![]() ![]() “Oh, let us rather seek to be good than seem to be so.” (Trapp)Ĭ. “There are religious actors still, and they draw good houses.” (Bruce) “In older Greek a hypocrites (‘hypocrite’) was an actor, but by the first century the term came to be used for those who play roles and see the world as their stage.” (Carson) It is not having a standard that makes someone a hypocrite it is falsely claiming to live by that standard when you in fact do not, or when you have a double standard that makes one a hypocrite. As the hypocrites do: Such performers are rightly called hypocrites, because they are actors, acting the part of pious, holy people when they are not. ![]() To give alms was to gain merit in the sight of God, and was even to win atonement and forgiveness for past sins.” (Barclay)ī. “To give alms and to be righteous were one and the same thing. Yet the idea of doing a charitable deed - giving alms and charity - was deeply established in the Jewish mind. “These occasions afforded golden opportunities for ostentation.” (Carson) It may be what Jesus had in mind was the gifts given during feast times, which were signaled by the blast of a trumpet. There aren’t good examples in ancient literature of people actually announcing their giving with the sound of a trumpet. Today, people do not sound a trumpet to project the image of generosity, but they still know how to call attention to their giving. When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet: It was a custom for some in Jesus’ day to draw attention to their giving so they would be known as generous. 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.”Ī. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. “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. ( Matthew 6:2-4) Examples of the wrong kind of giving and the right kind of giving. “These three were (and are) the most prominent practical requirements for personal piety in mainstream Judaism…These same three activities, together with the specifically Islamic requirements of the Hajj and recitation of the creed, constitute also the Five Pillars of Islam.” (France)Ģ. Jesus thus begins to deal with three spiritual disciplines: giving, prayer, and fasting. How I do it is much less important than the doing of it.” It is true that in some cases it would be better to do the right thing in the wrong way or out of the wrong motive than to do the wrong thing, but Jesus’ point is clear: God cares about how we do our good works, and with what motive we do them. There are some who say, “All that is important is the doing of the deed. It is much better to receive a reward from your Father in heaven. ![]() Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven: The idea is when we do righteous deeds for the attention and applause of men, their attention and applause is our reward. Although Christians are to be seen doing good works, they must not do good works simply to be seen.ī. This does not contradict His previous command to let your light so shine before men ( Matthew 5:16). It is almost impossible to do spiritual things in front of others without thinking what their opinion is of us as we do those things, and how they are thinking better or worse of us as we do what we do. Jesus has just clearly shown God’s righteous standard perhaps He anticipated the thought “Wouldn’t everybody be impressed if I was like that?” So here Jesus addressed the danger of cultivating an image of righteousness. Jesus tells us to not do righteous things for the sake of display or image ( to be seen by them). Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men: Charitable deeds is actually the word righteousness. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”Ī. “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. ( Matthew 6:1) Jesus’ warning against doing good to be seen by others. ![]()
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