Genuine Generosity
This verse is the thesis statement that introduces the three examples of private piety in 6:2–16.
Some commentators have taken the trumpet sounding literally, but it is hyperbolic (people did not blow trumpets when giving alms) and may reflect a play on words (charity boxes were often shaped like trumpets). Not letting one’s left hand know about the right hand’s gift is clearly hyperbole. The language of “having” a reward “in full” is the language of repayment in ancient business receipts.
Here Christ expands the thought of 5:20, showing how the Pharisees’ righteousness was deficient by exposing their hypocrisy in the matters of “charitable deeds” (vv. 1–4); “prayer” (vv. 5–15); and “fasting” (vv. 16–18). All of these acts are supposed to be worship rendered to God, never displays of self-righteousness to gain the admiration of others.
A hypocrite deliberately uses religion to cover up his sins and promote his own gains. The Greek word translated hypocrite originally meant “an actor who wears a mask.”
But true righteousness must come from within. We should test ourselves to see whether we are sincere and honest in our Christian commitment. In this chapter, Christ applied this test to four different areas of life.
THE KINGDOM TRANSFORMATION that produces inner “heart righteousness” (5:20) will also produce external “acts of righteousness” (6:1) as a disciple becomes more like the heavenly Father (5:48).
The transformation that occurs in the heart of a disciple causes him to love with God’s love, which will be expressed in giving to the needy (6:2–4). The intimacy of the relationship with God that has occurred in the inner person of the disciple will be expressed in an intimate form of personalized prayer between her and the Father (6:5–15). The inner life of the disciple who has experienced true humility and mourning over one’s own sin and the sorry sinful state of the world apart from God will urge her or him to undertake the discipline of fasting in order to examine one’s personal life and to focus on prayer for the world’s repentance (6:16–18).
Donald Whitney states, “The Lord Jesus not only expects these Disciplines of us, He modeled them for us. He applied His heart to discipline. He disciplined Himself for the purpose of Godliness. If we are going to be Christlike, we must live as Christ lived.”
The theme of the entire sermon—the greater righteousness demanded of Jesus’ disciples—clearly continues.
Matthew 5:21–48 focuses on the teaching of the law, on what men believe, and 6:1–18 focuses on the practice of the law, what men do.
Prosechō (beware) means to hold, or take hold of, something and pay attention to it, especially in the sense of being on guard. The scribes, Pharisees, and other hypocrites are warned by Jesus to beware of the religious activities in which they had such pride and confidence. He was about to show them again how worthless, meaningless, and unacceptable to God those activities were.
When his hypocrisy was unmasked, he killed his brother Abel out of resentment (Gen. 4:5–8). Absalom hypocritically vowed allegiance to his father, King David, while plotting the overthrow of his regime (2 Sam. 15:7–10).
The supreme hypocrite was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord with a kiss. Ananias and Sapphira hypocritically claimed to have given the church all the proceeds from the sale of some property, and lost their lives for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1–10).
Being seen by men (6:1). Jesus reveals here an important distinction to be maintained by his disciples. Earlier he urged them to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds” (5:16). Here he admonishes them to “be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them” (6:1). On the surface this may seem like a contradiction, but when we look more closely, we see that the difference in each case is the disciples’ motive in performing public acts of piety.
In the former case, the public display of good works is not for the purpose of drawing attention to the disciple but for people to “praise your Father in heaven” (5:16). Disciples could easily be afraid to let their light of good works shine because it might bring persecution (5:10), so Jesus calls them to think courageously of their heavenly Father’s glory as the motive for public displays of righteousness. In the latter case, Jesus addresses religious vanity, in which case disciples face the temptation to perform public acts of piety and good works to gain the admiration of other people (6:1)
The prevalence of elitism in many traditions partially explains why scores of people are frustrated in their Christian lives. A two-level conception of the Christian life promotes apathy among those who haven’t yet chosen to be committed, and it suggests that the higher level of commitment is optional, which in the daily world of most Christians means that commitment to Christlikeness is optional. One of Jesus’ purposes in the SM, and particularly in addressing the practice of “acts of righteousness” in this section, is to eliminate an elitist conception of discipleship. The practice of the disciplines is a normal outgrowth of discipleship to Jesus. Since all true believers are disciples of Jesus Christ and, correspondingly, all true believers have been born anew to spiritual life by the Spirit of God (cf. Rom. 8:9; Titus 3:3–7), Jesus calls all believers to his form of discipleship, which means faithfully practicing the “acts of righteousness” in devotion to the Father.49
Jesus, having told his disciples of the superior righteousness expected of them, now warns them of the danger of religious hypocrisy. “Your righteousness,” first occurring in 5:20, recurs here, though the focus has changed from “righteousness” in a purely positive sense to “righteousness” in a formal, external sense.
To attempt to live in accord with the righteousness spelled out in the preceding verses but out of motives eager for men’s applause is to prostitute that righteousness.
The Pharisees’ great weakness was that they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise (cf. John 5:44; 12:43).
Jesus calls the persons engaged in this perilous self-promotion “hypocrites.” The term “hypocrite” (hypokrites) was originally used for actors on a Greek stage who put on various masks to play different roles. Jesus here censures the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees, for a particular form of hypocrisy: performing external acts of righteousness that mask, even from themselves, their own inner corruption (cf. 23:25–26). Their hypocrisy is doing right things for the wrong reasons. They perform external religious acts of piety in order be “honored” (doxazo; “glorified”) by people and the religious establishment. The tragic irony is that they will “receive in full” the reward of public and professional acclaim for their pious activities, but they will receive no reward from God.
The term “pagans” is ethnikoi, the regular expression for the Gentiles in Matthew, and “babbling” (battalogeo) indicates a person who repeats the same words over and over without thinking.
The criticism he lodges against the religious leaders is directed at their inner corruption, their hypocrisy, which is the sinful disease of self-glorification. But that corruption was also stimulated by the external reward they received when desire for attention was satisfied by being “honored” by the people and by the religious establishment. They are a classic example of “mixed motives,” where good and bad motivating forces are unwisely or wickedly united. Intentionally acting out of mixed motives is what Jesus directly condemns.
Correct actions with improper motives still do not please God.
In chapter 23, it has become a stereotyped epithet for the scribes and Pharisees. The Greek word means originally an ‘actor’, and here that sense is not far from the surface: they are performing to an audience. It is this rather than any conscious insincerity which is the point of the word here, though elsewhere insincerity (22:18), or at least inconsistency between words and deeds (7:5; 15:7), is in view. The aim of such play-acting is that they may be praised by men, and in that praise it finds its full reward (misthos, literally ‘wages’, that which has been earned). Have (apechō) is a commercial term for receipt in full, and therefore implies there is no more to look forward to (cf. its use in Luke 6:24, and the similar apolambanō in Luke 16:25).
It is not clear whether the trumpets “in the synagogues and on the streets” (v. 2) were literal or metaphorical (cf. our expression “blow your own horn”). The best guess may be that they refer to the noise and clang of throwing money into various collection receptacles. But Jesus’ point is unambiguous: his followers must not parade their piety or show off their good deeds. Such ostentation nullifies the possibility of any spiritual benefit for the almsgiver.
The positive alternative Jesus commands is that we should give in such a way that there is no temptation for others to glorify the giver rather than God. Jesus’ language again is figurative (v. 3 is literally possible only for those who undergo a lobotomy!) and does not imply that we must not keep track of giving or that we be irresponsible in stewardship of finances or refuse to disclose how we spend our money for the sake of demonstrating financial accountability. Jesus was simply explaining that the motive for charity must not be the desire for praise from others.
They were giving for the praise of men. This abuse is as common today as it was then. I wonder what would happen to our great national charities if there were no celebrity benefits or published subscriber lists or bronze plaques or rooms to be named for major donors or pictures to be taken with crippled children. The same question can be asked of the church, with much the same result. Giving so others will think we are good and generous is hypocrisy!
Jesus was not condemning public prayer. He was condemning the desire to be seen praying publicly. The early church thrived on public prayer, as the opening chapters of Acts so beautifully attest (see 1:24; 3:1; 4:24ff.). Jesus was emphasizing that prayer is essentially a conversation between the believer and God.
James Montgomery Boice abandoned his characteristic optimism on one occasion when he told his congregation:
I believe that not one prayer in a hundred of those that fill our churches on a Sunday morning is actually made to Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are made to men or to the praying one himself, and that includes the prayers of preachers as well as those of the members of the congregation
Hypocrisy is never treated lightly in Scripture. Through Amos, God said, “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:21–24). All of those religious acts had been prescribed by God; but because they were performed insincerely and were not accompanied by righteous living they were not acceptable to God. The sacrifices, offerings, and songs were not given to God’s glory but to the people’s own glory and self-satisfaction.
An Aesop’s fable tells of a wolf who wanted to have a sheep for his dinner and decided to disguise himself as a sheep and follow the flock into the fold. While the wolf waited until the sheep went to sleep, the shepherd decided he would have mutton for his own meal. In the dark he picked out what he thought was the largest, fattest sheep; but after he had killed the animal he discovered it was a wolf. What that shepherd did inadvertently to a wolf in sheep’s clothing, God does intentionally. The Lord judges hypocrisy.
Theaomai (to be noticed) is related to the term from which we get theater. It has in mind a spectacle to be gazed at. In other words, Jesus is warning about practicing a form of righteousness (dikaiosunē, acts of religious devotion in general) whose purpose is to show off before men. Such religion is like a play; it is not real life but acting. It does not demonstrate what is in the minds and hearts of the actors, but is simply a performance designed to make a certain impression on those who are watching.
God does not reward men-pleasers (cf. Matt. 5:16), because they rob Him of glory.
A hupokritēs (hypocrite) originally was a Greek actor who wore a mask that portrayed in an exaggerated way the role that was being dramatized. For obvious reasons the term came to be used of anyone who pretended to be what he was not.
Eleēnosunē (alms) literally refers to any act of mercy or pity, but came to be used primarily of giving money, food, or clothing to the poor.
There are many more subtle trumpets people can use to call attention to their good works. When they make a point of doing publicly what they could easily do privately, they behave like the hypocrites, not like God’s children.
The question is not whether or not our good works should be seen by others, but whether they are done for that end. When they are done “in such a way” that attention and glory are focused on our “Father who is in heaven” rather than on ourselves, God is pleased. But if they are done to be noticed by men (6:1), they are done self-righteously and hypocritically and are rejected by God.
Our sinful nature is so subtle that it can defile even a good thing like sharing with the poor. If our motive is to get the praise of men, then like the Pharisees, we will call attention to what we are doing. But if our motive is to serve God in love and please Him, then we will give our gifts without calling attention to them. As a result, we will grow spiritually; God will be glorified; and others will be helped. But if we give with the wrong motive, we rob ourselves of blessing and reward and rob God of glory, even though the money we share might help a needy person.
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. A contrast is Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11), who tried to use their gift to make people think they were more spiritual than they really were.
In each case the motive for correct religious behavior must be to please God rather than fellow humans.
Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting should arise out of trust in God’s fatherly affection, and performing them in secret is symptomatic of a healthy trust in and reliance on God.
Giving to the needy was one of the pillars of religious life. Poverty was widespread in ancient agrarian societies, and the people of Israel took seriously the obligation to provide for the poor (cf. Deut. 15:11). By the time of Jesus the phrase “to do mercy” had become a technical expression of caring for the poor by giving alms.
The question is not whether or not our good works should be seen by others, but whether they are done for that end. When they are done “in such a way” that attention and glory are focused on our “Father who is in heaven” rather than on ourselves, God is pleased. But if they are done to be noticed by men (6:1), they are done self-righteously and hypocritically and are rejected by God.
In each act the logical structure is the same: (1) a warning not to do the act to be praised by men, (2) a guarantee that those who ignore this warning will get what they want but no more, (3) instruction on how to perform the act of piety secretly, and (4) the assurance that the Father who sees in secret will reward openly (for details of the logical structure, cf. H.D. Betz, “Eine judenchristliche Kult-Didache in Matthäus 6:1–18,” in Streaker, Jesus Christus, pp. 445–57).
Lachs objects that this interpretation makes the givers pompous but not hypocrites. In older Greek a hypokritēs (“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. What Lachs overlooks is that there are different kinds of hypocrisy. In one the hypocrite feigns goodness but is actually evil and knows he is being deceptive (e.g., 22:15–18). In another the hypocrite is carried away by his own acting and deceives himself. Such pious hypocrites (as in 7:1–5), though unaware of their own deceit, do not fool most onlookers; and this may be the meaning here. A third kind of hypocrite deceives himself into thinking he is acting for the best interests of God and man and also deceives onlookers. The needy are unlikely to complain when they receive large gifts, and their gratitude may flatter and thus bolster the giver’s self-delusion (cf. D.A. Spieler, “Hypocrisy: An Exploration of a Third Type,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 13 [1975]: 273–79). Perhaps it is best to identify the hypocrisy in 6:2 with this third type.
have no reward from your Father in heaven” (6:1). The term for “reward” is misthos, which can indicate payment of “wages” (20:8) or, as here, the recompense of a person’s good deeds with a good prize. It is an affirmative recognition and recompense by God for the praiseworthy moral quality of a disciple’s acts of righteousness (6:1–2; cf. 5:12).
The notion that God rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior is common in the Old Testament and in Jewish literature. Deuteronomy 28 lists a series of rewards and punishments that are distributed according to Israel’s faithfulness to the covenant, a theme developed by later prophets (e.g., Isa. 65:6–7; 66:6). The Rule of the Community at Qumran presents lists of virtues and vices with their corresponding present world and future life rewards and punishments (1QS 4:2–14).
But Jesus warns his disciples that obedience in the public arena does not guarantee a reward from God, because motive is more important than simple activity.
A second, and consequent, motive is love in response to God’s love for us (5:43–47; cf. 1 John 4:7–21). To have experienced real love from God will move us mightily to love him and to love others. We might then be motivated by the desire to emulate Jesus, as a disciple will become like his or her Master (10:24–25; 2 Cor. 3:18).
There is also the motivation to avoid loss of joy (Ps. 51:12). And, of course, there is the motive of our own future reward
“Man is great insofar as he is wretched.” If we see our problem in all its wretchedness, then we are in a position to receive grace.
What is the answer? First, absolute honesty. Second, we need to remember that God sees all. The psalmist in Psalm 139 says, “If I make my way to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (v. 8). He sees and knows all. He knows the words that are forming on our lips. Each day we should pray something like this: “God, because you know all things, you know my motivations. God, help me to live my life for you.”
The principle is this: if we remember, God will forget; but if we forget, God will remember. Our purpose should be to meet every need we are able to meet and leave the bookkeeping to God, realizing that “we have done only that which we ought to have done” (Luke 17:10).