Don't be anxious: Required reading for sixth grade public school students in Texas

Matthew 6:25-34 English Standard Version

²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

This reading is from the second half of what is probably the most famous sermon of all time: The Sermon on the Mount.

Here is the Bible in Fewer Words episode that contains the required passage. (For the first part of the sermon, see Episode 235: Every Jot and Tittle.)

Episode 236: Pearls before swine

Matthew 6-7

Don't let others see your good works

6 ¹ Don't let others see your good works.

^2-3 When you do them, don’t blow a trumpet or let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Don't pray in public (or use repetitions)

^5-6 Don't pray in public where others can see you. Rather go into your room, and after you have shut the door, pray to God in secret.

⁷ When you pray, don't use vain repetitions, as the heathens do.

Repeat after me: The Our Father (or The Lord's prayer)

⁹ Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be holy.

¹⁰ May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us the food that we need each day.

¹² And forgive us when we do something wrong, as we forgive those who hurt us.

¹³ And don’t lead us into temptation; but protect us from evil.

Because this is your kingdom. And you have all the power and glory forever. Amen.

Don't let others know that you're fasting

¹⁶ When you fast, don't let others know that you are fasting.

Treasures in heaven

¹⁹ Don't have any treasures on earth.

²⁰ Have them in heaven instead.

²¹ Because where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

The evil eye

²² If you eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

²³ But if your eye is evil, your body will be full of darkness.

God and money

²⁴ You can't serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other. You can't serve God and money.

²⁵ Don't care about your life, your diet, or your clothes.

³³ Seek the kingdom of God, and you'll get all these other things.

³⁴ Don't think about tomorrow. One day's evil is enough for one day.

Don’t judge

7 ¹ Don't judge others.

² If you do, you’ll be judged by the same standard.

³ Don't be a hypocrite. Consider your own faults before criticizing others.

⁴ Remove the beam from your own eye before removing the speck from another’s.

Pearls before swine

⁶ Don't give holy things to dogs or cast your pearls before swine.

Just ask (and God will give it to you)

⁷ Whatever you ask for, you’ll receive. Whatever you look for, you’ll find. Every door that you knock on, will be opened.

The golden rule (that's the whole law)

¹² Whatever you would like others to do to you, do to them. This is the law and the prophets.

Most people will go to hell

^13-14 Most people will be destroyed; very few will survive.

Watch out for false prophets (and bad trees)

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets; they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are wolves.

¹⁶ Judge prophets by their fruits. Good prophets will produce good fruit; bad prophets will produce bad fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that bears bad fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire.

Didn't I cast out devils in your name, Jesus? (I never knew you)

²¹ Not everyone who calls me "Lord" will go to heaven, but those who do the will of my father.

²² Many will come to me on that day and say, "Lord, didn't we prophesy and cast out devils in your name? Didn't we do wonderful works?"

²³ Then I will say to them, "I never knew you. Go away, you workers of iniquity."

Obey Jesus (build your house on a rock)

²⁴ Whoever does what I say will be like a wise man who builds his house on a rock.

²⁶ Whoever doesn't do what I say will be like a foolish man who builds his house on sand.

Questions for Students

1. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus says we shouldn't let others see our good works. But previously, in the same sermon (Matthew 5:16), Jesus says we should let our light shine so that others can see our good works. So what should we do? Should we, or should we not, let others see our good works?
2. In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus says that we should pray privately in our room, but not in public. Does this mean we shouldn't pray in church or in other public places?
3. Jesus said not to use use repetitious prayers in Matthew 6:7, but then in the next verses (9-13), he tells us to pray using what Catholics call "the Our Father" and what Protestants call "the Lord's Prayer." This prayer is one of the most common and repeated prayers in the world. But how can we avoid repetitious prayers if we are constantly repeating the prayer that he told us to pray?
4. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24-34 that we shouldn't care about money, food, clothes, the future, or even our own lives. Does that sound like good advice to you?
5. Jesus said that whatever you ask for you will receive (Matthew 7:7). Do you know anyone who has asked for something that they didn't receive?