Your kingdom comeThis phrase is a petition for the establishment of God's reign on earth. The concept of God's kingdom is central to Jesus' teachings, reflecting the hope for a future where God's rule is fully realized. In the Old Testament, the kingdom of God is often associated with the reign of the Messiah, as seen in prophecies like
Isaiah 9:6-7 and
Daniel 7:13-14. Jesus' ministry is seen as the inauguration of this kingdom, as He declares in
Matthew 4:17, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The kingdom is both a present reality and a future hope, as believers anticipate the second coming of Christ when God's kingdom will be fully established.
Your will be done
This phrase emphasizes submission to God's sovereign plan and purpose. It reflects the attitude of Jesus Himself, who in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed, "Not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). The will of God is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, highlighting the importance of aligning one's desires and actions with God's purposes.Romans 12:2 encourages believers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds to discern God's will. This petition acknowledges God's ultimate authority and the believer's trust in His perfect plan.
on earth as it is in heaven
This phrase expresses the desire for God's perfect will, which is already realized in heaven, to be manifested on earth. In heaven, God's will is executed perfectly and without resistance, as seen in the worship and obedience of angels (Revelation 5:11-12). The prayer seeks the alignment of earthly realities with heavenly truths, a theme echoed inColossians 3:2, which urges believers to set their minds on things above. This reflects the hope for a restored creation, as described inRevelation 21:1-4, where God's presence will dwell with humanity, and His will shall be fully accomplished.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this prayer, teaching His disciples how to pray. Jesus is central to the Christian faith as the Son of God and the Savior.
2.
DisciplesThe immediate audience of Jesus' teaching. They were followers of Jesus, learning from Him to spread His message.
3.
HeavenThe dwelling place of God, representing the perfect realm where God's will is fully realized.
4.
EarthThe physical world where humans live, often contrasted with heaven in terms of the realization of God's will.
5.
The Kingdom of GodA central theme in Jesus' teaching, referring to God's sovereign rule and reign, both in the present spiritual sense and the future physical sense.
Teaching Points
Understanding God's KingdomThe Kingdom of God is both a present reality and a future hope. Believers are called to live under God's rule now, anticipating its full realization.
Aligning with God's WillPraying for God's will to be done involves a commitment to seek and follow His guidance in our daily lives, aligning our desires with His purposes.
Heavenly PerspectiveAs believers, we are called to bring a piece of heaven to earth by living out God's principles, reflecting His love, justice, and mercy in our interactions.
Active ParticipationThis prayer is not passive; it calls for active participation in God's mission, working towards justice, peace, and righteousness in our communities.
Hope and AssuranceThe prayer assures believers of God's ultimate plan and purpose, providing hope that His kingdom will come in its fullness, bringing restoration and peace.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Matthew 6:10?
2.How can we actively seek God's "kingdom come" in our daily lives?
3.What does "Your will be done" mean for personal decision-making?
4.How does Matthew 6:10 connect to Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5-7?
5.In what ways can we align our actions with God's will on earth?
6.How does praying for God's kingdom influence our priorities and goals?
7.What does "Your kingdom come" mean in Matthew 6:10?
8.How does Matthew 6:10 relate to God's sovereignty?
9.What is the significance of "Your will be done" in Matthew 6:10?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 6?
11.Is your will being done on earth as in heaven?
12.What is the central tenet of Thelema?
13.When will Thy Kingdom come?
14.When will Thy Kingdom come?What Does Matthew 6:10 Mean
Your kingdom come“Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10a)
• In these words Jesus teaches us to long for the visible rule of God. John announced it: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus affirmed it: “Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:21). Ultimately it will be universal: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15).
• The petition expects a literal future when Christ returns in glory (Matthew 25:31-34) while also urging present submission to His sovereignty in daily life (Colossians 1:13).
• Praying this reorients priorities: we look beyond temporary concerns and invest in what is eternal (Matthew 6:33).
Your will be done“Your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10b)
• Scripture portrays God’s will as good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). Asking for it to be done means yielding our choices, plans, and desires.
• Jesus modeled this surrender: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).
• Obedience flows from delight, not duty alone: “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8).
• When His will is embraced, we experience stability (Proverbs 3:5-6) and live fruitful lives that endure (1 John 2:17).
on earth as it is in heaven“On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10c)
• Heaven already displays perfect obedience. Angels “do His will, obeying His word.” (Psalm 103:20-21). Our request is that the same wholehearted worship, justice, and peace fill earthly life.
• This aligns with the prophets’ vision: “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9).
• It anticipates the new heaven and new earth where “He will wipe away every tear” (Revelation 21:3-4) and reminds believers that “our citizenship is in heaven” even now (Philippians 3:20).
• Practical outworking:
– Living out the Sermon on the Mount’s ethics.
– Sharing the gospel so more lives reflect heaven’s values (2 Corinthians 5:20).
– Pursuing justice, mercy, and humble walk with God (Micah 6:8), showing a foretaste of the coming kingdom.
summaryMatthew 6:10 draws us into God’s own agenda: welcome His reign, submit to His will, and desire earth to mirror heaven’s righteousness. As we pray and live this petition, we become active participants in His unfolding plan until the day His kingdom is fully revealed.
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Thy kingdom come.--Historically, the prayer had its origin in the Messianic expectations embodied in the picture of the ideal king in
Isaiah 11:1-6;
Isaiah 42:1-7,
Daniel 7:14. It had long been familiar to all who looked for the consolation of Israel. Now the kingdom of God, that in which He manifests His sovereignty more than in the material world or in the common course of history, had been proclaimed as nigh at hand. The Teacher of the prayer knew Himself to be the Head of that kingdom. But it was not, like the kingdoms of the world, one that rested on the despotism of might, but on the acknowledgment of righteousness. It was therefore ever growing to a completeness, which it has never yet reached. Its advance to that completeness might be retarded by man's self-will, and hastened by man's fulfilment of its conditions. And therefore we pray that it may "come" in its fulness, that all created beings may bring their wills into harmony with God's will. So tar as that prayer comes from the heart and not from the lips only, it is in part self-fulfilling, in part it works according to the law by which God answers prayers that are in harmony with His own will; and in so far as the kingdom, though in one sense it has come, and is in the midst of us, and within us, is yet far from the goal towards which it moves, ever coming and yet to come, the prayer is one that never becomes obsolete, and may be the utterance of the saints in glory no less than of toilers and sufferers upon earth.
Thy will be done.--The prayer has often been, even in the lips of Christians, hardly more than the "acceptance of the inevitable." Like the Stoic, we have submitted to a destiny; like the Moslem, we have been resigned to a decree. But as it came from the lips of the Son of Man, it was surely far more than this. We pray that the will of God may be done because we believe it to be perfectly loving and righteous. It is the will that desires our sanctification (1Thessalonians 4:3), that does not will that any should perish. The real difficulty in the prayer is, that it lands us, as before. in a mystery which we cannot solve. It assumes that even the will of God is in part dependent on our wills, that it will not be done unless we so pray. The question, "Who hath resisted this will? Does it not ever fulfil itself?" forces itself on our thoughts. And the answer is found, as before, in accepting the seeming paradox of prayer. In one sense the will of God, which is also the eternal law, must fulfil itself; but it is one thing for that law to work in subduing all things to itself, another for it to bring all created wills into harmony with itself. And in really praying for this we, as before, in part fulfil the prayer.
As it is in heaven.--The thought is true of the order of the visible heaven, where law reigns supreme, with no "variableness or shadow of turning." But seeing that the obedience contemplated is that of the will, it is better, perhaps, to think of the words as pointing to the unseen hosts of heaven, the ministering angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. That all wills on earth should be brought into the same entire conformity with the divine will as theirs, is what we are taught to pray for.
Verse 10. -
Thy kingdomcome. Let there come the full establishment of thy realm. The prayer passes from the personal acceptance in the heart of God's revelation of himself to the consequent result. The clause has a much wider meaning than the development and spread of the Church, or even the personal return of Christ at the second advent. It speaks of that which shall be the issue of both this and that, the final and perfect establishment of God's realm, in which all men will do him willing service, and all habits and customs, individual and social, will be such as he approves of (
vide Introduction, p. 25.). Dr. C. Taylor ('Sayings,' etc., Exc. 5.) points out that the coming of the kingdom and the sanctifying of the Name are brought together in
Zechariah 14:9; Weiss, ' Life,' 2:349, with many others, says that our Lord probably adapted the frequent Jewish prayer for the coming of the kingdom of Messiah.
Thy willbe done. Let thy will come into complete existence (
γενηθήτω; cf. "Let there be light,"
Genesis 1:3, LXX.). The thought is not merely God's will realized in this or that action, whether performed or endured by us (cf.
Matthew 26:42;
Acts 21:14), but God's will as a whole coming into full being. God's will is always in ideal until it is accomplished in act. The connexion of the clause with what has gone before is therefore this - the acceptance of God's manifestation of himself leads to the establishment of his realm, and this to the realization of his will, which until then is only ideal (cf.
Matthew 5:18, note, end). If this be all the meaning of the words, they express, in fact, only the ultimate result of the consummation prayed for in the preceding clause (hence this portion of the prayer was in itself complete without our present words; cf.
Luke 11:2); but since it is so far a distinct thought that it would not immediately suggest itself, it has a worthy place in the fuller form of the prayer. Possibly, however, more may be intended. The full establishment of the kingdom may be only a part of his loving will, which may, for all we know, have countless other things in view. The highest prayer that we can make in the furtherance of God's cause is that his gracious purpose, his will (whatever it may include) may be fully brought about. In earth, as it is in heaven;
as in heaven,
so on earth (Revised Version). Probably the words are to be joined to only the immediately preceding clause. In heaven God's will is already realized; not yet on earth, where sin has entered.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Yourσου(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.kingdomβασιλεία(basileia)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 932:From basileus; properly, royalty, i.e. rule, or a realm.come,Ἐλθέτω(Elthetō)Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064:To come, go.Yourσου(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.willθέλημά(thelēma)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2307:An act of will, will; plur: wishes, desires. From the prolonged form of ethelo; a determination, i.e. choice or inclination.be done,Γενηθήτω(Genēthētō)Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096:A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.onἐπὶ(epi)Preposition
Strong's 1909:On, to, against, on the basis of, at.earthγῆς(gēs)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093:Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.as [it is]Ὡς(Hōs)Adverb
Strong's 5613:Probably adverb of comparative from hos; which how, i.e. In that manner.inἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.heaven.οὐρανῷ(ouranō)Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772:Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.
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NT Gospels: Matthew 6:10 Let your Kingdom come (Matt. Mat Mt) 
