For the Audience of one

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Pray then like this:  "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread,  and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,  that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.- Matthew 6:1‭-‬18 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

We are all careful about impression management. We want others to think us clever, intelligent, assertive, kind, loving, etc. Jesus confronts religious righteousness that is more about impressions than God.

The futility of seeking people's approval

There is no reward for those who practice righteousness for appearances. This is not to say that we should avoid all public service. We are not called to never publicly pray. So do we show good works or not? We are to show righteousness so as to glorify God. As a old Scottish theologian said, "when we are tempted to hide, we should show. When we are tempted to show, we should hide."

Giving, praying, and fasting as singled out as practices to consider. The religious leaders who performed these acts were called hypocrites. This Greek term, hypocrite, was a reference to actors. These acts were a show put on for the audience, the people. The motive behind giving is often for our personal acclaim. Prayer is often for ourselves rather than God. We spend more time considering our words rather than God to whom the prayer is addressed.

Jesus doesn't just say this is wrong. He says that those who seek these things have had their reward in full. Wait, what? Jesus is saying that if all these people want is people's approval, then they will have this fleeting reward. Here's trying to say that we are missing out on a greater award...

Seeking God's approval

What does it mean to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing? It means "don't congratulate yourself." Be self forgetful. Do good to the poor and don't pat yourself on the back.

Doing good quietly without the clamor of acclaim is what we should desire. There is a large difference between praying to be seen and being seen praying. We know.

What is the drive? Jesus appeals to our self desire for reward. Our Father in heaven will reward us. And this reward will be greater. Jesus does not condemn reward seeking... He condemns shallow and fleeting rewards. What is the nature of this reward from God? Is it better circumstances in life? Money? No, the reward cannot be mercenary. This reward is more joy in God. We will receive more of God and we will find more satisfaction in Him. As God gives more of himself, the more we will be freed from seeking men's approval.

The path to satisfaction in God

Notice that Jesus assumes that Christians give to the needy, pray, and fast. This is the essential list for Christians. But this is not where our church is. We are not concerned with deep spiritual fellowship with God. We are not concerned with religious image management at all.

Prayer changes us. We have a set of sermons on our website, search for the Lord's prayer. Adoration, submission, petition, confession & aspiration are the components of the Lord's prayer. Firstly, we are to glorify God's name. It is first and foremost in our prayers. Our reward is the lifting up of God's name. Next, we are submitting ourselves to God's desire. Then we bring our needs to God, even the smallest need. It comes halfway in the prayer so that we ask God to provide for our needs rather than fuel our greed. Lastly, we confess our need to change.

Application

Grow in the depth of your praying. In order to weave prayer more firmly in our lives, we should use the Lord's prayer in reading our Bibles. Look for how your daily passage calls us to glorify God. Consider how the passage calls us to submit to God. Look for how the passage meets needs. Lastly, look for how the passage calls us to confess sin.

What are your habits? We spend half of our waking hours in habitual ways. We run on autopilot. Where are our habits leading us? Are we feeding and growing our souls? Or are our habits starving our souls? Let us fight for our spiritual flourishing.