The man of St Matthew

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Chapter 6: Overview

With chapter 6, we continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount with the second and third parts of the body of the Sermon. We will include 7,1-12 with this chapter so as not to divide the third part. As we saw in the overview, the Golden Rule of 7,12 referring to the Law and the Prophets concludes the body of the Sermon.

We begin with 6,1-18; we have seen that this part is a well organised presentation of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Note as well that about half this passage is an insertion, the Lord's Prayer (6,9-15). This will be the first page for our reading.

The remainder of the chapter and the third part of the Sermon is much more loosely organised as we saw in the overview earlier. We have here a collection of sayings which continue on to 7,12 and the end of the body of the sermon. We will have to consider the theme that connects them. Our second page can be the rest of chapter 6, 6,19-34.

Then concluding the body of the sermon, we will read 7,1-12 as the third page for this chapter.

Let us now go straight to our reading of the first part of the chapter, the Sermon's presentation on almsgiving, prayer and fasting: Mt 6,1-18.