Our culture admires publicity. People are famous just for being famous. We grow up watching people who command the public eye; we call them stars. They are the people with money, fame, position, power and recognition. They are held up by the media as larger than life, people to be envied. We imagine that if we could only have that same kind of public attention we’d be happy. People sell their most intimate family secrets for 15 minutes of fame on daytime talk shows. And although The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous has bitten the dust, it’s been replaced by the voyeurism catered to by social media like Twitter and Instagram, not to mention the 24-hour news networks... What would you do to get on TV?
Now, people have always wanted to know about the lives of the privileged, the rich, the nobility, as if by knowing how they lived some of the stardust would rub off. There’s a song from Camelot, “I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight” that pokes fun at that universal human tendency. And although there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with being curious about how other people live, curiosity all too easily slips into envy, and from envy into anger and resentment. Today’s obsession with the top 1% is the subject of another sermon. But even people who are actually quite comfortable can lose their sense of gratitude if they compare what they have with Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. Sometimes of course, the reason we are fascinated by this is that we would very much like to stop worrying about the mortgage. But sometimes it’s the public recogni-tion that we covet. For some reason we feel that it would be great to be recognized, to get VIP treatment in restaurants and airports. It’s as if we don’t feel we matter unless other people affirm our existence and worth.
There’s something in most of us that makes us vulnerable to the notion that applause makes us especially valuable. That something often looks like pride. It looks like pride to demand that others publicly acknowledge the fact that we’re above the com-mon herd. But it isn’t pride, really. It’s a kind of insecurity, when you stop to think about it. Some people are unable to believe that they’re worth anything at all unless they get a constant stream of affirmation - even from perfect strangers. And the more uncertain you are about your own worth, the more important it becomes to get valida-tion from others. A lot of actors and performers become addicted to this feedback; many may even have gone into the business of performance because that applause feeds a lack in their own souls. Far too many people believe that their self worth would be enhanced if only lots of people would admire them or at least pay attention to them. We imagine that we would feel better about ourselves if only we were on TV or the front page of the newspaper. The entertainment or sports section, please, not the crime report! Although jail time doesn’t seem to cast a very long shadow these days; just ask Martha Stewart.
But seriously, is fame all it’s cracked up to be? And furthermore, could we handle it? Would it really be good for us, or would it destroy us? A lot of people promise God that they wouldn’t change - really - if they won the lottery. But do you really believe that’s true? More to the point, would we be more useful to God if we were famous? Does God get more bang for the buck by using the powerful, beautiful people? I think if we’re honest with ourselves we would have to say, “No.” Remember what Jesus said about it being easier for the rich man to get through the eye of a needle than into heaven? It’s still true. And the same thing is true of being famous.
And besides, being rich and famous doesn’t do a thing for the basic problem of not feeling important, or worth-while. The problem with this kind of poverty of spirit is that is doesn’t lead to dependence on God. So, given the basic fact that being rich or famous is actually a barrier to being useful to God, the question to ask ourselves is: “Do I want God’s approval or the world’s?” Sometimes you can have both, but not often. And the people who get both usually start out by telling the world to take a hike. Look at Mother Teresa. The single-minded servant of God will, occasionally, gain the reluctant approval of the world. But it doesn’t work the other way around. And it’s much more usual that those who stand for Jesus Christ will face opposition and ridicule and even active persecution.
In today’s passage, Jesus deals with this desire we humans have for applause. Most of the Sermon on the Mount deals with how our relationship with God is reflected in our treatment of people. But this bit looks at how our relationships with people impact our relationship with God. Jesus shows us that if we get this wrong, we can really wreck our spiritual lives. Not only that, it can wreck our spiritual future.
He addresses three of the most important religious activities in the Christian life alms, prayer, and fasting. Each of these can also be what’s called a spiritual disci-pline, that is, an activity undertaken to deepen our spiritual life and intensify our connection with God. Each activity has a different focus: the act of giving alms directs our attention towards other people, prayer directs us towards God, and fasting is directed toward our inner selves. Each one can be performed with a variety of different motivations. Mind you, none of us ever has perfect motivation in everything we do. But as we listen to Jesus, let’s examine our own internal lives, see where we recognize our own weaknesses and failings, and turn them over to God.
GIVING ALMS is the first item on Jesus’ list. This is a specific kind of giving, and referred to the expected response of a devout Jew to the needs of the poor and needy. Alms-giving wasn’t optional; it was required. That is why Jesus spoke of when you give alms - not if. There was no safety net, no temple food-shelf. The responsibility for feeding the poor rested on each individual Jew, as he or she responded to the people in the community. Everyone was expected to give.
And Jesus affirmed that principle of giving alms. What he objected to was how many of them went about it. “Do not sound a trumpet before you,” he said. That is what Ted Turner did several decades ago when he donated $1 billion to the United Nations, announcing it to the NY Times and on Larry King Live. And of course you’ve heard of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. You may also have heard Warren Buffett’s promise to give 99% of his wealth to charity. Although this sounds good, the fact is that these gifts cost the giver nothing, and cost the public a great deal. First, you avoid capital gains on the appreciated assets. Secondly, assets that you transfer to your foundation are also exempt from estate and gift taxes, yet they are under your control forever. “This kind of public giving,” said Jesus, “is what the hypocrites do.” He went on to point out that the reason why they called attention to their giving was so “that they may be honored by men.” And then he went on to say that this honor or applause of men was going to be “their reward in full.” Of course, in those days there was no tax benefit for charitable giving. Incidentally, the word “hypocrite” comes from a Greek word meaning “mask wearer," referring to the actor performing a part, someone whose true identity is hidden. The public sees the mask; God sees behind it.
So you see, no matter how loudly the brass ensemble that accompanies our giving might play, God can see when our hearts are filled neither with love for his law or with pity for the poor, but rather with concern for our own reputations. Sometimes also for financial reasons as well as to control our assets even after our deaths, trying to get around the warning given in Ecclesiastes:
I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to my successor, and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. [Ec 2:18-19a]
God can tell when neither his approval nor the well-being of others occupies first place in our hearts, and he gives us what we value most. If it’s control, well, in the long run that’s never really an option, is it. “The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” [Pr 19:21] But if it’s public acclaim, we do get applause. We get God’s approval only if that is what we value.
Jesus goes on to say that not only should we never give in order to be seen by others, we shouldn’t give to make ourselves feel proud, either. That is what he means when he says that “our left hand should not know what our right hand is doing.” Don’t count up how many charitable things you’ve done in order to feel good about yourself, in order to justify yourself before God, or to balance against some pettiness of soul you still cherish. If you do that, you’re rewarded by your own view of yourself, your own self-congratulation. It is only after you get your ego or reputation completely out of the picture - that “your Father - who sees in secret - [will] repay you.”
PRAYER is the next spiritual discipline that Jesus turns his attention to. In this ac-tivity we reach out to God. Or at least we’re supposed to. Again, he says when you pray, not if you pray. Obviously, prayer is something to be engaged in by every believer. And just like giving, prayer can be offered with pure motives or with mixed motives or even solely for public consumption.
Jesus again points to of “the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men.” The motivation again is public recognition, public applause. In this country, of course, we don’t have people praying on street corners expecting to be acclaimed for their oratory. At least not nowadays. But we still have people who have reputations as great public prayers, and who seize every opportunity to display their skills in public; on TV, at prayer breakfasts, even - dare I suggest - at National Day of Prayer gatherings. People comment on their eloquence. “Did you hear that wonderful prayer,” they may say. “Wow, I certainly wish I could pray like that!” Not everyone who prays well is doing it for the applause. But the more eloquent, the more danger. It’s easy to slip away from focusing on God to making sure the listeners are impressed. And then the praise of men becomes the focus of the prayer. And praise is what they get, and all they get. It is their reward in full.
Professional Christians - pastors and priests and the like - have to be very careful about our public words, our public deeds. We are called on to be public religious figures, modeling and teaching the religious life. Our prayers, our alms-giving, our spiritual disciplines need to be visible to our people, so that they may see and learn. But we have to be very careful; as James says, “we who presume to teach will be judged more harshly.” [Jas 3:1] Those who serve as elders and deacons also have important roles as models and teachers. And earlier in this same sermon, Jesus said “let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” [Mt 5:16]
How do we reconcile these two sets of instructions? How can let our light shine if we’re keeping our religious life secret? It’s a question first of priorities, and secondly of motivation. We keep our motives pure by putting our private relationship with God in first place. Only by making sure that the majority of our spiritual life does take place in private, in an inner room, personal between ourselves and God. Only when our private interaction with God is full and complete can the overflow be given to the world. As soon as you find yourself losing your balance, the time has come to retreat from your public role, and go on retreat. This is why the last spiritual discipline Jesus mentions has no public role at all.
This last practice is FASTING. Here Jesus turns to the discipline of dealing with self. Fasting focuses on denying self in order to become more surrendered to God. Again, Jesus assumed that everyone would fast, at some point or another. Fasting applies particularly to food; however, it can also refer to the intentional giving up of any self-indulgence. During the season of Lent many Christians choose to give up certain luxuries for those 40 days, maybe watching sports, eating dessert or junk food, sleeping late, grumbling, alcohol, romance novels, shopping. There is a place for sharing your resolve with another person for accountability, particularly if fasting is new to you, but the greatest value comes when it is entirely private.
The issue is, as in the other two cases, the motives of our hearts. Since the purpose of a fast is to draw us closer to God, bringing anyone else into the process dilutes the effectiveness. If it’s between you and God, in fact, you don’t want other people involved any more than you want someone else in your bedroom with your spouse.
But if you’re doing it for the public, why, make sure you’re dressed for the part, so that you’ll have the right impact. Get the expression and posture and costume right, so there won’t be any doubt. Put on a gloomy face, wear sackcloth and ashes, walk slowly. Look spiritual. Make sure that everyone knows you’re denying self. And then other people will see how spiritually superior your self actually is. Do you hear the contradiction? You cannot deny your self in public. To do it in public in fact calls attention to your self, and - once again - you have your reward. An earthly one. These have their reward in full.
Jesus wants us to be quite clear on the real issues involved in spiritual practices. In religious activities, just like in everything else, God looks on our hearts even more closely than on our actions, and he knows better even than we do what our motivations are. If we care more about what people think than what God thinks, even those things we say we are doing for God lose their power to bring us closer to God.
Why do we do what we do? Why do we serve in the church? Why do we teach Sunday School? Why do we preach or pray or tithe or fast? We can do all those things from a variety of reasons - for guilt or pride or duty or love... God understands that for almost all of us there can be a little of all mixed in together. But if the desire of our hearts is truly to serve God and his people, we can offer them to God to purify. We do that part in the inner room, in the prayer closet, offering up our motives as well as our actions - and by his Spirit, even we imperfect people can give a perfectly acceptable sacrifice.
