The Heart of Worship
Correct actions with improper motives still do not please God.
— Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 116.
This is part of my Join Me on The Mountainside series and Jesus continues to stress the importance of righteous and ethical behavior not as a performance but as an authentic outworking of who you truly are. Your righteous behavior, your good works, should not be a performance you put on to gain the praise of others. Jesus calls us to internalize God's standards and live by them, especially when no one is looking.
Jesus continues the theme of calling His followers to a higher standard than what was commonly expected. I would not say that this means that Christians have a higher standard of righteousness than Jews, but rather that Jesus is revealing what the standard has always been for the followers of God. All of us are in danger of lowering the standard or confusing God’s standards with local or favorite religious practices, habits, and overall culture. All religious groups are in danger of adding to God’s law just as the Pharisees did and requiring of people things that God never did, or downplaying the importance of things highlighted in God’s word.
No Reward?
“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.
—Matthew 6:1 NKJV
Public piety that is designed to elicit human praise instead of glorifying God has no place in the lives of authentic followers of God. In the post and the next two, I’ll cover Jesus’ teachings on almsgiving/good deeds, prayer, and fasting, since these are major components of religious devotion.
The point of engaging in religious or pious behavior is not to receive the praise of others, or to gain power or influence. If you are doing good expecting some type of reward you will be disappointed. God will not reward your good behavior that is done in an attempt to gain earthly praise, power, or other temporal benefits.
What about letting your light so shine?
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
— Matthew 5:16 NKJV
Jesus is not contradicting Himself. The motives in both passages are entirely different. It is not a sin for someone to see you doing good works when your good works cause people to praise God, well done! However, when your good works are done solely or primarily for personal honor and gain, you may gain it but do not expect any reward from God.
It is not the action, and the number of people who witness it, but rather the intent of the person performing the action.
Don’t toot your own horn
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.
— Matthew 6:2 NKJV
I wonder if the words of Jesus inspired the American expression “Don’t toot your own horn.”
Jesus clarifies what He means by telling the audience not to make a big show of their charitable deed. I imagine this in my mind as a reverse Salvation Army situation. Here in the US, the Salvation Army collects money in December, around Christmas time, by ringing a bell in public places with a red kettle for people to donate. So in my mind, I imagine someone going around with a bell, ringing it every time they do something to help someone else to make sure everyone notices their good deeds.
Jesus also gives us a bit of historical context. The religious leaders of His time had a habit of being charitable in public gatherings to be seen and praised by the people around them. Imagine the offering plate being passed around at church and someone decides to give hundreds of dollars in singles. Everyone around them has to wait as they put single dollar bills on the plate, one after another. It is not that generous donations are bad, but if the giver wants to make sure that everyone notices how much she is giving, it then becomes a problem.
If you’re ever unsure while you’re doing good, just think, are you expecting some benefit from helping? If you are helping and expecting something in return, you might be disappointed. The glory should go to God and not to you. Jesus was clear, the main motive for charity must not be the desire to receive praise from others.
Don’t be a hypocrite
A hypocrite is someone who assumes a false appearance; one who feigns to be what he is not, or to feel or believe what he does not actually feel or believe; especially, a false pretender to virtue or piety. (wordnik.com)
I say this to help clarify what I believe Jesus meant by His words. I essence, don’t use religion to cover up your sins and to promote your own gains and interests. It is important to understand this. If you fall short of your ideals and occasionally stumble in your spiritual walk, that does not make you a hypocrite. Struggling as you grow and mature does not make you a hypocrite. Intentionally using religious behavior to cover up your sin and put others down is a problem. Considering yourself superior because of your religious discipline is a problem.
Religion and spiritual disciplines should help you connect with God, but should never become a performance to impress those around you. The problem with the “righteousness” of the Pharisees is that it was insincere and dishonest. They practiced religion for the applause of the people and not out of a sincere desire to honor God and bless their neighbor. True righteousness must come from the heart, a heart that is being transformed by God.
Never allow your religion to become a performance for an audience.
Charitable Deeds
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.
— Matthew 6:3-4 NKJV
Notice that Jesus is not saying that it is bad to do charitable deeds, Jesus is addressing the intentions at the core of the behavior.
The Pharisees used almsgiving to gain favor with God and attention from men, both of which were wrong motives. No amount of giving can purchase salvation; for salvation is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8–9).
—Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 25.
Seeking the praise of people is a miserable way to go through life. Also, the praise of people never last, sooner or later you will do something that displeases others and they will turn on you. Just look at celebrities and politicians. Seeking the praise of others is a recipe for anxiety.
On the other hand, living to honor God is the best way to go about life, because we know that God will never leave or abandon us.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
—Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
—Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
—Hebrews 13:5NKJV
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
—Romans 8:38-39 NKJV
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
—Matthew 28:20 NKJV
When your religion is a performance you are always concerned about how others perceive you. When you do it for God, you are free from all of that, and you have the assurance that God will always provide for all of your needs and it is not based on how many people see your good deeds or how big your deed are.
The widow’s offering
This reminds of the story of the widow and her offering found in Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44. I imagine Jesus, unimpressed, as some made a show of how much they could give, bringing in bags of coins and slowly dumping its contents into the treasury so everyone could hear each coin clinking into the treasury.
Meanwhile, there’s a poor widow, ashamed of how little she has to offer God puts in two very small copper coins. Jesus proclaims that the poor widow had put in more than anyone else.
Her deed was done quietly and humbly, yet Jesus noticed and valued her gift. The point I wish to highlight from the story is that God notices and values small actions done for the right motive. Your good deeds do not have to be big and fancy. They can be small and meaningful. Jesus is more concerned with your heart and your motivation for giving.
Should all good deeds be done secretly?
Does this mean that we have to hide all of our good deeds? Not necessarily. The Bible contains the records of good deeds done by Jesus and the apostles and many of the heroes of faith of the Old Testament. Acts 4:34-37 for example records specific gifts related to the sale of property and land.
In these words Jesus did not teach that acts of kindness should always be kept secret. Paul the apostle, writing by the Holy Spirit, did not conceal the generous self-sacrifice of the Macedonian Christians, but told of the grace that Christ had wrought in them, and thus others were imbued with the same spirit. He also wrote to the church at Corinth and said, “Your zeal hath stirred up very many.” 2 Corinthians 9:2, R.V.
—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1896), 80.
What about social media?
Is it bad for followers of God to share their good deeds on social media? I have given this quite a bit of thought. I would love to know your thoughts in the comments section for this post. Here’s where I am on this topic.
I know people who share often. They share what they had for breakfast, where they went for dinner, what they did for fun, and how work was. They seem to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, but one thing is missing. There is no mention of any type of religious activity. There could be several reasons for this, they prefer to avoid religious conversations, they’re afraid of backlash, or they prefer to keep the spiritual side of their life private. All those things are fine by me. I don’t think people need or even should share everything with everyone.
However, if that person, who already shares so much, added religious/spiritual activities that would be okay, it is a part of their life just like work, breakfast, etc. However, if you have someone who only posts about their spiritual activities and never posts anything else about their lives, then it might look like they’re seeking special recognition for your piety.
Your good behavior, when it is a part of who you are is a beautiful witness to those around you. However, if you are only behaving that way in order to be seen by others, then we have a problem. You don’t need to hide the religious part of your life but also don’t go out of your way to point out how pious you are.
The heart of worship
Our sinful nature is so subtle that it can defile even a good thing like sharing with the poor. If our motive is to get the praise of men, then like the Pharisees, we will call attention to what we are doing. But if our motive is to serve God in love and please Him, then we will give our gifts without calling attention to them. As a result, we will grow spiritually; God will be glorified; and others will be helped. But if we give with the wrong motive, we rob ourselves of blessing and reward and rob God of glory, even though the money we share might help a needy person.
—Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 25.
Worship is more than music and singing. Worship is a way of life and helping others is part of worship. Just as much as the musician leading out in worship or the speaker leading out in the study needs to be aware of the condition of her heart, so must the follower of God who is helping someone in need. The actions are not the issue, it is the intention and the expectation.
Let your worship, your good deeds, and all your interactions flow from a sincere desire to honor God and bless those around you. Whether others see you or not should be of no importance.
Be authentic.
Be consistent.
Let Jesus transform your heart, and live a faithful life. He sees in secret, and He will provide for all your needs. Go out there and serve and bless, not expecting anything special but because you have received so many blessings from God.
