One of the saddest and most revealing stories about the corruption of our hearts that exists in the Scripture is found in Acts 5. The early church had devised a means of making sure that no one in the church was lacking what they needed. Individuals in the church who owned land or houses would sell them, take the proceeds of what was sold, lay it at the apostles’ feet, and then it would be distributed to each person in the church as anyone had need (Acts 4:34-35). This is obviously not a command of Scripture, but it was what the early church did, and it seemed to be of great benefit.
Well, eventually a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property, and they decided that they didn’t want to give it all to the church. They didn’t want to lay all of it at the apostles’ feet so that it might be distributed to others in the church. So, they decided to keep part of it and give part of it. And that was perfectly within their right. The land was theirs, and they were under no obligation to give it to the apostles, as Peter makes clear in Acts 5:4.
Here was the problem, though. They wanted it to look like they were giving all the proceeds off the sale of the land to the church. So, they came to Peter, gave a portion of the proceeds, and pretended like it was all of it, making themselves look more generous and self-sacrificing than they actually were. And both the man and the woman, Ananias and Sapphira died that day, as an act of discipline from the Lord. Luke writes that after Peter called Ananias out on his lie, “[Ananias fell down and breathed his last” (Acts 5:5), and later of Sapphira, “Immediately she fell down and breathed her last” (5:10).
Obviously this is a sad story, but what makes it most painful, I think, is that their deaths were so utterly unnecessary. They could have avoided judgment. They had freedom to give some or all of the proceeds from the sale. They could have done what they wanted with their money. What led them to judgment in death wasn’t a desire for riches, although that was no doubt present in their hearts. What led to their deaths was a desire for others in the church to think they were holy.
And you and I aren’t immune to this same temptation. In fact, any time you’re among a people were some quality is prized and praised, then there will be a temptation to give the appearance that we possess that prized and praised quality. Or let me say this more specifically, any time you’re among a people who prize and praise holiness, you and I will face the temptation to want others to think we’re holy, even to think we’re holier than we actually are. And Jesus knows this, and he specifically warned against this in Matthew 6:1-18.
That is, after calling his disciples to a righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees, by not being characterized by anger and lust, being faithful to their marriages, speaking truthfully, being willing to be wronged, and loving our enemies, he does acknowledge that we can do all these actions and others in a way that is actually dishonoring to the Lord. We can do them not with a heart to see the Lord glorified and as an expression of our love for him and our neighbor but with a heart that wants others to see us, recognize us, and praise us. That is, we can give given over to a self-promotion of our own holiness, and when we are indeed given over to that, we can no longer label these holy and righteous acts as holy or righteous.
This is the warning that the Lord makes clear in the first verse of our text, where we find the main point of these verses, namely,
Jesus specifically says in verse 1, “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” (v. 1).
Now, when Jesus warns against practicing righteous deeds before other people, he’s not saying that every righteous act we do cannot be seen by anyone. After all, there are sometimes when it is simply unavoidable. If someone falls down in a public place and is hurt, Jesus doesn’t expect you to run over to that person and say, “I would help you, but people are around, and if I helped you up, others would see what I’m doing.” Of course not. In fact, in the situation in which Ananias and Sapphira were judged, they were giving their money to the apostles, who would have known who gave and what each person gave. There was simply no way around it.
This isn’t a prohibition of any good act being done in a way that others know about it. Again, at times that’s simply unavoidable. Also, if we’re living a life characterized by meekness, poverty of spirit, and enduring persecution with joy in the Lord, then others will indeed see it, hopefully, and glorify our Father who is in heaven. What is forbidden here is doing something in such a way that you hope others see you and glorify you, praise you, and reward you with their admiration and respect. Jesus condemns that. And you and I must be on guard against that motivation gripping our hearts.
Well, what does it look like when we’re doing righteous actions in this manner that is condemned by the Lord (i.e., doing them to be seen by others), and what would it look like to do these same actions in a way that truly honors the Lord? The Lord helps us with that answer by giving us three examples in verses 2-18. He gives the examples in the form of someone giving alms, someone praying, and someone fasting.
In these three examples that Jesus gives, you’re going to see a pattern that he uses in each case. He’ll say, “When you do _________, don’t do it this certain manner as the hypocrites do. They do it to be seen or praised by others, and that reward from man is all they get. Rather when you _________, do it in this other manner, and you’ll be rewarded by your Father.”
Jesus first example involves giving to the needy, even as we saw in the opening introduction regarding Ananias and Sapphira. Jesus says in verses 2-4, "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 you 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 in each case he labels those who do righteous deeds in order to be seen and praised by others as hypocrites. That is, someone who gives the appearance of something that simply isn’t true. In these cases, the individuals Jesus condemns and warns us against being are those who appear to do certain righteous acts out of a desire to love God and neighbor but are really doing righteous deeds in order to be seen and praised by others. Jesus calls this hypocrisy and warns against it in these three examples.
Now, first, Jesus presupposes that his people will give of their financial resources to help others in need. Again, we saw this going on in the early church in Acts 4-5, and we have a system whereby we make sure that the financial needs of the members of our church are cared for, by taking a portion of what we give in the offering and setting it aside specifically for the task of helping those in need among the church. Then, we also set aside some of the income given to the church to be given to ministries like the Care Center and RIFA, who work to help provide for those in need. Additionally, you may personally give to individuals in need to giving to ministries like the Care Center, RIFA, or others, or even by giving to specific individuals in need. Jesus expects his people to care for the needy, and that’s why we make sure to do that with the church’s resources.
However, Jesus also warned against doing this in a way so that everyone sees your giving, knows your giving, and praises you for it. Specifically, he mentions the sounding of a trumpet. Apparently, when individuals gave in the synagogues and in the streets, there was some way to draw attention to it. Maybe there was some literal trumpet you could pick up and blow to announce what you’d done. Maybe Jesus is simply being figurative about blowing the trumpet.
And if you and I think that the example is too silly to be literal, then we should search through Twitter and see the numerous examples of people heralding their good deed. In fact, the twenty-first century version of blowing the trumpet after giving to the needy may be sending out a tweet that says something like, “Really honored to help out at the soup kitchen today -- #blessed.” Jesus hates the self-promotion of our “holy” acts through Twitter, I think.
What then does our giving need to look like? After all, he expects us to give. Jesus says, that we should try to give in secret. Specifically he tells us to give in such a way that our left hand doesn’t know what our right hand is doing.
Now, you and I know that’s impossible in any literal sense. After all, my left hand is operated by the same brain that tells my right hand what to do. But I think we can clearly understand Jesus’ point. Give in secret. Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that you can never give in such a way that anyone at all knows about it. Our financial secretary at the church has to enter information about how gave and what amount was given so that we might receive contribution statements at the end of the year to file with our taxes. And even in the early church, at least Peter (if not the rest of the apostles) knew what people gave because they were the one’s receiving the gifts from their hands. But the point is, make no effort to promote your gift or make it known. Don’t announce it. Keep it secret.
But that doesn’t mean that you’ll be without reward. Now, it’s true, there may be no person who comes along and praises you for your self-sacrificial generosity. But the Lord sees, and he’ll reward you. And we must not forget that. In fact, I think that’s a key weapon with which we fight when we’re tempted to get the praise of men for our deeds. Any time that we’re tempted to get the reward of men’s praise, we can stop and say, “Wait, I don’t need that. My Father, who sees in secret will reward me in his kingdom.”
Now, I want to skip down to the third example briefly and then come back to the second. The third example Jesus gives is that of fasting. Again, you can see he follows his established pattern on this topic when he says in verses 16-18, “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.”
Again, we see that Jesus presupposes that his disciples will fast. Fasting can perhaps be understood as going without other things as well, but typically fasting is understood as going without food. And this isn’t a practice with the hope of losing weight or thinking that somehow the more we suffer the godlier we are. The practice of fasting, rather, was a means by which we express to the Lord our deep hunger or longing to know him more, love him more, see him work in amazing ways, etc. And it is typically therefore accompanied by prayer.
And among some in the first century, fasting became a regular thing. Perhaps they’d do it once or twice a week. That’s great. The problem is, they’d also make sure everybody knew it by looking like they’re starving and suffering. Jesus says, “Don’t do that.” Fast in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Again, the point isn’t that you can never acknowledge you’re fasting. If someone invites you to lunch some day and you say you can’t go, you don’t have to plead the fifth if they press why you don’t want to join them for lunch and even volunteer to pay. You can tell them you’re fasting. The point is, however, not to intentionally draw attention to yourself so that others might think more highly of you for your holy action of fasting.
The final example I want to point us two (which is actually the second example Jesus gives us) is that of prayer. Once more, you can see he follows his established pattern on this topic when he says in verses 5-6, “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.”
Now, once more, this is a rebuke against praying in order to be seen and praised. This isn’t a rebuke of praying publicly. Of course it is good to pray publicly. The early church gave themselves to prayers, Paul gave instruction to the Corinthian church for how they are to pray as they gather for corporate (public) worship, and Jesus prayed publicly. Public prayer is good.
However, we must be people whose prayer life does not consist solely of public praying. Rather, there needs to be a place you go and time you make for secret, private prayer. And I think this might be the hardest thing for our flesh to do. It’s even easier for our flesh to study the Bible because then at least your biblical knowledge might come out in conversation so that your Christian friends can be impressed. You might even quote some Scripture so and others be impressed with your memorization skills. But, if you get alone and pray and don’t come out and talk about it, it does nothing at all for your flesh. Your pride isn’t helped one bit. There’ll be no one impressed with your secret prayer that they know nothing about. And Jesus says, “This is good.”
So, you and I need to be faithful to pray in secret. We should find some place, some spot, perhaps even a consistent time to get alone and pray. And no matter how hard it is and how little it does for your flesh, Jesus wants you to know that your Father who sees what you’re doing in secret will reward you.
But on that note of prayer, Jesus does give one more warning. He tells us in verses 7-8, “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.”
Those who don’t know the Lord and pray to their gods often pray, Jesus says, from a position of thinking that they have to perform to wrestle answers to prayer from their gods or favor from the hands of their gods. Consequently, they use a lot of words. But Jesus says that we don’t have to be like them because our Father knows what we need before we ask him.
What that means is that when you and I pray, we need to first understand that we’re not praying to a god who is unknown to us and is opposed to us unless we say the right things, agonize enough before him, etc. Rather, we are praying to our Father, who loves us and knows what we need. He loves us, is for us, delights in caring for us and providing for us. That’s who we’re praying to.
Therefore, prayer doesn’t have to be intimidating. You’re simply talking to your heavenly Father who already knows your needs. If you are praying and need to say along the way, “Father, I don’t even know exactly what I’m asking for,” that’s okay; he does.
But we might say, “That sounds good. But what should my praying look like?” Well, thankfully in verses 9-13 Jesus gives us a model. That is to say, he doesn’t give us something to be repeated word-for-word, but a model for what prayer can look like.
He first says, “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, one earth as it is in heaven” (vv. 9-10). That is, when you start to pray to your Father, one thing that can be a regular request from your heart is to see the Lord bring honor and glory to his name. You long for and request that many will come to bow the knee to him, acknowledge that he is the Lord, love and worship him. This should shape your praying.
In fact, I try to regularly just think through this model because I’m so prone to drifting in my praying that this helps me. And this guides me in praying for the Lord to glorify his name. And alongside of that, Jesus instructs us to pray that the Lord would let his kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I think this means two things. First, it means that we pray for the Lord to show his reign as king now. We ask that in this age the Lord would save people, bring justice, set things right. This part of the model prayer often leads me to pray for things that feel beyond hope, like stopping abortion, healing individuals who are sick and suffering, etc. The point is that the Lord reigns, all will be perfect in his kingdom, and I’m praying that he’ll demonstrate that now. I’m praying that he’ll bring his perfect will to bear now in situations even as I know it’s being done in heaven.
But this also reminds me to pray for the day when Christ will return and his kingdom will be here fully. This age of suffering, sin, and death will give way completely to an age where life, and righteousness, and justice will reign. I’ve felt personally moved to pray in this way, for the return of the Lord, as I consider the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Jesus tells us that this should shape our prayers. However, it’s also okay to pray for ourselves personally. In fact, Jesus tells us to pray for our daily bread.
Now, this would make more sense if we lived as many in Jesus’ own day lived where you might be paid for a day’s work at the end of the day and your income might only be enough to pay for your basic needs for that day. That kind of life makes you desperate for the Lord to come through for you again and again. And there’s not as much temptation to think about what next year might hold because you’re in danger of not having bread today.
Jesus tells us to ask our Father to give us our bread, what we need for the day. Stop and ask him to provide for your needs. There’s nothing wrong but in fact everything right with praying that way. Just this past month as Lili and I found out our van was drinking oil and we didn’t have funds set aside to pay for another van, I began praying regularly that the Lord would allow our van to keep running. That was my daily need. And to this point he’s been pleased to do so.
The point is, it’s not a place of maturity to think that we don’t have daily needs from the Lord and have all things handled. Rather, it’s Christian maturity to regularly acknowledge that you have much need before the Father and he is able and willing to provide. But we should be faithful in asking.
Finally, Jesus instructs us to ask forgiveness for our sins, and he makes clear in verses 14-15 that we cannot expect to be forgiven if we’re the kind of people who are unwilling to forgive others. We must not be like the man who was forgiven of his debt but then demanded that the one indebted to him pay every penny. Rather, we forgive and ask the Lord for forgiveness as well, fully trusting that he’ll provide that forgiveness.
And we pray that the Lord will not lead us into temptation and deliver us from evil. The point here isn’t that the Lord might lead us into tempting situations otherwise. I think, rather, that this is simply a way of saying that we should pray that the Lord would enable us to run from sin and run after righteousness, protecting us from the attacks and schemes of the evil one. Again, how many times are we neglecting to fight sin and pursue righteousness in prayer. Jesus expects his children to hunger and thirst for righteousness in prayer.
So, it’s fair to ask ourselves this morning if we are given over to a hypocritical righteousness. Are we okay laboring in righteousness and not being seen and praised by our fellow man? We must be. But we can be because the one who sees in secret, our Father, does indeed see us and he’ll reward us. Therefore, we can come to him daily in prayer, in a secret place, ask for his glory to be known and his care for us to be shown, and he delights in hearing and answering us. And if we ever struggle in thinking that we need man’s praise, attention, and glory, let’s remember that the one who sees in secret and will reward us is the one who has already sent his Son to live, die, and be raised for us. And if he’s done that to make sinners like us his children, I think we can trust that his reward is much greater than anything our flesh craves in this life. Let us even show our trust in his now as we come to the table and give thanks to our Father. Amen.