Text: Matthew 6:1-4 “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. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
We spoke about what the King has to say about the Kingdom and the Old Testament. We saw six examples that Jesus gave to stress the point that we are incapable of being right with God on our own. We were reminded by James (2:10) – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (Emphasis added) You see – the breaking of one point establishes that we have the sin nature in us. We cannot make ourselves good enough to be accepted by God. However, Christ died to take away our sin nature – and it is only by His righteousness that we can enter into Heaven.
Chapter 5 dealt with the internal part of the Kingdom and Chapter 6
here starts dealing with the external part of the citizen of the Kingdom. Chapter
5 dealt with the righteousness we are to possess as Kingdom citizens, and
chapter 6 shows the righteousness we are to practice.
Both emphasize the motive behind our behavior.
The issues addressed – giving, prayer, fasting, treasures, and trust are all practical considerations. He starts with the emphasis on applying the Kingdom principles to real-life and powerfully applies it in verse 33.
Let us move into the first of these areas – the area of giving – we
will consider it in two parts – the Rules and the Reward. We will see the rules
today (verses 1-3) and see the reward tomorrow (verse 4)
Jesus gives us Rule # 1 - Give Sincerely (verse 1). He stated, “take heed” – this is in the imperative tense – so it is not a suggestion, it is a command. He wants us to realize that our acts of righteousness (charitable deeds) are not for show or for notoriety. The idea of righteousness was originally spelled “right-wise-ness.” You must have the right motive behind it. Even though others may see what you are doing, that should never be the motive for our giving to others. Our motive for giving should always be to be seen by God and seeking to please Him.
So, He also gives us Rule # 2 - Give Secretly (verses 2 – 3). Jesus tells us that calling attention to our giving will cause that to be our only reward. The phrase “sound a trumpet” means calling attention to oneself. We might say “tooting our own horn.” The use that Jesus makes here is that one seeks to advertise to others what they are doing. In fact, the Jews in the Temple prided themselves on being seen for what they would give.
In the Temple, there were six receptacles placed to receive the alms or charitable gifts of the people. These were in the shape of a trumpet. When one placed their coins in the receptacle, it would ring for others to hear. Often, people would bring their gifts in small coins so that the sound would be extended and amplified. We need to be reminded about Jesus pointing out the widow with two mites (Luke 21:1-4).
Jesus harshly calls this type of person a hypocrite. The Greek word means an actor, one who impersonates another. The idea is to wear a mask and pretend. If a man pretends to be pious but is really seeking the applause of men – he is as one author called him – a humbug. Dr. A. T. Robertson said, “This is the hardest word Jesus has for any class of people and he employs it for those pious pretenders who pose as perfect.”
If you seek the honor (glory) and majesty of men – you lose the reward from God. The word in the Greek translate glory is doxazoo – from which is the root of our word Doxology. It is from the Hebrew word kavod and means honor, respect, reverence, importance, distinction, or glory.
So, Jesus gives us two rules dealing with our charitable acts - we are to give Sincerely and Secretly.
Tomorrow, let us see about the reward.
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