1 ^aTAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, [ a better translation would be "do not your righteousness (ie. giving, fasting, and prayer) before men". In this case "alms" is refering to a the continuous practice of worship. righteousness, was a common word for alms among the Jews. What is our motive? Love of praise or love of righteousness and those whom we serve. Elder Neal A. Maxwell asks: "Do we have both right conduct and right reasons for that conduct? Are we so secure in our relationship with the Lord that our goodness and attention to duty would continue even if it were not seen of men? Would we fill our roles in the Church even if there were no mortal taking of the roll?" (Notwithstanding My Weakness, p117)] to be seen of them: [ the reason why you did them in the first place. So there is really nothing wrong if they are seen, but if that is your purpose to be seen there there is no eternal reward. ] otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet [ It is very likely that this was literally practised among the Pharisees, who seemed to live on the public esteem, and were excessively self-righteous and vain. Having something to distribute by way of alms, it is very probable they caused this to be published by blowing a trumpet or horn, under pretense of collecting the poor; though with no other design than to gratify their own ambition. In Jewish writings there is no such practice such as the blowing a trumpet to gather the poor, or the poor blowing a horn when relieved. Hence some learned men have thought that the word rpw shopher, a trumpet, refers to the hole in the public alms chest, into which the money was dropped which was allotted for the service of the poor. Such holes, because they were wide at one end and grew gradually narrow towards the other, were actually termed twrpw shopheroth, trumpets, by the rabbins; of this Schoettgen furnishes several examples. An ostentatious man, who wished to attract the notice of those around him, would throw in his money with some force into these trumpet-resembling holes, and thus he might be said rpw salpizein, to sound the trumpet. The Jerusalem Gemara, tract Shekalim, describes these twrpw shopheroth thus-These trumpet holes were crooked, narrow above and wide below, in order to prevent fraud. As our Lord only uses the words, mh salpishv, it may be tantamount to our term jingle. Do not make a public ostentatious jingle of that money which you give to public charities. ] before thee, as the hypocrites [ those who say one thing but do something different, those who want you to believe they are righteous but really are not. ] do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. [ looks like we cannot have it both ways - either we can have our reward here or in the next life - we are the ones who decide where we will get rewarded. The real issue is much deeper though. It revolves around the idea of what is motivating the giver. Is he/she motivated by the real desire to help someone in need - if so then they don't require public adulation - the Lord will bless them fo rtheir acts of kindness. What do we do to the beggar when you call attention to him before you do your act of kindness? Is that the Lords way to humiliate the poor?] Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [ Decide where you want your reward from - heaven or the earth and act accordingly. ]

3 But when thou doest alms, [ the righteous things that you do ] let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: [ In many cases, works of charity must be hidden from even our nearest relatives, who, if they knew, would hinder us from doing what God has given us power and inclination to perform. We must go even farther; and conceal them as far as is possible from ourselves, by not thinking of them, or eyeing them with complacency. They are given to GOD, and should be hidden in HIM. ]

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret [ We should ever remember that the eye of the Lord is upon us, and that he sees not only the act, but also every motive that led to it. ] himself shall reward thee openly. [ How are we rewarded openly? We receive the fullest proofs of his acceptance after we have done our work by faith, he then will manifest his approbation in our heart, by the witness of his Spirit. We just feel better - that is about as open as it gets. ]

5 ¶ And when thou prayest, [ "otan proseuch" the word proseuch, or prayer, is a compound word of both "prov" meaning "with", and "euch" which means "vow". So in order to pray right, a man binds himself to God, with a vow, as to how he will to live. Jesus begins to teach his disciples the true order of prayer. WHAT IS PRAYER? Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Unuttered or expressed, The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast: Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The falling of a tear, The upward gleaming of an eye, When none but God is near Prayer is the simplest form of speech That infant lips can try; Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach The Majesty on high: Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, The Christian's native air, His watch-word at the gates of death. ] thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues [ The Jewish phylacterical prayers were long, and the canonical hours obliged them to repeat these prayers wherever they happened to be; and the Pharisees, who were full of vain glory, contrived to be overtaken in the streets by the canonical hour, that they might be seen by the people, and applauded for their great and conscientious piety. ] and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. [Prayer is not an act for men. it should be done to communicate with God. It is not a public spectical. Do not pray publicly or pretentiously so as to appear pious] Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, [ Don't just go into your closet, but shut the door. Why would you want to shut the door? If it is a communication with God - we need it quite to hear his response back. If the prayer is about us and God in a communication then there should only be us and God the hear and are a part of th eprocess. ] pray to thy Father which is in secret; [Secret to who? The our Father in heaven is a secret to the world at large. The world is too profane and treacherous to be of the secret. We must shut the door against it: endeavour to forget it, with all the affairs which busy and amuse it. Prayer requires retirement, at least of the heart; for this may be fitly termed the closet in the house of God, which house the body of every real Christian is, 1 Cor. iii. 16. To this closet we ought to retire even in public prayer, and in the midst of company.] and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, [Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. The eloquence of prayer consists in the fervency of desire, and the simplicity of faith. The abundance of fine thoughts, studied and vehement motions, and the order and politeness of the expressions, are things which compose a mere human harangue, not an humble and Christian prayer. Our Father in Heaven knows what we need before we ask him - so the purpose of prayer is not to ask for the same things over and over in meaningless repetition that they might be heard of God, but to reconcile ourselves to Gods plans for us.] as the heathen do: [IV: :Hypocrites"] for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. [ If our Father already knows what we need before we pray, what is the point of asking? 1) It says that he already knows what we need, he knows what is best for us That may not be what we are asking for. So part one it is to reconcile our will to the will of our Father D&C 46:30; D&C 50:29. 2) If he knows what we need then why do we need to ask, Why does he not just give us what is best without our asking? There is a principle upon which all laws are predicated - it is the law of agency - our father in heaven is not going to interceed in every little event - we are here to learn to make decisions for ourselves - we must ask for some things from him in order that he does not violate the law of agency. ]

[ The Lord's Prayer]

9  After this manner therefore pray ye: [ Among the Jews it was a common practice for the Rabbi or public teacher to give an examplair form of prayer to his disciples. So the Savior as a teacher gives his instruction on how do I pray. ] Our Father [ Teaches us 2 principles that we need to remember when we pray. 1) The tender and respectful nature that we should have toward God as his children. 2) The confidence that God does love us because he is our Father. ] which art in heaven, [ The phrase µymb wnyba, abinu sheboshemayim, our Father who art in heaven, was a common phrase used among the ancient Jews; and was used by them precisely in the same sense as it is used here by our Lord. Here is the essence of what it meant to them 1) His OMNIPRESENCE. The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. 2) His MAJESTY and DOMINION over his creatures. 3) His POWER and MIGHT. 4) His OMNISCIENCE. The Lord's throne is in heaven, his eyes behold, The Lord looketh down from heaven, he beholdeth all the sons of men. Psa. xxxiii. 13-15. 5) His infinite PURITY and HOLINESS. Look down from thy holy habitation Thou art the high and lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. Isa. 57:15.] ^dHallowed [consecration of a thing or person to a holy use or office, as the Levites, first-born, tabernacle, temple, and their utensils, which were all set apart from every earthly, common, or profane use, and employed wholly in the service of God, ] be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done [What is the will or purpose of our Father in Heaven? To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Using this prayer as an example what does the Savior teach us about Gods will and how we should pray? Stresses the importance of Doing God’s Will. ] in earth, as it is in heaven. [ How else might we say that? Help me that I might be submissive to do those things which the Lord would have me do. If Heaven is ruled by him, then help my life to be ruled by him as well. ]

11  Give us this day our daily bread.[ The word "epiousian" has greatly perplexed critics and commentators. It is found in no Greek writer before the evangelists. The interpretation which appears to make the most sense to me would render the phrase, "artov epi th ousia kai austasei hmwn autarkhv", as Bread, sufficient for our substance and support, or the quantity of food which is necessary to support our health and strength. Epiousion (ἐπιούσιον) is a Koine Greek adjective used in the Lord's Prayer verse "Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον" ('Give us today our epiousion bread'). Because the word is used nowhere else, its meaning is unclear. It is traditionally translated as "daily", but most modern scholars reject that interpretation. Kenneth E. Bailey, a professor of theology and linguistics, proposed "give us today the bread that doesn't run out" as the correct translation. The Syriac versions of the Bible were some of the first translations of the Gospels from the Greek into another language. Syriac is also close to Jesus' own Aramaic, and the translators close in time and language to Jesus should thus have had considerable insight into his original meanings. In Syriac epiousion is translated as ameno, meaning lasting, perpetual, constant, trustworthy, never-ceasing, never-ending, or always. ].

12 And forgive us our ^adebts, [IV: "trespasses" sins, faults, offenses. Forgive us. Man has nothing to pay his debts with, once they are incurred they are fixed, so if his debts are not forgiven, they must stand charged against him for ever, and he will forever remain insolvent. God is the only one that can forgive sin. This phrase represents our eternal dependance on God. ] as we forgive our debtors. [ the formula for forgiviness - if we forgive we will gain forgiveness. v14 ]

13 And lead us not into temptation, [ put our selves in places where we are or can be tempted more than the normal daily temptations. The process of temptation is often as follows: 1) An evil thought. 2) A strong imagination, or impression made on the imagination, by the thing to which we are tempted. 3) Delight in viewing it. 4) Consent of the will to perform it. Thus lust is conceived, sin is finished, and death brought forth. A man may be tempted without entering into the temptation: entering into it implies giving way, closing in with, and embracing it. some of the primitive writer included "which we cannot bear" to the verse. This is because the source word "peirasmon" could be interrupted as sore trial. The root for that word comes from peirw, to pierce through, as with a spear, or spit. The word implies violent assaults from Satan, and also afflictive circumstances in life, those which we may not have the fortitude sufficient to bear. ] but deliver us from evil: [ "rusai hmav" a very expressive word meaning "break our chains", or "deliver us from the evil one" ] For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [ "paraptwmata", from para which means to fall off, so it could be rendered "forgive men their failings". He who shows mercy to men receives mercy from God. Note the difference here between what God is forgiving us of, our debts our sins, and we are asked to forgive men of what? Their shortcomings and mistakes. ]

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. [ He who shows no mercy should not expect mercy from God. So be very careful who you choose not to forgive, no matter what they may do to you. ]

16 ¶ Moreover when ye fast, [A fast is termed by the Greeks nhstiv, from nh not, and esqein to eat; hence fast means, a total abstinence from food for a certain time. In essence the Lord is teaching that we need to examiine our own internal motives for doing things. ] be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [ People think they are righteous since they appear to be doing righteous things - which is their reward it is done. ]

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; [ Both anointing the head and washing the face were forbidden in the Jewish canon on days of fasting and humiliation. Often hypocrites would availed themselves of this ordinance, by appearring to fast. The Lord implies that when you are fasting you should go about your day as you normally would, not wearing clothing or doing anything out of the ordinary that would call attention to the fact that you were fasting. ]

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, [ Remember we cannot hide our thoughts from God, so if we cannot hide our sin neither can we hide our good works, so we do not need to call attention to what we do - God knows and see's it all. ] shall reward thee openly.

19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, [A heart designed for God and eternity is terribly degraded when it is fixed on those things which are subject to corruption. The teaching have now turned to were your priorities lie. See Jacob 2:17-19 for discussion on when and how to seek for treasures. WHAT EVENTUALLY HAPPENS TO OUR EARTHLY TREASURES?] "A wealthy man died. 'How much property did he leave?' someone inquired. The wise response: 'He left all of it'." ] where moth and rust [This word cannot be properly applied to rust, but to any thing that consumes or cankers clothes or metals.] doth corrupt, and where thieves break through [literally dig through, i.e. the wall, in order to get into the house. This was not a difficult matter, as the house was generally made of mud and straw, kneaded together like the cobb houses in Cornwall, and other places.] and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, [ I call this your eternal 401K plan. Or the ability to pass money and earthly possessions into the next life. How do we lay up treasures in heaven? Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "While yet on earth men may lay up treasures in heaven. These treasures, earned here and now in mortality, are in effect deposited to our eternal bank account in heaven where eventually they will be reinherited again in immortality. Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality. 'Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.' The greatest treasure it is possible to inherit in heaven consists in gaining the continuation of the family unit in the highest heaven of the celestial world." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:239) ] where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, [Let thy eye be single to what? To the glory of God. simple, uncompounded; i.e. so perfect in its structure as to see objects distinctly and clearly, and not confusedly, or in different places to what they are, as is often the case in certain disorders of the eye; one object appearing two or more-or else in a different situation, and of a different colour to what it really is. To understand the divine nature of God.] thy whole body shall be full of light. [ or the whole spirit - so what you watch, think about, look at with the eye will effect the entire spirit.]

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 ¶ No man can serve two masters: [ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU? DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE SHOULD NOT SEEK THE THINGS OF THE WORLD? "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted." (Jacob 2:18-19) ] for either he will hate [ The word hate has the same sense here as it has in many places of Scripture; it merely signifies to love less-so Jacob loved Rachel, but hated Leah; i.e. he loved Leah much less than he loved Rachel. God himself uses it precisely in the same sense: Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated; i.e. I have loved the posterity of Esau less than I have loved the posterity of Jacob: which means no more than that God, in the course of his providence, gave to the Jews greater earthly privileges than he gave to the Edomites, and chose to make them the progenitors of the Messiah, though they ultimately, through their own obstinacy, derived no more benefit from this privilege than the Edomites did.] the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, [The instruction now is turned to the apostles - we know this from the IV which inserts 3 verses following verse 24. The first 2 tell the disciples to go out into the world expecting rejection, but they are expected to go and proselyte regardless. The Lord then explains that in their ministry he will go before them - he will prepare their way. The 3rd verse states that the Father will provide for their physical needs. ] Take no thought [better translation would be "Do not worry" Abraham Lincoln once said " the good thing about the future is that it only cames at you one day at a time."] for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, [ food ] and the body than raiment? [ clothes ]

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. [The second reason why we should not be anxiously concerned about the future, is the example of the smaller animals, which the providence of God feeds without their own labour; though he be not their father. We never knew an earthly father take care of his fowls, and neglect his children; and shall we fear this from our heavenly Father?] Are ye [ the dispiples and apostles ] not much better than they? [ IV verse goes here that says These promises are given to them if they keep the commandments IV after verse 26]

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [at the end of the day who is really in control? One person Our Father in Heaven. We can think we are and we are in the decision process of what we do but the master plan is carried out under his direction - we have our limits - he does not. We cannot add to ourselves by merely thinking about it - we can add to ourselves by doing.See 1 Sam 18:7 the Lord does not look on our stature but our heart. This is in the section about missionary work so how would that apply to adding stature thru missionary work? True disciples should be putting spiritual things before we think of physical things. Doesn't that take a lot of faith.If we were to put everything else first we would only get the physical things done - since there are alway more physical things that we could be doing... Jesus in essence is saying "Forget your careers, you work for me now..." ]

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? [ clothing ] Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [ make thread or cloth ]

29 And yet I say unto you, That even solomon in all his glory [the robes of state worn by the eastern kings were usually white, as were those of the nobles among the Jews, therefore the lily was chosen for the comparison] was not arrayed [ dressed ] like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, ^ashall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [IV: changed from an accusation to a conditional "if ye are not of little faith" IV also adds one more berse here It appears that some of the disciples apparently lacked faith, they wanted to be excused from the missionary caling - because they appear to be lacking in faith.]