Matthew 6 - When Is Being Secretive Ok?

Matthew 6 - TPT Version

Matthew 6 - NIV

Matthew 6 - Enduring Word Commentary

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus proceeds to teach the disciples about different practices that will show the world they are His disciples. We call them "spiritual disciplines". Spiritual disciplines are habits we engage in which transform us from the inside out. Jesus teaches them about the disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting. 

Jesus starts out by saying that one should not practice these disciplines in order to be seen by others, or you will lose your reward in heaven. If you can lose your reward by doing them in this way, inversely Jesus is saying that there is a reward for doing them. 

Then Jesus gives the example of giving to those who are in need. If one does so to be honored and celebrated by others, this then is their only reward. To ward off against this tendency we all have, Jesus says, "Do not let your left hand know what the right hand is doing".  This is a metaphor for doing things in secret. Secret in a good way. 

This is very hard to do in practice, as we easily can slip into wanting to tell others about our good deeds. Our motivation for giving in secret is to know that our heavenly Father sees us doing it, and his reward will be much better. His reward will not only be knowing He is pleased with us, but also the rewards we will receive in heaven for faithfulness. 

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

In a similar way Jesus says when you pray, go into your room and pray to Your Father, who sees what is done in secret. I don't think Jesus is saying we can't pray in public, or gather for corporate prayer. I think what he is saying is that when you pray to be noticed by others, or go on with long, lengthy, and flowery prayers, you are missing the point. 

God knows what we need to know before we ask, so we don't have to impress him with our prayers. But, he does command us to pray as we give our requests to us. Then, Jesus gives a model for prayer, which we call the Lord's Prayer, 

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This is a great model for our prayers. It is short and sweet and covers everything. I don't think Jesus is saying this is the only way to pray. Or, if you don't pray like this you are getting it wrong. But, he is teaching the disciples how to pray. 

"Our Father in heaven" - God is our heavenly Father. We all have an earthly father and a heavenly Father.  In the Ten Commandments God tells us to honor our father and mother.  Parents are to love their children with the same love that God has for them.  But, I know as parent we often fail. But we have a perfect heavenly Father. 

Hallowed be Your Name - Hallowed means "special" or "holy". God's name should not be used glibly or in vain. His name is unlike every other name. His name signifies everything that He is. 

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. - Martin Luther says, "God's kingdom will surely come, the question is will it come through us." God's kingdom is where his rule and reign is in effect. When God's kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven, it gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like. For now many other kinds of evil rule on earth, but God still calls us to pray for His kingdom to come. 

Give us our daily bread. Daily bread is what we NEED for today. God gave the Israelites daily bread in the wilderness called "manna". He gave them just enough for the day. When they tried to store it, it got rotten. It is easy to worry about what we will have in the future. This doesn't mean we shouldn't plan for the future, but we are not to worry about it. We can't control the past or the future, but we can choose to live in the present trusting in God. 

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Note God commands us to forgive others. It is not optional. Why? Because he has forgiven us for all of our sins. When we forgive others, we let go of the hold they have on us. God never commands us to do something that isn't good for us. In addition, it is a witness to the person we are forgiving that we are God's children. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. God never tempts anyone. It is the devil who tempts us. But, we have a choice to either flee from the temptation or engage in it. God will deliver us from the evil one, if we choose to let him. Later Jesus teaches us that we all have the power to rebuke the devil in His name. Jesus delivered us from the devil once and for all on the cross, but we give him back the power, when we return back to him and his ways. 

Fasting

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting is giving something up to use that time to focus on God, usually in prayer. In this case it is probably food, because he tells the disciples to "freshen up", so they don't look too haggard. This would bring attention to the fact they are fasting. It is really easy when you give something up, oftentimes during the Lenten season, to want to tell others about it. Partly so they won't tempt you with it, but there is always an element of pride. The problem is when you tell people about it and then give in, you will look foolish. This is another reason why we should make a big deal about it to others. 

Treasures in Heaven

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Jesus now addresses the issue of money/material things. In another passage Paul says, "The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Timothy 6:10. Again, money isn't bad in itself, but if is when we put our trust in it that it becomes a problem. Also, money can be stolen, it can depreciate, or you can get addicted to it. 

But Jesus tells us to store up our treasures in heaven. When we do things for God and his kingdom, we are laying up eternal treasures which cannot be stolen or taken from us. Money can easily start taking control of our lives. It can ruin our lives, if we make it our master. Why is that so many who are rich are so unhappy. Or, their wealth has led them into lifestyles that eventually destroy them. Money also causes unhappiness in families too. I.e. Fights over inheritance money. 

Money and wealth can be used for good. There are many wealthy Christians who use their wealth and resources for kingdom causes!  So, there is nothing immoral about money, but Jesus knows that a big aspect of our sinful nature is greed.

The question always is, "Are we the masters of our money, or is it our master?" This is why giving generously breaks the grip of materialism. When we tithe to our local church and give to other causes, our money is no longer mastering us, but we are using it for God's glory. God promises to reward those who are faithful with their use of money both in this life and the next. 

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I come from a long line of "worriers", so inherited this one. Jesus gets quite practical and logical here when he asks the disciples, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life." He is right. There is nothing good that comes out of worry. In fact, worry raises your blood pressure and also makes you stressed. Worry takes the joy out of life. 

Someone once told me "Worry is a sin". At first this seemed a little harsh, but when you look at it, it really is. When we worry we are basically saying, "God won't give me my daily bread." We are saying, "I don't think God is going to provide for me."

Then, Jesus uses the metaphor of the flowers in the field to show that if God clothes the grass of the field, which has not intrinsic value to Him, will he not provide for us. If God is our heavenly Father, and a perfect one at that, will he not care for us like a loving earthly parent would. 

Then, Jesus gives us an alternative to worry. It is to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness. When we put God first in our lives, He will take care of the rest. When we focus on what God is doing in the world and how he wants use to us to make a kingdom impact in the world, we take our eyes off of ourselves and worry disappears. 

As you look at your own spritual practices like giving, praying, and fasting, how are you tempted to want to get the glory,  instead of letting God see what you have done in secret?

Try re-writing the Lord's Prayer in your own words.  

Where do you worry in your life? How does this reflect in your faith in God to provide for you? How can focusing on what God wants to do through your life, help you to take your eyes off the things that worry you?