Matthew 6:1-15

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, NKJV)

Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount to His disciples, and He assumed that they would do charitable deeds, for that is what they saw in Him. Jesus was concerned not only about what His people do, but also about why they do it. Jesus knows the tendency of humans to take a bow and receive recognition from one another. If we give money to a good cause, do we want others to know about it? If we serve someone with our time, do we tell others what we have done? In Matthew 6, Jesus considers three kinds of charitable deeds: giving, prayer, and fasting. What is our motivation for doing these things?

The Pharisees lived to be seen by men. Jesus said, “Don’t sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets.” It is doubtful that they literally blew a trumpet before dropping their shekels into the offering box. But Jesus used a figure of speech to show how much they wanted to be recognized and admired by men. Jesus said, “They have their reward.”

How much better is it to do righteous deeds because they please God? When we give, it should be in secret as an expression of our love for God and for others. Then we will receive a reward openly that endures for eternity.

When we pray, it should not be a long prayer to draw attention to ourselves, but we should go into our room, shut the door, and pray to our heavenly Father in secret. Then God will hear our prayer and reward us openly according to our faith. Jesus gave us a model prayer to help us pray as we ought. This is useful, not for mindless repetition, but as a springboard for worship, petition, and intercession. It focuses our purpose, not to get our will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. If we dedicate ourselves to such secret and earnest prayer, then we will certainly get results. And what greater reward is there than this?