Look over the membership of most churches, and we can usually find several people who, though they are active and they seem quite religious, there is something that is off in their piousness. These folks seem devout at first glance, yet they are always looking around to see if anyone is watching their good deeds and religious acts. They love the approval in the looks of others, and in any positive comments people may make about what a good Christian they must be. Do you know anyone like that? Most of us do, and perhaps at some times we are like that ourselves. Jesus has some words to tell us about this in our Gospel reading for this week. Let’s take a look at what He says.
Religious hypocrites, those who love to appear holy and righteous, when actually their heart is not really right, are everywhere, and there were plenty of them in Jesus’ day. As we read through the Gospels, we often see where He exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Many of them would pray long and seemingly pious prayers, especially if there were people around to hear. When they gave offerings to the synagogues or to the poor, they wanted everyone to see. Whenever they fasted, they would always proclaim by their outward appearance that they were hungry and going without food.
Jesus quickly pointed out that these are supposed to be acts of worship, not displays of self-righteousness to gain admiration. He told them that their reward was that they were seen by men. Nothing more. God will not reward hypocrisy. People’s actions may be good, but their motives are hollow. These empty acts will be their only reward. Don’t try to draw attention to yourself in order to win human praise. God rewards those who are sincere in their faith.
When we give our offering at church, do we either openly or subtly want others to see? Jesus tells us to do our good deeds quietly, with no thought of reward (vs. 1-4). Our motives for giving to God and to others must be pure. Some people give if it benefits them in return. God wants us to give from a heart that seeks only His approval, not those around us. It’s not how much we give, but our attitude that pleases God.
When the Pharisees said their prayers, they wanted to be sure others were around to hear (vs. 5-6). They made their prayers long, thinking that made them look holier. Again, don’t try to draw attention to yourself with your prayers. The essence of prayer is not public style, but private communion with God. If we pray for others to hear, our real audience is people, not God. God is omniscient. He sees all we do. We don’t need to boast about our good deeds, thinking they may get overlooked. God gives the only rewards that matter. He keeps a careful record.
Jesus continued to speak to those who fasted, but made a big show about doing so (vs. 16-18). He tells us here in this Scripture that we should not fast to gain public approval or to impress others with our holiness. The Pharisees tried to draw attention to themselves by their appearance when they fasted. Fasting is to be done secretly to the Lord, not for others to know. We should go about our normal daily routine when we fast, not making a show of it.
Jesus concludes this passage of Scripture with His teaching that our treasures need to be in heaven, not here on earth (vs. 19-21). It should not be the earthly wealth that so many seek, but instead be heavenly treasures. What do we think about the most? Whatever has our attention is our treasure. We should see our possessions from God’s eternal perspective, and store those treasures in heaven because this life is but a breath. Only God is worthy of our heart.
Don’t let your desire to serve Jesus become overshadowed by a desire for approval from others. One word of approval from God is worth a million from other people. Our giving, prayers, and fasting should not be self-centered, but God-centered. Not done to make us look good, but to make God look good. Don’t do the right deed for the wrong reason. The reason for which we act is crucial.
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