This post is a continuation of a previous post discussing the Sermon on the Mount from an intertextual perspective. Click here to read the first post.
Matthew chapter 6, a continuation of the highly influential Sermon on the Mount, covers topics such as charitable giving, fasting, prayer (including ‘The Lord’s Prayer’), and a lengthy discussion against worrying. As with chapter 5, we will see again that there is a significant degree of intertextuality at work in this chapter, showing parallel traditions and intersections with the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and on into echoes found in Rabbinic texts.
When examined carefully, we can see that Jesus' teachings here are firmly grounded in the established Jewish thought of the late Second Temple period and has affinities as well with early texts in Antiquity. When read from an intertextual perspective, we can see how they connect and interact with this wider literary and cultural context.
Matthew 6:1-4 and tractate Bava Batra 10b in the Babylonian Talmud both discuss the importance of discretion in almsgiving. In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs his followers not to announce their charitable giving as hypocrites do to receive praise. Rather, he says to give so secretly that even one's own left hand remains unaware, and God who sees in secret will reward it. Similarly, the Talmud praises charity given so discreetly that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other.
“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. Thus, whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4)
It is the type in which one gives the charity without knowing to whom he gave it, and the other one takes it without knowing from whom he took it. The Gemara explains: One gives it without knowing to whom he gave it, this serves to exclude the practice of Mar Ukva, who would personally give charity to poor people without their knowing he was the donor. (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 10b)1
As David Patterson notes, these texts share parallel Jewish teachings about concealed almsgiving.2 Both value charity as a righteous act, but caution against giving for pride and applause. In a culture centered on the dynamics of public honor and shame, there is a shared emphasis to seek only a divine reward rather than human acclaim. The Talmud offers a concrete example of this ideal in describing the practice of Mar Ukva. He gave to the poor privately so recipients did not know he was the source. This matches Jesus' hyperbolic image of keeping one hand ignorant of the other's gift. Matthew 6 and Bava Batra 10b overlap significantly in exalting sincere, hidden charity and condemning ostentatious giving aimed at praise.
Looking back to the deuterocanonical text of Tobit, we see a thematic similarity regarding the presumption of charitable giving along with establishing ethical and religious boundaries of what good giving looks like:
It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to acknowledge and reveal the works of God, and with fitting honor to acknowledge him. Do good and evil will not overtake you. Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. (Tobit 12:7-8)
Whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:2-4)3
Within the entire milieu, here in Tobit, the New Testament, and into Rabbinic thought, we see an emphasis on rejecting ostentatious displays or otherwise giving out of a motive of making one look good in front of others. Again, this is a parallel with an emphasis on rejecting the negative aspects of honor and shame culture.
Continuing on to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, a close reading reveals significant connections to the language and theology of Jewish liturgy in Jesus' day. The prayer shares multiple points of contact with the Shemoneh Esrei, the standing prayer recited three times daily in Jewish worship. As David Clark explains, Jesus operated within the symbolic world of Second Temple Judaism. The resonances with the Shemoneh Esrei show Jesus was steeped in and utilized the rich prayer tradition of his Jewish heritage.4
Several key phrases in the Lord's Prayer resemble portions of the Shemoneh Esrei. Beginning by addressing God as "Our Father" echoes Jewish prayers of the period. The next lines petitioning for God's name to be hallowed and kingdom to come mirror the opening of the Kaddish prayer used in synagogues. Requests for divine assistance, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil all have parallels in the Shemoneh Esrei. Even the structure of praise, petition, and trust in God's sovereignty reflects the Shemoneh Esrei’s shape.
So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13)
We will sanctify your name in this world just as it is sanctified in the highest heavens, as it is written by your prophet... Forgive us, O our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed; for you pardon and forgive. Blessed are you, O Lord, who is merciful and always ready to forgive. Look upon our affliction and plead our cause, and deliver us speedily for your name’s sake; for you are a mighty redeemer. Blessed are you, O Lord, the redeemer of Israel. Bless this year for us, O Lord our God, together with all the varieties of its produce, for our welfare. Bestow dew and rain for a blessing upon the face of the earth. O satisfy us with your goodness, and bless our year like the best of years. Blessed are you, O Lord, who blesses the years. May it be Your will, HaShem, my God and the God of my forefathers, that you rescue me today and every day from brazen men and brazenness, from an evil man, an evil companion, an evil neighbor, an evil mishap, the destructive spiritual impediment, a harsh trial and a harsh opponent (Traditional Jewish Prayer, Shemoneh Esrei)5
These strong correspondence between the Lord's Prayer and the Shemoneh Esrei demonstrates Jesus' continuity with Jewish liturgy. His prayer comes from the same source of living faith that inspired the Shemoneh Esrei and other Second Temple Jewish prayers. The Lord's Prayer adapts traditional Jewish liturgical language to teach Jesus’ followers about prayer and help them share in communal worship life. Just as the Shemoneh Esrei was the daily prayer par excellence for Jews, the Lord's Prayer became the quintessential prayer for early Christians, even if that connection to its Jewish character was no longer evident in its new context.
We see similar echoes between another traditional Jewish prayer, this one known as the Kaddish, and also sometimes referred to as the Siddur Ashkenaz:
Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:11-13)
Do not bring us into the grasp of sin, nor into the grasp of transgression or iniquity. Do not cause us to be tested, or brought to disgrace. Let us not be ruled over by the Evil Inclination. Keep us far from an evil person, and from an evil companion. (Traditional Jewish Prayer, Siddur Ashkenaz)6
Again, the opening address of "Our Father" reflects language commonly used in Jewish prayers of Jesus' time. The petitions for bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil resemble requests in Siddur Ashkenaz prayers such as the Amidah. The plural phrasing using "us" and "we" mirrors the communal focus of Jewish worship. Even the structure from praise to petitions echoes Jewish prayers shaped for corporate recitation. David Stern emphasizes that in this context, the Lord’s Prayer is characteristically Jewish, focusing on the group rather the isolated individual …”7
Looking now at an intersection with a Pseudepigrapha, we see a significant thematic parallel between Mathew 6 and the book of 4 Ezra, a Jewish apocalyptic text dated approximately at the same decades that the New Testament was written.
Matthew 6:19-21 and 4 Ezra 7:76-77 both employ a metaphor of accumulating heavenly treasure as an eschatological reward. In Matthew 6, Jesus urges his followers to store up imperishable heavenly treasure rather than earthly, perishable riches. 4 Ezra similarly promises reward for those who pile up heavenly treasure through obedience to the Torah and which will be given in the “last days”.
As Matthias Hoffmann notes, this motif of heavenly treasure awarded at the final judgment is very reminiscent of Matthew’s own language.8 Good works are depicted metaphorically as wealth laid up with God. This directly parallels Jesus' instruction to amass treasure in heaven that will endure rather than earthly wealth that decays. Both passages use this financial imagery to contrast temporal, earthly goods with eternal, spiritual rewards.
“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
‘I will tell you that also’, he replied. ‘But do not include yourself among those who have despised my law; do not count yourself with those who are to be tormented. For you have a treasure of good works stored up with the Most High, though you will not be shown it until the last days. (4 Ezra 7:76-77)9
The treasury metaphor serves as an exhortation to righteous living in each text. In Matthew 6, Jesus implies focusing on heavenly riches will redirect behavior away from materialism and greed. In 4 Ezra, the promise of eschatological treasure for good deeds provides an incentive for adhering to God's law. Each reinforces a consistent theme - God will abundantly reward those who faithfully walk in his ways rather than pursuing fleeting worldly gain. His teaching on heavenly treasure illustrates Jesus' dependence on broader Jewish theological concepts and modes of expression
Continuing on in the chapter, we see in Matthew 6:26-27 and Mishnah Kiddushin remarkably similar arguments appealing to God's provision for animals as an analogy for human trust in the divine. In Matthew 6, Jesus points to the birds who do not labor and sow yet God feeds them. He argues from lesser to greater - if God sustains the birds, how much more will he provide for valuable humans. The Mishnah similarly observes that animals survive without work. It contends humans made to serve God have even better claim to receive their needs.
Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? (Matthew 6:26-27)
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Have you ever seen a beast or a bird that has a trade? And yet they earn their livelihood without anguish. But all these were created only to serve me, and I, a human being, was created to serve the One Who formed me. Is it not right that I should earn my livelihood without anguish? (Mishnah Kiddushin)10
As Howard Cooper explains, the Mishnah passage utilizes the identical kind of logical reasoning that Jesus employs.11 Both texts appeal, via the form of argument known as a kal vachomer, to God's care for simpler creatures like birds as the fulcrum for divine love. If he supplies the needs of the birds, how much more will he care for humans created for divine relationship? This form of argument conveys a central biblical theme - God can be trusted to provide. By structuring his teaching in the form of a Jewish sage, Jesus communicates spiritual reliance in terms familiar to his audience. His use of this common logic illustrates Jesus' continuity with methods of Jewish argument and interpretation.
Rounding out the end of Matthew 6, we see between Matthew 6:33-34 and Sanhedrin 100b very similar teachings cautioning against worrying about the future. We find here Jesus instructing his followers not to be anxious about tomorrow but to trust God's provision day by day. Likewise, the Talmudic passage advises not worrying about what tomorrow may bring and leaving tomorrow’s troubles to the future.
But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33-34)
Grieve not about tomorrow’s trouble, because you know not what a day may bring; perhaps tomorrow you will no longer be, and one will have worried about a world that is not his. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 100b)12
This theme of living one day at a time without undue worry extends deep into the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish thought. Biblical texts describe how complete reliance on God challenged many ancient Israelites. Rabbinic authorities, much like Jesus, had to repeatedly exhort people to have greater faith instead of anxiously projecting into the future. The strong resonance between Matthew 6 and Rabbi Eleazar's teaching in Sanhedrin 100b demonstrates this was a common issue Jesus addressed using traditional Jewish vocabulary and concepts. His call to avoid tomorrow’s worries echoes longstanding Jewish spiritual wisdom.
Jesus' teachings in Matthew 6 are thoroughly immersed in the thought world of ancient Judaism, from wisdom and eschatological traditions that came prior. The parallels between the Sermon on the Mount and surrounding Jewish literature, found in the eras before and after the New Testament, are substantial and multifaceted. This intertextual evidence demonstrates that Jesus was interpreting Israel's traditions in light of a kingdom vision.
These intertextual readings enrich traditional readings and interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount by revealing its connections backward to antecedent Jewish thought. But equally important, we see how Jesus’ words reverberated forward into early Christian thought and practice. The Lord’s Prayer became the quintessential Christian prayer and the model for later liturgies, yet remarkable parallels in Rabbinic literature, likely demonstrating the shared origins, also developed.
The Sermon on the Mount retains an unparalleled power to shape lives and communities. These teachings spoke not just to first century Jews in Galilee but unleashed an ethical vision that still instructs and motivates people from many varied traditions, Christian or otherwise, today. Once again, this survey barely scratches the surface of intertextual connection, but it remains evident that this core text is not an island, but is rather thoroughly connected to what came before and what came after.
Patterson, David Genocide in Jewish Thought (pp. 75-76) Cambridge University Press, 2012
Clark, David Andrew From Jewish Prayer to Christian Ritual: Early Interpretations of the Lord's Prayer (pp. 21-25) University of Nottingham, 2014
Stern, David H. Jewish New Testament Commentary (pp. 33-34) Jewish New Testament Publications, 1994
Hoffmann, Matthias Reinhard The Destroyer and the Lamb: The Relationship between Angelomorphic and Lamb Christology in the Book of Revelation (p. 92) Mohr Siebeck, 2005
Cooper, Howard Reflections on Reading Matthew 6:19-34 (pp. 1-4) Leo Baeck College, 2015