Matthew 6:1-4
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
In Matthew 6, Jesus makes a transition of sorts and begins to focus on outward formal righteousness that flows out of appropriate inner attitudes and righteousness.
In this section we learn about hypocrisy. A hypocrite is a person who demonstrates outward righteousness but his acts of righteousness are not matched by inward righteousness. Its all just a show. Its deception and its particularly evil because it takes something good and uses it for evil purposes. Its all done in order to please men and be noticed by them and to make them think a certain way that is not really true.
The “hypocrite” is a theatrical term refereed to a Greek actor who wore a mask that portrayed in an exaggerated way the role that was being dramatized. So, the word “hypocrite” has come to be used for anyone who pretends to be something he is not.
Jesus gives three illustrations of religious activities that can become HYPOCRISY. GIVING, PRAYING, FASTING. These are not the only religious activities that flow out of inner righteousness. They were three areas that were used by the hypocritical church men of Jesus day in order to appear righteous before other people.
Any act of righteousness, regardless of how good it may be, that is done to draw attention to the one doing it, is a sham. It is hypocrisy. The devotion is to self and not to God.
We do three bad things.
We sin against God by robbing Him of glory and make a mockery of His true intent for His people to glorify him.
We sin against others by giving them a false understanding of true righteousness.
We lose any real reward. The approval of God.
GIVING alms can refer to any charitable act and eventually came to be used primarily to refer to giving money.
Notice: Jesus is not talking about merely having good intentions, but is he talking about compassion that actually finds expression in action taken. Also, notice that Jesus is talking in definitive terms. He doesn’t say, if you give alms, but he says “When you give alms.”
Acts of kindness and benevolence, and mercy are God’s expectation.
Leviticus 25:35-38
Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36‘Do not take usurious interest from him, but revere your God, that your countryman may live with you. 37‘You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor your food for gain. 38‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
Deuteronomy 15:13-14
When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14“You shall furnish him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
God has always directed his people to be generous and kind to the poor.
Jesus’ denunciation is not directed at only the Pharisees and scribes but toward all well to do Israelites who might make a spectacle when they would give money to help the poor and do charitable things.
They wanted people to know when they gave. In fact, the more they gave or did, the more noise they would make about it.
Chuck Swindol told about an offering box he heard about in a church. It’s the opposite of the kind of "pride-stroking" Jesus warned against. This hi-tech collection box has a laser that reads the contribution immediately. When you drop in a $5 bill or more nothing happens. Any coins that total fifty cents or more sounds a little bell. A quarter will get you a gong; and a dime sets off a siren. If you walk past without giving, a camera pops-up and takes your picture, faxes it to the treasurer and puts a flag on your membership letter.
Jesus denounced the practice because it draws attention to the giver. He has already said that we should do our good deeds in such a way as give glory to God.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
God Does Reward Giving That Is Done Appropriately?
Guiding Principles for nonhypocritical giving.
God Does Reward Generosity
Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
2 Corinthians 9:6-12
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9as it is written,
“HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR,
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.”
10Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.
Philippians 4:16-20
for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Malachi 3:10-12
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.
Give Sacrificial
Mark 12:41-44
And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 43Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
2 Samuel 24:18-25
18So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” 22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.
Give As A Personal Response To Legitimate Need
2 Corinthians 8:1-5
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
Note:
Christians are not responsible for charlatans or professional beggars.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-
6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
Give Joyfully And To Glorify God
See 2 Corinthians 8:5;Philippians 4:18
Jesus did many great works of compassion. He did it all to glorify God.
Even though Jesus was one with the Father, while he lived on this earth as a man, he did not seek his own glory. He focused on glorifying God the Father.
John 8:49-50
48The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50“But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
John 17:1-5
Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
