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"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
* * *"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount. We began with the Beatitudes, then we read You are the salt of the earth, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No." Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." As we begin chapter 6, the middle chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins to teach about the three most basic aspects of spiritual living: charity, prayer, and the discipline of fasting. My study bible says that these three disciplines relate directly to God's righteousness. The word hypocrite is important, as it denotes a particular way of practicing "spirituality." Hypocrite meant "actor." More literally, it is the one beneath a mask, as in the ancient plays actors wore masks to delineate the character they were playing. Their reward is the applause of other people.
"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." My study bible says that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves. God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.
"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." The hypocrites cannot understand the true spirit of prayer. Prayer is an intimate, personal communion with God, and its root is in the depths of the heart where that union can take place and grow. My study bible says that this personal communion with God leads to a vision of God's glory (see 1 Corinthians 2:9). Hypocrisy, an emphasis purely on the reflection in others' eyes or actions, blocks out this sort of communion and vision. My study bible says that true prayer isn't telling God what He already knows and then telling Him what to do about it, and it's not appearing pious in front of others. Rather, prayer in earnest is humble (go into your room), and it's personal (pray to your Father).
"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Fasting is a practice that has fallen out of use quite a bit in the Western world, and its understanding as a spiritual discipline is something to consider and think about. Fasting is a kind of practice of forbearance, and the idea is that we focus upon God rather than upon all the things we "want" and "get." We want to fast from sin, we want to spend time and effort on the things that God calls us toward, and we want to understand that our lives don't just depend on wanting and getting all the things of this world that appeal. It's ironic to think about it, but with so much cultural emphasis on diet (of course, connected to appearance), we lose the sense of spiritual discipline in fasting, the focus on God. To show off fasting, as Jesus teaches here, is one more external display, and He rejects its hypocrisy. The compassion of God is what is supposed to outshine physical discomfort, or making a great show of virtue. This true fasting is for spiritual growth and the glory of God. One key to traditional understanding of fasting is simplicity. And it's not just about food! This sort of self-denial for spiritual goals is supposed to take place in all areas of life, to escape control of the passions. My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom: "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?" We can fast from anything that tends to push us off-track.
Jesus' great emphasis is on the personal, and against hypocrisy. He draws us toward relationship with God that runs deep within us, deeper even than the reality of the world around us, what others think about us. John's Gospel tells us that among the religious rulers of Christ's time, many believed in Him. But they kept silent in their fear of the Pharisees, "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43). There's a reason why Christ puts the commandment to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength first when He names the two greatest commandments. This is the focus we need to guide us into what it means to truly love our neighbor. And this is the focus in today's reading, on spiritual practice and discipline. The focus is in that depth of relationship to God, to our Father, the One who sees in secret. We pray to our Father who is in the secret place. We give charitably not so the rest of the world knows it, but in secret, so that the Father who sees in secret will know. And when we abstain from anything in order to focus on our spiritual needs, our focus is there too, on our Father in the secret place, who sees everything about us in secret. The emphasis here is on what's truly real. That particular secret or hidden place is much more real than any appearance, anything that shows. The word Jesus uses for what hypocrites do is akin to that word, to "show." It's related to "showing off," or what we do "for show." In a world in which social and other media takes on the task for so much of our communication and even community, it seems far more the case that we confuse what is "for show" and what is "for real." So much of our "news" focuses literally on actors or performers. We do really well to consider the importance of this "secret place" where the Father is, and that He's the one "who sees in secret." It's going to keep us on a focus beyond the constructed images, and the temptation to believe that whatever shows is who we truly are. That's a healthy focus, a sane focus, a real focus -- what it truly means to "keep it real." Who are we in that place, and who does our Father call us to be? Is it really the opinions of the world that count (like that "audience" out there), or is our worth and truth really found in quite a different, hidden place? That's the balance we need, the focus we can understand, even when the world wants to tell us something completely different.
