And when you pray, you shall 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."

 

- Matthew 6:1-6 

 

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  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 of St. Matthew's Gospel, here Jesus begins to present three most basic aspects of spiritual life.  In today's reading, He begins with charitable giving, and will also begin to speak about prayer; in subsequent verses He will also speak of fasting.  These three disciplines, my study Bible says, are related directly to God's righteousness.  The original meaning of "hypocrite," we're told, was "actor."  (The word means "below the mask" with the mask representing an attitude -- as in the masks that ancient actors wore onstage to delineate their character.)   Hypocrite, my study Bible tells us, are play-actors who practice piety for show, who desire to please other people rather than God.  They are those who may wear a mask of compassion but are inwardly heartless.  For such their reward is the applause or glory from men.  To sound a trumpet before oneself was a way of conveying a public message; ironically such public announcements in the Greek-speaking world were called evangelia, meaning "good news" -- a word translated as "gospels."

 

"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 comments that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  It says that God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  Perhaps we should consider that the word translated as charitable is ἐλεημοσύνη/eleimosini, from the root word meaning "mercy" (ἔλεος/eleos).  So our charitable acts might be defined as the practice of merciful deeds, whatever form that takes.

 

 "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."   We will add here the next verse (from tomorrow's reading), "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."  My study Bible notes that the hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which it describes as 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.  Vain repetitions cannot establish such communion, because God does not need our "babble."  My study Bible adds, importantly, that to partake of this communion, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Moreover, it's noted that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but here teaches instead that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In the following reading for tomorrow, Jesus will give us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father).  It's not repetition itself that is condemned, but vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  Additionally, true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing to be pious in front of others.  My study Bible describes true prayer as first of all humble (go into your room); it is personal (pray to your Father); and it is sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

 

 So what are vain repetitions?  Perhaps they are repeated prayers like magical incantations, and we must distinguish between this kind of repetition and what prayer is and does.  In the Orthodox tradition (which those of other denominations are also using today) is the Jesus Prayer practice.  This itself is the repetition of a very short prayer (sometimes these are called "arrow prayers" in tradition).  The common form of this prayer today is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  But it has historically taken on many forms and can be used in other forms, such as, "Lord have mercy," for example, which so often intersperses our worship services.  In the period of earliest monasticism, psalm verses were repeated, particularly, "Lord make haste to help me; Lord make speed to save me."  (For more on the Jesus Prayer practice see this site, or this one.)  The purpose of such repetition is a focus on prayer which draws us into the presence of God; in fact it is also sometimes called the practice of the presence of God.  In such prayer we draw our thoughts to God, even in the midst of tribulation or difficulty, and other thoughts that wander astray in our minds.  The very purpose of such short, repeated arrow prayers is to redirect our mind to God, and indeed, in the words of the Jesus Prayer, we find that we are inviting Christ in to whatever circumstances are in our lives, or in our hearts.  We simply continue to "recollect" ourselves by the repetition of the prayer, and orient ourselves to proper communion with God.  Again, in this Orthodox prayer tradition, we find writings which teach us of this practice of praying with "the mind in the heart."  That is, the prayer is meant to deepen within us through time and practice, reaching into the places of the heart, so that we are inviting Christ in with our arrow prayers, even to the places we might not always be aware of within ourselves.  This becomes a direct way to invite repentance, for as the prayer deepens, we also encounter our own resistance, and the places where God enters to change our perspective, and "change our minds" -- the literal meaning of repentance.  In this we return also to the depths of the laws of love behind the entire Sermon on the Mount.  As Jesus has just finished focusing on the Law and its deeper interpretation to cover even the things of the heart, such as anger and lust, so we enter into this theme of prayer in the heart.  Moreover, these developments of internal prayer are directly related to Christ's teachings against hypocrisy as well, for they invite us in to discover what we might even be masking from ourselves, so that we may invite Christ and God's grace in so that we are healed.  In this way, let us go forward and pay attention to what He teaches, in our prayers and charitable acts.

 

 

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

 "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

On Saturday 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 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."  As we move into this next chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus here starts to address the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  These three disciplines, my study bible says, relate directly to God's righteousness -- the righteousness of the kingdom of 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."   The word hypocrite originally meant actor.  It literally means (in Greek) "under a mask" as in the ancient theater players wore masks to indicate the character they portrayed.  My study bible says that hypocrites are play-actors practicing piety for show, who desire to please men rather than God.  Wearing masks of compassion, inwardly they are heartless.  Therefore their reward is the applause of people and nothing more.

"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 comments that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor even by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds 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 miss the spirit of prayer, my study bible says.  It describes prayer as an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out such communion and vision.  My study bible adds that true prayer is not in telling God what God already knows, and then saying what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing pious in front of other people.  True prayer is humble (go into your room), personal (pray to your Father), and sincere.

"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 in order to show off fasting is yet another mere external display.  Once again, as with each topic in today's reading, Jesus rejects this kind of hypocrisy.  My study bible says that for the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  Fasting is for spiritual growth, and for the glory of God, and not to be seen by those around us.  My study bible reminds us that fasting, especially in the context of discipleship, isn't just about abstinence of food.  But it consists in a type of beneficial self-denial in all areas of life, and is thus a discipline to avoid being controlled by one's passions:  that would include, for instance, participating in gossip, or showing off, or withdrawing from useless conflict and acrimony.  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?"

I find the emphasis on the hidden and the secret quite interesting in today's reading.   There are three times in today's selection of verses when Jesus doubles the emphasis on this word translated as secret.  He tells us "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," to "pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly," and "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."   The word translated as secret in Greek is kryptos/κρυπτός.  Its literal meaning is "hidden."   It's the root for words in English like cryptography, cryptic, or even Superman's kryptonite, the (fictitious) secret alien substance that takes away his powers.  Jesus' use of this term seems to indicate the importance of "secret" practices of our faith, as they keep us from hypocrisy, which destroys sincerity.  These secret or hidden practices Jesus describes in today's reading involve prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Most notable is prayer, because we not only have that double use of the word secret (for both our action, and for the "seeing" done by our Father), but the Father Himself is in "the secret place."  In addition, we go into our inner chamber to pray.  This word in Greek for room (tameion/ταμεῖόν) was indicative of an inner room in a house used to store valuables or "treasure."  (In modern Greek, it's evolved to be the word used for a cash register or point of sale checkout.)  Therefore there's a triple-secret message here with regard to praying, for we go into a secret or hidden room, we pray to the Father who is hidden in a secret place, and who sees in secret.  Conversely to what we might assume in terms of modern thinking, all of this secrecy is designed to keep us honest and sincere.  When we do things for show -- or simply even in a way that others can see -- it's much too easy to keep considering the opinions of the others who see or watch, rather than expressing the sincerity of the heart.  Thus, charity done in secret is charity done for sincere motivations.  Religious fasting done in secret is truly done to honor God.   And praying in secret is our hope of being honest with ourselves and with God, bringing out what's in the heart.  Jesus contrasts these things done in a hidden way with things done for the glory we get from others.  John's Gospel makes a special effort to use similar terms in criticizing those among the religious leaders who believed in Christ but were ruled more by fear:   "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).   There is a consistent emphasis across the Gospels in contrasting the things we do for the praise or glory in the sight of other human beings rather than for the God who sees in secret and is in the secret (or hidden) place.  Even when we are sincere, keeping such practices in a hidden or secret way helps to keep us honest.  There is always the possible influence of the people we know are watching, and our desire to please them that can get in the way of sincerity from the heart.  If I am being really honest, I confess here that this is why my blog is written anonymously.  Although by now a great many of my friends know I write this blog, I wanted to do so sincerely and without worrying about whether or not my friends would be pleased by what they read.  For better or worse, I know that worry as a type of personal weakness.  But it seems to me that in seeking to please God, in keeping in mind that the One who is in the secret place sees everything, we are better able to keep in mind the state of our hearts -- and the state of the heart has been the entire emphasis of the Sermon on the Mount so far.  This awareness of what takes place in a hidden and secret way keeps us humble, and fully dependent upon God, as Jesus indicates in the very first Beatitude, when He teaches, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."   As the theme of the Sermon on the Mount has been to somehow fulfill and even go beyond the law, we understand the emphasis on the heart, on even those things that are hidden within us.  Let us keep in mind Jesus' emphasis on the whole integrity of a person.  He does not ask us for outward show of conformity to ideas so much as emphasizes an inner integrity and fidelity to God, a communion that keeps us honest with both God and ourselves.

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.

~~~

"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, which began at the beginning of chapter 5 of Mark's Gospel.  We have read The Beatitudes;  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven;  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;  I say to you that 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 Jesus teaching, "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."  My study bible explains that, "In this chapter, Jesus calls us to practice three basic aspects of spiritual discipline, or righteousness:  (1)  charitable giving (vv. 1-4), (2) prayer (vv. 5-15), and (3) fasting (vv. 16-18).  These three disciplines relate directly to uprightness in the sight of God." 

"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."  My study bible tells us, "God is not impressed with what other people think of us, or even with our own opinion of ourselves.  He sees who we really are, and He knows our motives as well as our deeds.  Everything will be judged, and our good deeds will be rewarded openly."  Some manuscripts omit "openly," but the basic understanding and commandments included here remain the same.  Regarding the word hypocrite, a note tells us:  "The original meaning of the word 'hypocrite' was 'actor.'  Hypocrites are play-actors practicing theatrical piety.  They put on their show in synagogues and in the streets to please men, not God.  Wearing masks of compassion, inwardly they are heartless.  Their reward is the applause of men -- nothing more."

 "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."  My study bible says, "The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which involves an intimate, personal relationship with God and leads to the vision of His glory (1 Cor. 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out both the relationship and the vision. . . . When we pray, we do not lecture God or make demands, but we are (1) humble (go into your room, v. 6), (2) personal and intimate with Him (pray to your Father), and (3) sincere."  In tomorrow's reading, the lectionary will include the verses regarding "vain repetitions" in prayer.

"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."  My study bible says that, "Keeping a sad countenance while fasting, so that everyone can see how one is suffering, is mere external display.  Jesus rejects such hypocrisy.  For the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines physical discomfort:  joy overshadows sorrow.  . . .  And fasting is not merely abstaining from eating.  Physical fasting works together with spiritual fasting, or self-denial:  it is a liberation of the spirit from its voluntary enslavement to sinful passions.  Fasting is for the glory of God, not to impress people around us."  Fasting is meant to be making time for God, a time when we relax our struggle for the best food, the great effort we put into our favorite delicacies or dishes, and focus on God and what God wishes from us, including practicing charity for example, and fasting from sin in the sense that Jesus teaches in this entire Sermon.

Jesus focuses on three central pillars of worship and religious practice for individuals:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  But there is an important common thread running through all, and that is His condemnation of hypocrisy in religious practice.  None of these things are to be done for the "praise" or "glory of men."   A hypocrite is an actor who, in the ancient theater, was under a mask; it was someone wearing a particular "attitude" when underneath the real person was in fact someone quite different and separate from the action or attitude viewed by others.  So the thread that is common to all of the Sermon on the Mount continues here:  Jesus is focusing on our inner selves, on the things that really make us who we are, and He asks us to focus there as well.  By drawing us in to a more intimate relationship with the Father, He's also asking us to "get real" -- it is a similar teaching to what we will read in a few verses further on in chapter 6:  "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Jesus wants us to get sincerely to the place of the heart, and the ways in which we do that is through an intimate relationship with God the Father.  Over and over again, He encourages us to think about what is really essential, and how we cultivate this relationship first in life.  He counterbalances it with the "praise of men" or "glory of men" -- which is the thing that can get us into a whole lot of trouble in life, and take us away from the state of the heart, where we and God's love truly dwell.  In the Old Testament, it's very common to hear images of infidelity, harlotry, in chasing after other gods.  Here, we can apply Jesus' teachings on true intimacy with God to something very much like a marriage.  What belongs in private, with the One we truly love?  Is it really just for show to others?  How do we nurture and care for the state of that relationship?  There is One who knows our hearts better than all others, One who may direct our hearts, and heal them and cleanse them.  That's the One we work to please, the One who really and truly loves us with a love that teaches us what love is, and the proper way to practice it each in our own lives.  There's a deeper practice here that gets to core of all of Jesus' teachings, and that is about the state of the heart, and our most intimate relationship -- in that secret place -- where we live with God and make our peace with God, and nurture that relationship.  It is a message that runs through the whole of the Sermon on the Mount, in His careful teachings that we must be aware of what goes on in our hearts, in our inner person, and finally in this secret place with our Father.  Tomorrow's reading will include the prayer He teaches that we should pray to Our Father.

Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place

"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."

- Matthew 6:1-6

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then went on to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, and You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . . In yesterday's reading, Jesus expanded on the Laws regarding justice and righteousness: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" and "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." In the fulfillment of the aim of the Law, Jesus teaches us not to resist an evil person, to practice love. He says to do good to our enemies, to "pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven . . . 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." In chapter 6, we move on to spiritual disciplines: charitable giving, prayer, and fasting. Emphasizing the inner life, as He has done so far with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues here in the vein of how we may or may not work for appearances. It is a kind of exchange: do we work for worldly glory, or the honor that comes from God? When we forgo the first, we move into a place of deeper relatedness with God, and God's rewards or blessedness.

"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." A note in my study bible says, "God is not impressed with what other people think of us, or even with our own opinion of ourselves. He sees who we really are, and He knows our motives as well as our deeds. Everything will be judged, and our good deeds will be rewarded openly." The original meaning of the word hypocrite in the Greek is actor -- that is, a person who is using an assumed character, feigning to be someone they are not, wearing a mask. So, Jesus' real desire here is for a kind of authenticity, an honesty and a deepening of our true character. And, if we think about it, this has been the aim of the Sermon on the Mount and its emphasis all along. What is the purpose of spiritual discipline? Is it so that we are lost in a range of activity designed to show ourselves off for praise of others, and our image in the eyes of others? Where does the depth of relationship to God come into it, in secret where others don't know about it? This is the new practice He emphasizes. And, we note, God will reward openly -- but it is still not for the judgment of others.

"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." My study bible notes: "The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which involves an intimate, personal relationship with God and leads to the vision of His glory. Hypocrisy blocks out both the relationship and the vision." Again, we see a kind of exchange happening here: what do we value most -- are we there for show in the sight of others? Then we have our reward already.

"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." Again, the exchange: we exchange a worldly perspective for an inner, private one, an intimate one. We go into our room, shut the door and pray to our Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret. One exchange for another, a very public kingdom, for a very private, hidden, secret one, an inner one. It's an interesting word that Jesus uses here in the Greek for "room." This word for room is like a storehouse, a secret storage-chamber where one might keep valuables or one's treasure. (In the development of modern Greek, this is the word now used for cash register.) But clearly, Jesus is speaking here of the place of the heart, what we value most, where we really live, who we are. A little further along in this chapter, Jesus will teach, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" and "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." This is a depth of hidden relationship, with what is real within us, who we truly are -- and possibly what we also honestly feel we lack in this place. There may even be things we treasure that we will be taught to let go of for our own good, and replace with something better for us.

So, to develop an intimate personal relationship with Our Father is what we are commanded to do. This is Christ's emphasis in all things: when we give alms and help to others, when we do good to others, it is with this in mind. It's not for show, not to impress others nor to make a big splash, neither is it necessarily to make us feel good about our achievements in terms of how it reflects upon us in the public eye. Instead, it's to cultivate that private, secret relationship that is within us in the place of the heart, with Our Father who sees in secret. And when we pray, here is the great thing: where we go in that secret chamber, in that depth of what we truly treasure and what we find there -- and even what we may not find, that we turn to Our Father. This is the depth of relationship and dialogue in that most intimate of places where we are truly ourselves, where we are known and loved, where we may come to know and love God more deeply, and where we are drawn toward a deeper sense of who we need to be in God's image for us. So, how do you cultivate that depth of relationship, and find that secret, hidden place with your Father who sees in secret? In tomorrow's reading, we will be given the Lord's Prayer, and taught further. But for today, let us remember the hidden, secret place, the chamber of our heart where we store our treasure, the ways in which God knows us and can be truly intimate with us. He is "our Father" and the depth of His love is within us, in that secret place where He can be with us in our most intimate understanding of who we are, and who He calls us to be.