Matthew 6:1-8 & 16-18: Pleasing God Not Man

Introduction

In these verses, Jesus “addresses the three chief acts of Jewish piety: almsgiving, prayer, fasting.” -A Rabbinic Anthology pg. 412

In 5:13-16, Jesus commands his disciples to be a salt and light to the world. They are to be a city on a hill, shining as an example to this world. There is no contradiction between these passages.

D.A. Carson writes, “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… To trade the goal of pleasing the Father for the trivial and idolatrous goal of pleasing man will never do.” ------------“Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, pg. 162.

The main idea of these verses is to faithfully serve God to glorify him and not us.

Killing Hypocrisy (v.2,5, & 16)

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. -Carson

“The Pharisees’ great weakness was that they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.”- Carson

Living Righteously

Quiet giving

Earnest Prayer

Subtle Fasting