men” (Augustine). Jesus teaches that the reward for praying should not come from other men, but from God, who sees you even when you are alone. He also emphasizes that one should do it briefly and simply, without ornaments. With the surge of many militant Christian groups, one would have to rethink if this would be really an appropriate label. The followers of these groups tend to deliver long sermons on public venues. Would Christ approve of such public and exhibitionist displays of faith? This passage seems to point to a negative answer.
Luckily, the “Our Father” is still one of the most famous prayers among Christians. For contemporary times, I believe that the most resounding themes are forgiveness and the rejection of temptation. Our times include so much contact with other people that offense is frequently given, even without intention. Furthermore, we live in a morally-corrupt society, where violence is the norm, and everybody is trying to achieve public greatness, even if it means stepping on other people. This means that there is much to forgive from our brothers. Both contact and these particularities of our culture lead to hurtful and sinful actions being done to us constantly. Nevertheless, “it would seem that the merciful, who forgive others their offenses, will themselves obtain the forgiveness of their sins, and consequently will not be punished eternally” (Thomas). Nevertheless, it is in the spirit of a good Christian to forgive these trespasses, as it will mean that God the Father will forgive us for our own sins also.
As stated, contemporary times are very leading into temptation, so Christians must hold on to God to be able to weather this storm and the best way to do this is through individual prayer. We live in a culture filled with exploitation, pornography and sexual deviance; most lives are not centered around God, but on money, fame, social status, peer pressure, etc. These false gods lead us away from our true God, tempting us into sin. God has the power to stray us away from temptation, leading us into His light: “and do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one” (New King James Bible, Matt. 6:13). The fact that we are frequently bombarded with enticement to sin only means that we need to anchor ourselves to Him even more; as Jesus teaches, the best way to do this is through prayer, where one can ask God for strength and resolve to go against this evil cultural avalanche.
All of this is so that we may finally be in God’s eternal grace at the time of our earthly perishing. As we are born with sin and inevitably incur in it many times throughout our life, especially in present times, as temptation is stronger because society’s moral compass has gone awry, we need the forgiveness of the Lord to be able to live in His glory. For Him to grant this, we must have forgiven in our lifetime as well. “The Gospel thus brings the Law to its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father, through forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the divine generosity” (Catholic Church 1968). As we are all brothers, and He is the Father to us all, we must forgive our neighbors of the sins the do on us, as we are also sinners, and require God’s forgiveness to live in eternal blessings. Against social notions of psychological trauma, individuality and vengeance, where it is thought that what was once done to us will scar us forever, Jesus teaches that one should forgive, as God will also have to forgive us when we die.
In conclusion, Matthew 6:5-15 still stands as instructions on how to live in a community and praise God at the same time. It begins speaking about how to pray correctly, follows with a model for prayer that emphasizes praising God and forgiveness, and ends speaking about how our own forgiveness on Earth will allow God to forgive us in Heaven. For present times, this means not succumbing to all of the spectacles that society reinforces, but praying quietly and simply at home; rejecting its push to step on other people to achieve greatness, and being able to forgive them if they step on you; strengthening ourselves through prayer and a personal connection to God, as this sinful tendency is very intense and frequent; and forgiving others so that God may forgive us when we die. As we can see, the Bible, even though it was inspired and written millennia ago, is still very relevant and important today; from it, we can still extract lessons for our everyday contemporary life if we remain faithful to its letter and essence. Time will only tell how this interpretation will need to be modified in years to come.
Works Cited
Augustine of Hyppo. “On the Sermon on the Mount, Book II”. New Advent, n.p. Translated by William Findlay. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000. Print.
New King James Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Bible Press, 2002.
Thomas Aquinas. “Of God’s Mercy and Justice Towards the Damned (Five Articles)”. Summa Theologica. Sacred-Texts.com, n.p. Translated by The Fathers of the English Dominican Province. (Benziger Bros. edition, 1947). Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
