Hypocrites

In old western movies, they would create a town that appeared to be full of buildings, but each structure was a façade. A building might look like a saloon from the front, but there was nothing on the other side of its door. Similarly, hypocrites (6:2) are play actors, giving an external appearance of spirituality without an accompanying internal reality.

If, like a hypocrite, you give for the applause of people, that’s all the reward you’re going to get. But give and pray in secret, and your Father will reward you (6:3–6).1

1 Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible, 2019), 1101.