I have entitled our message this morning, “An Audience of One,” based on a song by Christian music artist Big Daddy Weave. Allow me to share some of the lyrics of this song: “I come on my knees, to lay down before You; bringing all that I am, longing only to know You. Seeking Your face, and not only Your hand; I find You embracing me, just as I am.” “To my audience of One; You are Father and You are Son. As Your Spirit flows free, let it find within me, a heart that beats to praise You. And now just to know You more, has become my great reward. To see Your kingdom come, and Your will be done; I only desire to be Yours, Lord.” This morning, we are going to learn how when we pray to the Lord, and even give, that it is to be done entirely for Him and not as a public display for others. Every act of worship is to be seen only by an audience of One.
Our Works Are for God’s Eyes (vv. 1-4)
1 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. 2 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. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
When I read these words, I am reminded of a quote from the movie “Wonder Woman 1984.” Max Lord was boasting of how he had given a sizable donation to the Smithsonian Institute; and that’s when Diana, known as Wonder Woman, told him this: “I have found that true benefactors avoid the limelight to allow the focus to be on the museum.” For our purpose as Christians, let me restate this: “True benefactors of the kingdom avoid the limelight to allow the focus to be on God.” This is so the receiver of the gift will give praise to the Lord, rather than giving praise to the person who gave.
Jesus said, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men” (v. 1). Some translations read, “Take heed that ye do not your righteousness.”(1) The word “righteousness” has nothing to do with all other righteous acts as we might envision them, such as prayer and fasting. This word only applied to the giving of alms. “To withhold from the poor what [was needed was] to deal unrighteously. Hence . . . the Jews very much placed their justifying righteousness before God in the performance of [alms].”(2) God desires that we give to the poor (James 1:27, 2:17). But, contrary to what the Jews believed, our works are not what makes us righteous before God (Ephesians 2:8-9); they are to be an overflow of the salvation and righteousness that we already have in Christ.
In verse 2, Jesus said, “When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets” (v. 2). Some say this refers to the collection box for money. “There was a trumpet shaped metal cone that funneled into the collection box and narrowed at the opening into the box. This prevented people from sticking their hands into the box to steal money. Additionally, one could throw their coins into the cone in such a way as to create a loud clanging [sound] so everyone around knew that they were putting a lot of money into the collection box.”(3)
Others “say that there was actually a trumpet that would be blown to indicate that it was time for the poor in the community to come to the temple to receive financial aid.”(4) “Perhaps some givers had deliberately timed their giving with the trumpets in order to be ‘caught’ giving to the needy and praised by others for their generosity.”(5) But I think the best way to interpret what Jesus was saying goes back to the old expression, “Don’t toot your own horn.”
Jesus said not to blow your own horn as the “hypocrites” do. The word “hypocrite” is a Greek word that means “actor in a play” and “one who impersonates another.”(6) Commentator A. T. Robertson says it means “to pretend,” “to feign,” “to conceal one’s true motives,” and “to wear a mask.” “This is the hardest word that Jesus has for any class of people, and He employs it for these pious pretenders who pose as perfect.”(7) So, to whom was He referring? Well, in Matthew 23:13, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.” Jesus mentioned the Scribes and Pharisees. They were the hypocrites! Now, the opposite of a hypocrite is being oneself, being real, and being sincere; what we like to call “authenticity.” So, in these verses, Jesus was talking about coming before God in sincerity.
In verse 3, He said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” To sit at someone’s right hand was a place of respect. We have a statement today about being a person’s “right hand man.” In Jesus’ day and time, the right hand was a position where that individual was given a level of authority. That person could make certain important decisions for you. He could operate your business for you, and you could trust him explicitly to do what you required.(8) He was your proxy; and much like your power of attorney. What Jesus meant was this: “When you give, do not even tell your dearest friend. Do not allow the one who sits on your right hand to know what you are doing with your left hand.”(9)
In verse 4, Jesus said that your charitable deed should be done in secret. “The allusion seems to be to the secret chamber, where money was brought privately for the relief of the poor. There were two chambers in the sanctuary, the one was ‘the chamber of secrets,’ and the other ‘the chamber of vessels.’ The ‘chamber of secrets’ was that into which pious persons put [their alms] in secret, and the poor . . . were maintained out of it privately.” This was the practice of the Jews, to give their alms privately; but the Scribes and Pharisees had perverted that practice.(10) Jesus also said in verse 4, that when you give in secret, “Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” Most modern translations, such as the New International Version, will leave out the word “openly.”(11)
I want to backup to a statement made in verse 2, which is, “They have their reward” (v. 2). This phrase can literally be translated, “They can sign the receipt of their reward.”(12) Jesus wanted the Scribes and Pharisees to know how God felt about their behavior. When God considered their pursuit of recognition, He was telling them, “You have received your reward! Here is your proof of payment! Now, sign it and move on! This public notoriety is all the reward you will ever get!” “If you give your alms to demonstrate your own generosity, you will get the admiration of men – but that is all you will ever get. That is your payment in full.”(13) If your one aim is to acquire for yourself the world’s rewards, no doubt you will get them; but you will forfeit the rewards which only God can give.
So, do these words “mean that it is wrong to give openly? Must all giving be anonymous? Not necessarily, for everyone in the early church knew that Barnabas had given the income from the sale of his land (Acts 4:34-37). When the church members laid their money at the apostles’ feet, it was not done in secret. The difference, of course, was in the motive and manner in which it was done.”(14) So, ultimately, what Jesus is telling us here is that we should check our motives when we give.
Our Prayers Are for God’s Ears (vv. 5-8)
5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
In verse 5, Jesus said, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.” We know by now that the term “hypocrite” is a reference to the Scribes and Pharisees; and Jesus told us that “they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets” (v. 5). What He had in mind was “the canonical prayers.” The Pharisees were obligated to pray certain long prayers (called phylacterical prayers) at set times of the day within the canonical framework.(15) In fact, all the Jews were to stop whatever they were doing, and in whatever place a man found himself, he was supposed to pray.(16)
The first canonical prayer was at 9 am when the Temple gates opened. This was the third hour of the day. The second canonical prayer was at 3 pm, and it was known as “the hour of confession.” This was the ninth hour of the day.(17) The Pharisees would plan on being out on the streets when they knew it was time for one of these prayers to happen. Commentator Adam Clark says, “The Pharisees, who were full of vain glory, contrived to be overtaken in the streets by the canonical hour, that they might be seen by the people, and be applauded for their great and conscientious piety.”(18)
Verse 6, which speaks about going into your room, shutting the door, and praying to your Father in the secret place, reminds me of the Christian movie “War Room.” In one scene, Miss Clara Williams told Elizabeth Jordan, “I think it’s time for me to show you my favorite place in this house.” She then led her upstairs. When they approached a closet, Miss Clara said, “Now, this is where I do my fighting.” “A closet?” said Elizabeth, with a puzzled look. And Clara boldly replied, “I call it my war room.”(19) A “war room” is what we like to call a “prayer closet.”
The Greek word here for “room” (tameion) means, “a store-house, a separate apartment, one’s private chamber, closet, or den where [one] can withdraw from the world, and shut the world out and commune with God.”(20) Jesus was saying that “instead of praying in the synagogues and on the street corners, go into your room, into some place of privacy and seclusion. Isaac [for example] went into the field (Genesis 24:63), Christ to a mountaintop, [and] Peter to the housetop.”(21) When we pray to the Lord in our secret place, then according to the New International Version, “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
In verse 7, Jesus said not to use “vain repetitions” and “many words.” The term for “vain repetitions” is called “battology,” which is defined as, “idle babbling over the same words again and again to no purpose,” named after “Battus”(22) – and we are going to learn about Battus. “Vain repetitions” is battologesete in the Greek. Logesete means “speaking,” but the prefix batto has a unique meaning. Batto is derived from an individual named Battus. According to commentator Adam Clark, Battus was known for writing hymns that contained too many words and were tediously lengthy.(23) But there was also a Battus in Greek mythology, who was transformed from ‘stutterer’ to being the ‘ruler’ of Cyrene.(24) This may be the reason why one commentary says that Jesus likened vain repetitions to the babbling or stuttering of pagans.(25)
The term for “many words” is called “polylogia,” which is defined as, “the use of too many words” with the belief “that God needs either to be informed or argued with by us.”(26) “The pagans thought that by endless repetitions and many words they would inform their gods as to their needs and weary them into granting their requests.”(27) I think another quote from the movie “War Room” would be appropriate here. Miss Clara said, “The goal of prayer is not to change God’s mind about what you want. The goal of prayer is to change your own heart, to want what He wants, to the glory of God.”(28)
In Matthew 23:14, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.” The word “pretense” may shed some light on verse 7. “Pretense” is defined as “presenting to others, either in words or actions, a false . . . appearance.”(29) So, simply put, a pretense is putting on a show. When Jesus mentioned “vain repetitions” and “many words,” He meant that the Scribes and Pharisees were basically “showing off” their righteousness before others.
Commentator Matthew Henry says, “Using many words [describes] an affection for verbosity in prayer, because men love to hear themselves talk. Not all long prayers are forbidden. Christ prayed all night (Luke 6:12). It is not much ‘praying’ that is condemned; no, we are bid to pray always, but much ‘speaking’ [is condemned].”(30) Clark says, “Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. The eloquence of prayer consists in the fervency of desire and the simplicity of faith. The abundance of fine thoughts, studied and [exaggerated] motions, and the order and politeness of the expressions, are things which compose a mere [tedious] human [speech], not a humble and Christian prayer.”(31)
In verse 8, Jesus told us not to be like the hypocrites with their vain repetitions and many words. So, did Jesus mean that we should only ask God for something one time, and never ask Him again? No! Jesus was warning against the use of prayer to persuade and manipulate God, in order to gain some kind of selfish advantage.(32) Remember, “the pagans thought that by endless repetitions and many words they would inform their gods as to their needs and weary them into granting their requests.”(33) “The fact that a request is repeated does not make it a ‘vain repetition,’ for both Jesus and Paul repeated their petitions (Matthew 26:36-46; 2 Corinthians 12:7-8). A request becomes a ‘vain repetition’ if it is only [the] babbling of words without a sincere heart desire to seek and do God’s will.”(34)
“Jesus does not forbid sincere repetition in prayer. In Gethsemane He prayed three times for the possible removal of His cup. But God is not pressured into action when we heap up empty phrases. It is not the function of prayer to inform God, for He already knows what you need before you ask. He does not have to be persuaded, for He is already concerned for our good.”(35)
We are to pray unto God as a child speaks to his father. “Therefore, our addresses to Him should be easy, natural, and unaffected. Children do not . . . make long speeches to their parents when they want something . . . [So] let us come to Him with the disposition of children, with love, reverence, and dependence” simply saying unto Him, “Abba, Father.”(36) “He is a Father that knows our case and knows our wants better than we do ourselves. He knows what things we have need of; His eyes run to and fro through[out] the earth, to observe the necessities of His people (2 Chronicles 16:9), and He often gives before we call (Isaiah 65:24), and more than we ask for (Ephesians 3:20).”(37)
Time of Reflection
So, allow me to briefly summarize what Jesus taught us in these verses. First, when we give to charity or give our tithes, we must make sure that it is anonymous. We should give, because it is our heart’s desire, not because we have the ulterior motive of gaining human recognition. We are to give in such a way that all praise, honor, and glory goes to God alone. Secondly, when we pray, we should talk to God as we would a Father and use normal speech. It is not necessary to have some eloquent, rehearsed prayer in King James English. We should pray with sincerity and say exactly what is on our heart. There is no need to impress God or others with fancy words or repetitiveness.
Now, I want to back up and address something important, which is how the Jews equated the giving of alms with righteousness. God is pleased with our benevolent giving, but it does not earn us a place in heaven. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” We cannot work our way into heaven with good deeds, such as the giving of alms. The only thing that will guarantee our place in heaven is our confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Jews equated alms-giving with righteousness, but God equates faith in His Son with righteousness (Galatians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
There are some people who will unashamedly pursue money and fame, and be honest about their lack of faith in God and Jesus Christ. There are others, however, who are just as lost, but they disguise it well. They too desire fame and recognition, but they cloak their desire with religious language and good works. Some become involved in civic groups and humanitarian efforts, but their real desire is not for the good of others, but the personal benefit of public notoriety. Some who do community service or pray all the time will even think to themselves that God might take notice and reserve them a spot in heaven; but, on judgement day, when they plead their case before the Lord and tout their good works, He will say to them, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23).
That is one of the saddest statements in the Bible; and if you want to make sure the Lord does not deny knowing you, then you had better not deny knowing Him. Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” So, I want to extend an opportunity this morning for you to walk the aisle during the hymn of invitation, and pray to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life; and then afterward, to stand before this body of believers, declaring your faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God.
NOTES
(1) John Gill, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/ (Accessed August 21, 2023).
(2) Ibid.
(3) Matthew C. McCraw, “How We Should Give,” First Baptist Church Bartow: https://fbcbartow.org/sermons/give-matthew-61-4/ (Accessed August 21, 2023). His source for this information is likely Adam Clark’s commentary on Matthew, p. 82.
(4) Ibid.
(5) “What Does Matthew 6:2 Mean?,” BibleRef: https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/6/Matthew-6-2.html (Accessed August 21, 2023).
(6) A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1930), p. 50.
(7) Ibid., pp. 50-51.
(8) Carleen Gibson-Elliot, “What Does Sitting at the Right Hand of Someone Mean with Respect to Authority?” Quora: https://www.quora.com/What-does-sitting-at-the-right-hand-of-someone-mean-with-respect-to-authority-Heb-1-3-Mt-20-23 (Accessed August 23, 2023).
(9) Gill.
(10) Ibid.
(11) Frank Stagg, The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1969), p. 114; the word “openly” is probably not authentic to the text.
(12) Robertson, p. 51.
(13) William Barclay, “The Gospel of Matthew,” The Daily Bible Study, vol. 1 (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), p. 185.
(14) Warren Wiersbe, “The Complete New Testament in One Volume,” The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 22.
(15) Adam Clark, Clark’s Commentary (Nashville: Abingdon Press), p. 84.
(16) Barclay, pp. 193-194.
(17) “Hours of Prayer for the Old Covenant Church in the 1st Century AD,” Agape Bible Study: https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/charts/The%20Jewish%20Hours%20of%20Prayer.htm (Accessed August 22, 2023).
(18) Clark, p. 84.
(19) “War Room,” IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3832914/characters/nm2068185 (Accessed August 23, 2023).
(20) Robertson, p. 51.
(21) Matthew Henry, “New Testament,” NIV Matthew Henry Commentary in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992), p. 26.
(22) “Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete),” Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/ (Accessed August 23, 2023).
(23) Clark, p. 84.
(24) Erwin Cook, “Myth and History in Ancient Greece,” Bryn Mawr Classical Review: https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2004/2004.11.36/ (Accessed August 22, 2023).
(25) Stagg, p. 114.
(26) “Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete),” Bible Study Tools.
(27) Robertson, p. 52.
(28) “War Room Quotes,” Bookroo: https://bookroo.com/quotes/war-room (Accessed August 23, 2023).
(29) Noah Webster, “Pretense,” 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language.
(30) Matthew Henry, “New Testament,” p. 27.
(31) Clark, p. 84.
(32) Stagg, p. 114.
(33) Robertson, p. 52.
(34) Wiersbe, p. 22.
(35) Stagg, pp. 114-115.
(36) Matthew Henry, “New Testament,” p. 27.
(37) Ibid, p. 27.
