Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)
Nothing torments the Christian conscience quite like secret sin. There is a moving portrayal of this in the climax of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. When people think of this story, Hester Prynne and Pearl, the daughter she bore out of wedlock, usually come to mind. But the real suspense involves the undisclosed identity of the father. He confesses his sin before the town in a riveting final scene:
“Lo, the scarlet letter which Hester wears! Ye have all shuddered at it! . . . But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered!”[1]
He referred, of course, to himself! Still, if he was so bothered by guilt, why not confess earlier—and be done with it? Answer: the temptation to make one’s life a show is intoxicating.
It is the reality of this temptation that explains Jesus’ stern warning in Matthew 6:1. In the previous verse, Jesus demanded that His disciples “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Having called for perfection, it makes sense that Jesus proceeds to discuss the importance of sincere hearts: holiness and hypocrisy are mutually exclusive. This is the overarching point of Matthew 6:1-18.
Jesus began by
- Addressing the issue of giving (6:2-4),
- Arguing that the hypocrites (6:2) are those who give loudly, ostentatiously, and proudly.
· Next, Jesus tackled the issue of prayer (6:5-15).
- Here again, He specifically called out the hypocrites (v. 5) who pray in public “that they may be seen by others.”
- The purpose of their prayers is not so that God would hear them, or even that others might be edified and led - but so that they may be displayed, like beauty contestants.
- Lastly, Jesus addressed fasting (6:16-18),
- Once again, hypocrites are singled out (v. 16) for turning a religious exercise into an opportunity for self-promotion, a show.
Jesus rightly told His disciples to beware (6:1), for the religious hypocrite has nothing for which to look forward. This is the refrain of Jesus’ sermon.
“Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (vv. 2, 5, 16).
In other words, the hypocrites who were seeking the accolades of people, have found them. But that is all they will find—nothing more. There is no heavenly reward awaiting the hypocrite, the actor.
Who, then, will receive a heavenly reward? The answer Jesus offered is very straightforward: those who practice their righteousness in secret. The disciple of Christ is
- To give in secret (v. 4);
- He is to pray in secret (v. 6); and
- He is to fast in secret (v. 18).
As a result:
“…your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (vv. 4, 6, 18).
It is impossible, of course, for every act of righteousness to be performed in private. If that were the case, pastors would never preach, Scripture would never be read aloud, and choirs would never sing. No, Jesus is not telling His disciples to hide from the public, He is urging them to have deep, rich, and vibrant private spiritual lives. The majority of an iceberg is unseen to the naked eye. Similarly with the Christian, the majority of his devotional life is to be lived out before the Lord—unseen to the human eye. This is a mark of Christian sincerity.
No one faces a greater temptation to put on a show than pastors who stand up week in and week out, often receiving the praise and admiration of their congregations. This temptation must not be made light of, for it has crushed many pastors, turning them into slaves of men instead of servants of Christ. Sincerity requires private time with the Lord—nothing fancy—just time humbling oneself before one’s Maker. Such persistent solitude will probably not be recognized by others, but that, of course, is the point.
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