Do not be like the hypocrites

 "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."

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"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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew chapters 5 - 7.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus said, "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."  Today we begin chapter 6, in which the Sermon on the Mount turns to the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  These three disciples, my study bible tells us, relate directly to God's righteousness.   A major critical theme given by Jesus regarding these disciples is hypocrisy.  The original meaning of the word "hypocrite" is "actor."  The word literally means "beneath the mask," as actors in the ancient theater all wore masks to delineate their character.  Hypocrites, my study bible notes, are play-actors practicing piety for show.  They desire to please men rather than God.  A hypocrite wears a mask of compassion but is inwardly heartless.  Their reward is the applause of men (that is, other people) and nothing more.

"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."   God, my study bible says, is not impressed with what others think of us.  Neither is God swayed by what we think about ourselves.  God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  Again we note this indication that Jesus speaks of a system that is a kind of exchange:  one way of life for another.  The earliest teaching documents of the Church (The Didache) speak to us about His way as the way of life, which is opposed to the way of death.  His way is one in which God is deep within us, in a relationship of communion and participation.  In that secret place, we live a life that is sacred to God.  It is contrasted with living for show and the opinions of other people.  Nevertheless, its energies also manifest and intersect with our worldly lives.  Again, His way is a way of wholeness of life.

"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."  Hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, according to my study bible.  True prayer, it says, is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and this vision, as the real focus of the heart isn't God.  True prayer isn't to tell God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing pious in front of others.  But Jesus' instructions here teach us about prayer:  it is humble (go into your room), it's personal (pray to your Father), and it's sincere.   Tomorrow's reading will cover the remaining teachings of the Sermon on the Mount regarding true prayer (verses 7-15).

 "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."   To keep a sad countenance to show off that one is fasting is a mere external display.  Fasting is again a kind of exchange, a life in which devotion to God becomes a sort of currency, a way of being.  For the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort, my study bible says.  Fasting is for spiritual growth and the glory of God.  Moreover, it's not about simply abstinence from food, a sort of "virtue" about food.  For Christians there are no evil foods.  Fasting is about abstinence where it is necessary not to be controlled by passions; most importantly, we seek to learn abstinence from sin, to master impulses that are harmful to ourselves and to others in exchange for God's way of life for us.  Thus it is about discipline, or more specifically, discipleship.  St. John Chrysostom writes, "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?" 

What is fasting all about?  In an age of endless diets offered to us so that we look well to others, fasting is likely to be largely entirely misunderstood.  Moreover, for Christians, there are no forbidden foods, and fasting isn't about the food itself.  Fasting rules vary from place to place, and within denominations.  The emphasis for us should be on what abstinence means, and what it means to make a commitment to something.  It is all about the interior learning curve of self-discipline, walking in the way of Christ.  Fasting was an ancient Jewish practice, but transformed in the Church.  With the Resurrection, we fast with our eyes fixed upon His return.  Fasting is a kind of remembrance, a making room for the things of God.  St. John Chrysostom preached a famous set of homilies during one Lenten period in which his flock was in great political distress and upheaval (Homilies on the Statues), exhorting them to remain faithful to the spirit of discipleship while they awaited resolution.  Chrysostom emphasizes over and over again the need to let go of impressing others with our fabulous delicacies, our capacity for entertainment, our splendid show of refinement and effort.  Instead, we can just give it a rest for a while and focus instead on where our heart is, what God may be calling us toward, or how we can deepen our communion with God and our spiritual community with others.  He focuses on fasting but also on another topic that seemingly in our contemporary times is not so widely discussed, but nevertheless an important part of the Sermon on the Mount, namely the swearing of oaths (see Friday's reading).   Whether we are speaking of Chrysostom's perilous times of Antioch in the 4th century, or our world today, the discipleship called for particularly in times of uncertainty and distress remains the truest part of our own discipleship.  It is a necessity we all need to remember.  It may seem quaint and even antiquated to speak today about the discipline of fasting or even watching our words and speech, but perhaps we'd do well to begin to revisit the blessings of discipleship in this regard.  Self-mastery becomes a true currency in a time when instability seems to be a key factor in many avenues of life and community.  We look to the place and directions that we've been given for anchoring ourselves best to the place of faith in a stormy sea, for finding that depth of relationship that is truly needful.  Hypocrisy, then, becomes a key component of what it is that ails us.  Is our life about impressing others?  Is it about following social rules set by current custom or fashion -- or dictated by the loudest and most seemingly desperate or extreme voices?   The truth is that the kingdom of God is within us, and we need discipline to anchor ourselves to it, to find the faith that gets us through even a sea of troubles, especially when we don't know where we're headed.  Jesus' advocacy against hypocrisy gives us the extra benefit of seeing through phoniness and keeping it real, in all the ways that we need to.