The Red Letters #7

Public Piety vs. Private Audience

Baseball is back! I have always loved baseball. There is nothing quite like the sound of the crack of the bat to announce that Spring has arrived. When we lived in Cambridge, we lived close enough to the park that we could sometimes hear the ping of the bat from our home.

If I had pursued any sport, it would have been baseball. So, I am going to put on my baseball jersey now, and if I do that, I will be a baseball player, right? Well, maybe I need to have more of a uniform - how about if I put on the hat, and add the baseball pants and cleats? That would work, right? You are doubting my ability aren’t you? And for good reason! Just looking like a baseball player on the outside wouldn’t make me a baseball player.

In a small college town a tavern frequented by students ran the following ad in the campus paper during the days before Parents Weekend: "Bring Your Parents for Lunch Saturday. We’ll Pretend We Don’t Know You!" The ad was soon challenged by the college chaplain, who posted a revised version on the campus bulletin board. It read: "Bring Your Parents to Chapel Sunday. We’ll Pretend We Know You!"

I have a friend who constantly reminds people that “perception is reality.” That is often the mantra of the way our world works today. There is a great deal of truth to that statement, but I would challenge that sometimes perception doesn’t match reality. Over the past several months, we have seen people get caught doing things that appear to be one thing while there is a very different reality. In one situation, an elementary student had police show up at his home because on the wall behind him while he was at virtual school, there was a bb gun. Since guns are not allowed in school, the teacher reported the student because he had “brought a gun to school.”

We have probably all also seen the cases where people were dressed for the office from the waist up, but were wearing shorts and accidentally allowed their shorts to be seen by those on Zoom with them. People often fake all kinds of things:

We have public heroes that people almost worship only to find out that they were pretending to be someone they were not.

We have political leaders who claim to be champions of the poor only to find out they are using the poor for votes.

People use people to get what they want. Maybe some of you have experienced that.

Far too often, that also spreads into the church. We have all seen the religious leaders that have used their position to abuse children and the vulnerable.

What do you think about the person who does good but always makes sure that other people know what he or she does? Today, so many people will do something nice or good only to post pictures of their “good deed” on Facebook.

Politicians will sometimes secure financing for a project using tax payer money, and then the person ends up with his or her name on the project and they use that project to further their political career.

We have been looking at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount over the last several weeks, and we are going to continue to do that this morning as we turn to Matthew chapter 6, beginning at verse 1. We are going to look at three separate, but related issues.

Matthew 6:1–8 NRSV

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:16–21 NRSV

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We skipped over the Lord’s Prayer on purpose here, but we will come back to it next Sunday. I wanted to focus on these three areas that Jesus treats in very similar ways.

• God is looking for people who are truly committed to Him, not just someone who does their duty and leaves.

Jesus gives us the general principle here in verse 1.

Matthew 6:1 NRSV

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

If we want to experience the rewards that God has for us, our acts of piety, while may be done in public are not done for anybody else to see but God - He is an audience of ONE.

There were 3 basic acts of piety that the Jews of Jesus’ day participated in.

Giving alms

Prayer

Fasting

In our scripture that we read this morning, Jesus addresses all three of these and underlines how they were doing them often for the wrong reasons.

Givng Alms

Jesus describes almost a bizarre situation in which people hired trumpet players to make a big fanfare out of their giving. This is not about returning the tithe, this is about providing for those who had little. The situation He describes is not something that was literal as far as we can tell. It was not a practice of the rich to hire trumpeters, but there were these coin boxes throughout the temple area, and people would place their coins in them for helping the poor.

Notice that Jesus says: “When you give alms.” It was assumed that they would be active in providing for those who have needs. This is still important, but in Jesus’ day it was absolutely essential. There were no government programs that were designed to help those in need. It was up to the people to give alms in order to provide for even the most basic needs of the poor. Although they didn’t necessarily hire professional trumpteers to announce their gifts, they would often bring the smallest coins and would wait until others had gathered around in order to drop their coins into the metal collection boxes, so that people would know that they had given a large amount of money for their almsgiving.

Prayer

Prayer is vital to our Spiritual development and is essential in the life of every believer. Notice, Jesus says: “when you pray”. It was also considered essential in the lives of the Jews of Jesus’ day. In fact, they had specific times of the day that prayer was prescribed. During these times, the religious leaders would often make sure that they were in a place where there would be a great crowd of people. They would even sometimes plan their day so that they purposefully would have a crowd nearby when it was time to pray. At the precise moment of prayer time, they would then begin to pray the most beautiful prayers. The people would be very impressed. That was the whole point for those who would do such a thing.

Fasting

The people of Israel had several times a year in which they would participate in times of fasting - sometimes for a short time and sometimes maybe even lengthy fasts of 3, 5, 10 or even 40 days. The Pharisees even often would fast twice a week. It was not required, it was a voluntary giving up of food for a time. Fasting is not just something for the religious leaders of the past. Jesus again says: WHEN “when you fast.” Fasting is often neglected as a means of grace today because it makes us uncomfortable. Jesus is not discouraging the practice of fasting, He is discouraging a practice that they would often do while fasting. Some would disfigure their faces and make sure everybody knows they are miserable. They would look all somber and obvious to the people so that others would know that they were fasting.

For some reason, in this area of fasting, we have determined that we will not even talk about it. We tend to interpret this passage differently when it comes to fasting than we do giving and prayer. Yet, for Jesus, they were all 3 in the same category. Since we often don’t talk about fasting, we also often don’t participate in fasting. It is one of the most neglected practices of the modern Christian world. Yet, it is also a powerful spiritual discipline to help us grow in our faith.

The point of Jesus’ instruction is the same for all 3 of these practices

We are instructed that we are to practice all three. There is no hesitation in Jesus’ message - all three are appropriate in the right attitude.

The attitude with which we participate in these acts of piety makes all the difference. Jesus says about all three - do not do them in order to be seen by other people. If you do, the notoriety you receive for doing these things will be all the reward that you will gain.

We are to do all three not to be seen by other people, but to be seen by God alone. There is an audience of one.

The truth of this message is not only about these three acts, it is about any act of piety we may practice. Nothing we do is to be done in order that others can be impressed by our piety. Our acts of righteousness, if they are going to exceed those of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law need to be practiced for God and God Alone.

The contrast that He offers here is that of a hypocrite. The word hypocrite, literally means a play actor. Jesus says if we do our acts of righteousness in order to be seen by people, then we are simply hypocrites. Our acts of righteousness, Jesus says, should be something that we will be practicing, but not in order to be seen by people - not in order to look good or to gain anything for ourselves. Instead, when we give, we do it in such a way as to not gain noteriety for ourselves. - when we pray, He says go in to your closet and pray secretly - when we fast, go about life like normal and don’t make yourself look like you are fasting.

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year A, Volume 2 Theological Perspective

In our desire to be “seen by others,” “heard by others,” and “praised by others,” we lose touch with the very theological foundations of this faith: communion with and the glorification of God.

Finally, Jesus sums up this teaching by telling us that we should be building up our treasures not on Earth - by doing acts of righteousness to be seen by other people, but to build up for ourselves treasures in heaven - where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. He has already been describing how we can do just that!

How do we make sure we are building a treasure chest in heaven?

When you give - do not let your left hand know what your right hand is giving. I know - it is an impossible standard. It is an exaggeration to make His point. In other words - give, but do not give in order to receive any kind of recognition. It is a mindset of the heart. It is about motive. If you give in order to get recognition, the recognition is your reward! Jesus says we are to give without seeking recognition.

When you pray - go into your closet and pray to God in secret. Does thay mean that we can never offer a public prayer. I certainly hope not, as I offer a public pastoral prayer every time we get together. At prayer meetings, we offer prayers that others can hear. Again, this is an exaggeration to make His point. We do not pray flowery prayers to impress those who hear us. We don’t manipulate our prayer offerings so that others will hear us pray. Again, it is a mindset of the heart, and it is about motive. If you pray in order to impress other people…if you pray so that others will know how holy and righteous you are, then that is your reward. We are to pray - that is, we are to talk with God, and we are to be in a constant attitude of prayer according to the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

When you fast - do not make a big production about it and do it in such a way that everybody will know that you are fasting. Does that mean that nobody can ever know that we are fasting. I think I told you about the time when I was a kid that my dad decided he was going to fast, but he didn’t tell my mom because he didn’t think anybody should know. Imagine her surprise after making him dinner! Again, this is a minset of the heart, and it is about motive. If you fast in order to be thought of as extra spiritual - if you fast in order to impress upon other people that you are somehow this giant of the faith, then that is the reward you receive for doing so. We are to fast - that is, we are to go without food or some other thing that we enjoy or is necessary for life, in order to draw closer to God. But we do it in order to grow closer to God, not to impress other people.

These are not the only three areas that this principle applies to, either. Anything we do to grow closer to God - any spiritual discipline or any good work we may do is not to impress others or look good - if we do them for the wrong reasons, we are just like the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law of Jesus’ day. Jesus says, our righteousness must be greater than the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law - our righteousness must go deeper than the surface! We are to do good deeds - we are to do acts of righteousness - we are to practice spiritual disciplines that will help us grow closer to God - but we are to do all of these things for an audience of ONE.