"Take heed that ye do not your alms before
men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in
heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may
have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth
in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt
not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward
thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye
therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,
before ye ask him" (Mat. 6:1-8).
The Lord wants a person to do good selflessly — from the desire to please
God or to help his neighbor, not for personal gain or praise. The Lord wants
even the intention of a person to be as irreproachable as his words and deeds.
During the time of the earthly life of the Savior, virtue was held in great
esteem, and the Jews often competed among themselves as to who prayed more
often and longer, who fasted more strictly, or who gave alms more generously.
Sometimes in this competition, especially among the scribes and Pharisees, good
deeds became a means of seeking praise. Such a utilitarian approach to religion
led to hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Thus, only the appearance of good
deeds remained — a shell, with nothing within. The Lord warned His followers of
ostentatious righteousness, intended "for export," and calls on us to
serve God with a pure heart.
By presenting examples of good deeds, the Lord teaches us how to pray and
give alms so that our good deeds will be accepted by God: "Take heed that
ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward
of your Father which is in heaven" (Mat. 6:1). In this and similar
phrases, the Lord directs attention to the aim with which we set about doing a
good deed. Good deeds done "in secret," that is, not for show, but
for God, earn a reward from Him. Here it should be noted that the law, "pray
in secret," does not, of course, rescind communal prayer; the Lord
urged communal prayer also, saying: "For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mat. 18:20).
The command to avoid unnecessary words teaches us not to see prayer as some
kind of incantation, where success depends on the number of words. The strength
of a prayer is contained in the sincerity and faith with which a person
appeals to God. Lengthy prayer, however, is not forbidden but, on the contrary,
encouraged: this is because the more a person prays,
the longer he is in association with God. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself often
spent whole nights in prayer.
It is imperative to pay attention to the fact that (later in this part of
the Sermon on the Mount under discussion) the Lord speaks of fasting with as
much detail as he speaks of prayer and alms. Fasting is therefore necessary. Unfortunately,
modern Christians completely disregard this feat of abstinence, in order to
please their sin-loving flesh. They love to cite the words "Not that
which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the
mouth" (Mat. 15:11).
Meanwhile, it is impossible to reform one’s heart without restraining one’s
stomach and physical lusts. For this reason, other virtues, like prayer and
compassion, cannot reveal themselves in due measure without the feat of
abstinence.
Of course, we now live under completely different conditions and moral
standards. It is unlikely that anyone would praise a person for his feat of
fasting or prayer in these days — sooner would they laugh at him for being so
eccentric. For this reason the Christian may need to conceal his virtues. But
this does not mean that hypocrisy has ceased to exist in our day. It has just
taken on different forms. Now it is veiled in the form of affected politeness
and insincere compliments. Often disdain and malice are
hiding behind sweet words and smiles. To one’s face, there is praise, but
behind one’s back, there is disparagement. In this manner, only the sorry
appearance of Christian well-wishing and love remains. This is also hypocrisy,
but in different clothing. Thus, Christ’s teachings about
insincerity is directed against all forms of hypocrisy, both ancient and
modern.
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