Seeking the Crowd s Applause

Seeking the Crowd s Applause (Matthew 6:1 4) n Matthew 5 Jesus gave and then illustrated basic principles to guide His disciples. In I chapters 6 and 7, the emphasis is on matters relating to everyday Christian living. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that these chapters present a picture of the children in relationship to their Father as they wend their way on this pilgrimage called life. 1 This lesson will introduce this new emphasis on how to live as a disciple of Jesus. In this lesson and the two that follow, we will study the first eighteen verses of chapter 6. These verses are a new division of the Sermon on the Mount, but they cannot be separated from what Jesus had already said. In the previous section, He had emphasized that wrong thinking is as bad as wrong action (5:22a, 28). In these verses He took that a step farther and noted that wrong thinking can even make a right action wrong. We may also find here a connection to the end of the earlier division 2 which gave this challenge: Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (5:48). Perhaps Jesus was implying, To whatever extent you attain that perfection, do not parade it before men so they will see it and applaud you. Especially, we see a relationship between 5:20 and this new section. In 5:20 Jesus said, For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In much of chapter 5, the challenge was to surpass the righteousness of 1 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1959), 9. 2 Some ancient manuscripts begin Matthew 6:1 with the Greek word for but, indicating a continuation of thought from 5:48. the scribes and the Pharisees in guarding against wrong thoughts as well as wrong actions. In Matthew 6:1 18, His challenge is for His followers to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees 3 in regard to having right motives for right actions. This lesson will be primarily on the first four verses of Matthew 6, but it will also serve as an introduction to the entire section (vv. 1 18). I am calling this present lesson Seeking the Crowd s Applause. The reason for this title will become clear as the lesson progresses. A WARNING (6:1) An Unworthy Reason Our text begins with a general warning: Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven (v. 1). Righteousness (dikaiosu/nh, dikaiosune) is used here, as it was in 5:20, to refer to doing what is right. Three examples of doing right are given: giving to the poor (6:2), praying (v. 5), and fasting (v. 16). Jesus warned against doing righteous deeds before men to be noticed by them. Some see in these words a contradiction with His instructions in 5:16: Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. There is, however, a difference in doing a thing that is 3 Jesus did not name the scribes and the Pharisees in 6:1 18, but He did speak of hypocrites (vv. 2, 5, 16). In Matthew 23, when Jesus discussed similar sins of the scribes and the Pharisees, He labeled them hypocrites. 1

seen by others and in doing a thing in order to be seen by others. The basic difference between 5:16 and 6:1 is a matter of motivation: In 5:16 the aim is to glorify God; in 6:1 the aim is to glorify one s self. Unacceptable Religion In the three examples that follow 6:1, Jesus used the word hypocrites to label those who practice their righteousness to be noticed by men (vv. 2, 5, 16). The word translated hypocrite (ujpokrith/ß, hupokrites) was used in the first century to refer to an actor on a stage who held a mask in front of his face. Jesus used the term to refer to one who used a mask of spirituality to hide his true nature. These spiritual play-actors appeared to do good deeds, when in reality they were giving a performance. They had a flair for the dramatic. After the blare of trumpets gathered a crowd, they gave to the poor (v. 2). When they prayed, they stood dramatically in public places, hands and face uplifted, and prayed long and loud (vv. 5, 7). When they fasted, they put on the costume and makeup of a deeply afflicted person so that all might be impressed with how deeply devout they were. The Greek word translated to be noticed in verse 1 is qea omai (theaomai), which is kin to the word qe atron (theatron), from which we get theater. 4 The hypocrites stage was the world, and their audience was the crowd. Their goal was that which is sought by every performer: hearty applause from their audience. They apparently received it, but this was all they would receive. Near the close of each example, Jesus said,... they have their reward in full (vv. 2, 5, 16). The words they have... in full are translated from aópe cw (apecho), a commercial term which meant to receive a sum in full and give a receipt for it. 5 When their performance was ended and the earthly applause had died down, God would write Paid in Full on the record of their lives. That was all they would ever get. Jesus said,... you have no reward with your Father who is in 4 The Analytical Greek Lexicon (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1971), 191. 5 Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th ed., rev. and aug. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), 84. heaven. What sad words! Eternal rewards were exchanged for earthly acclaim. We have the visible audience of mankind and the invisible audience of our Father who sees what is done in secret (vv. 6, 18). In the end, the audience that matters is God. The NEB renders verse 1 like this: Be careful not to make a show of your religion before men; if you do, no reward awaits you in your Father s house in heaven. AN EXAMPLE (6:2 4) After issuing the general warning, Jesus gave three examples: the three chief acts of Jewish piety. 6 It has been suggested that the three relate to the basic ways our religion expresses itself: toward others (benevolent help), toward God (prayer), and toward self (self-denial). Each example follows the same pattern: what not to do and then what to do. In each case, Jesus noted what rewards will be received for the actions described. Let us look now at the first of the examples. The other two will be covered in our next lesson. 7 How Not to Help the Poor (v. 2) The first example is giving to the poor. To the Jew almsgiving was the most sacred of all religious duties. 8 Jesus said, So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men (v. 2a). Instead of give to the poor, the KJV refers to doing alms. 9 The Greek word in verse 2 (e lehmosu/nhn, eleemosune) means showing mercy. 10 It was used in a general way to refer to acts of benevolence, and especially to helping 66 D. A. Carson, Matthew, The Expositor s Bible Commentary, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Regency Reference Library, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 162. 7 That lesson is entitled Doing the Right Thing for the Wrong Reason (Matthew 6:5 18). 8 William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1956), 186. 99 The Old English word alms is derived from the Latin which is derived from the Greek. Through the centuries, eleemosune gradually became alms. 10 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White, Jr., Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985), 23. 2

the poor. 11 This help could be money or other assistance; the word encompassed whatever was needed. The Old Testament put great emphasis on helping the poor. Through Moses, God said, For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land (Deuteronomy 15:11). In the Book of Psalms, a man who fears the Lord is described like this: He has given freely to the poor, his righteousness endures forever (Psalm 112:9). The same emphasis is found in the New Testament. Jesus told the rich young ruler,... go and sell your possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21). After Zaccheus had Jesus in his home, he said, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor (Luke 19:8). The apostles asked Paul and Barnabas to remember the poor, which Paul said he was eager to do (Galatians 2:10). Christians in Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26). Benevolence is a God-given responsibility of the church (see Galatians 6:10; James 1:27). In each of the examples in Matthew 6:1 18, Jesus anticipated the continuance of the practice under discussion. Regarding helping the poor, He did not say, If you give to the poor, but when you give to the poor. However, we see a right way and a wrong way to give to the poor, to help others. The wrong way is to make a production out of it figuratively speaking, to sound a trumpet. We cannot be sure whether the reference to a trumpet was literal or a semi-humorous exaggeration. While there are no historical references to sounding a trumpet before giving alms, 12 we do have accounts of a comparable situation when rich men would buy skins of water 13 for the poor. 11 Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, abr., ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich; trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985), 223. 12 Attempts have been made to tie Matthew 6:2 to the trumpets sounded before fasts and other solemn occasions; but the trumpet in Matthew 6:2 was sounded by the alms giver, not by the proclaimers of some public event. 13 Water was not plentiful in Palestine. During times of drought, it was sold in the streets. Skins of animals were The seller of the water would shout with a loud voice for the poor to come and drink. The one who paid for the water would stand to one side to receive grateful thanks from the poor. 14 When you read about individuals sounding a trumpet when they help the poor, of whom do you think? I am afraid that my mind goes to those rich individuals who hire publicists to make sure that every act of charity receives maximum publicity. They get their pictures in the newspapers and are lauded as great humanitarians. I think about how much money they have and the fact that they can claim their large donations as tax deductions. Then I hang my head, for Jesus did not give this example for me to judge others, but to examine my own heart. When I help others, am I looking for gratitude from them? If I do not receive their thanks, am I disappointed? Am I looking for earthly applause? Paul spoke of giving to the poor with wrong motives in 1 Corinthians 13: And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor,... but do not have love, it profits me nothing (v. 3). Regarding those who help others for the wrong reason, Jesus said, Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full (Matthew 6:2b). What they do benefits the one who receives the help, but it does not benefit the one who gives the help. Phillips translation renders the end of verse 2 like this: Believe me, they have had all the reward they are going to get! How to Help the Poor (vv. 3, 4) How, then, should we give to help the poor? Jesus said, But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret (vv. 3, 4a). Some have taken this to mean that all giving must be secretive, that no one else can know. In the past, it was common for congregations to use collection bags. When the bags were passed, members put closed fists in the bag. That way no one could know what was given, or could even be sure anything was given. Others have decided that the passage teaches that all their acts of benevolence should be done anonymousused to store this water. Skins are still used this way in some parts of the world today. 14 Ralph Sweet, Moments on the Mount, Living Word series (Austin, Tex.: R. B. Sweet Co., 1963), 42. 3

ly. 15 There is nothing wrong with that as long as God is given the credit. However, not all giving in New Testament times was secret. Jesus told His disciples about the gift of the poor widow (Mark 12:41 44). Others were aware of the generosity of Barnabas (Acts 4:34 37). Paul used the liberality of the Macedonians to inspire the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 8:1 5; 9:1 5). The concern is not about letting others know of a gift, but about giving with a desire to receive praise. The difference is between the giving of Barnabas to help the needy and the giving of Ananias and Sapphira in an effort to receive the same recognition Barnabas had received (see Acts 4:36 5:8). What, then, does it mean not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing? We may have touch of humor here. I can imagine a cartoon strip. In the first frame, the right hand is giving a coin to a poor man, and the hand says, I hope this helps. In the next frame, the left hand is saying, Hey, right hand, what are you doing? On a more serious note, consider this: How does the left hand know what the right hand is doing? All such information comes from the brain. Jesus was using exaggeration to say, When you give, do not dwell in your mind on the good you have done. Dismiss it from your thoughts quickly so that you are not congratulating yourself for being generous or doing good deeds. We have here an extension of the major theme of Matthew 6:1 18. By now we should be impressed with the idea that we are not to do our righteous acts to be seen by others. It is, however, possible to do these acts where no one else knows and still dwell on them in our own minds, to fill our minds with self-congratulations on being such righteous individuals. A children s nursery rhyme tells about a boy who pulled a plum out of a pie and said, What a good boy am I! In our thoughts, we are not to say, What good boys and girls are we! Christian giving is not only to be characterized by self-sacrifice, but it is also to be characterized by self-forgetfulness. 16 When you give as you should, your Father 15 Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd Douglas could be used as an illustration of having this kind of goal. 16 John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, The Bible Speaks Today series (Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter- Varsity Press, 1978), 131. who sees what is done in secret will reward you 17 (Matthew 6:4b). God sees what is done in secret, for all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13). It has been said that the most important part of a Christian s life is the part that only God sees. 18 God knows what you do and why you do it. If you do the right things for the right reasons, Jesus said that God will reward you. The words will reward you cause some concern. Some decry what they call reward motivation. We must never think that a certain number of good deeds or a certain amount of charitable giving will earn us a home in heaven, for we are saved by grace (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). Nevertheless, the Bible has much to say about the fact that those who obey God will be rewarded while those who disobey God will be punished (for instance, see Matthew 5:12; 10:42; 25:14 46). Commentators disagree regarding what the reward of Matthew 6:4 is and when it will be given. Consider the possibility that there is an immediate aspect to the reward, a continuing aspect, and an ultimate aspect. Regarding the immediate aspect, in our text, the reward is in contrast with the approval of men and would therefore be the approval of God. (To go back to the analogy of the theater, think of this as the applause of God.) The continuing aspect of the reward is that we draw closer and closer to God and become more like Him (5:48). As we draw upon His strength, we are made more aware of His love. The ultimate aspect of the reward is eternal life, life with our Father throughout endless ages. In the Judgment scene in Matthew 25, we read the following (note the emphasis on helping those who need help and the result): Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you 17 The KJV has openly at the end of this sentence. The oldest manuscripts do not have the Greek word for openly here. 18 Anonymous; quoted in Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1989), 27. 4

clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me (vv. 34 36). CONCLUSION Eugene Peterson paraphrased the first part of Matthew 6 like this: Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won t be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don t call attention to yourself. You ve seen them in action, I m sure playactors I call them treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that s all they get. When you help someone out, don t think about how it looks. Just do it quietly and unobtrusively... (MSG). When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he said, For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). To adapt Paul s words, each of us needs to ask, Am I seeking the applause of the crowd or the applause of God? One writer said that...... the greatest danger to religion is that the old self-life after being put out by repentance and renunciation comes back again and takes over the new forms in the service of the old self. It is the old self; the only difference is that it is now religious. 19 If you are like me, you struggle with the old self that still longs for the applause of others. May God help us to center our thoughts on Him and to be concerned only about His approval. Preaching and Teaching Notes If you want to cover the Sermon on the Mount in thirteen lessons, this presentation and the next one need to be combined. You can use either the theme of Seeking the Applause of Others or Doing the Right Thing for the Wrong Reason. Other themes can be used for either lesson or for a combined lesson. Clovis Chappell titled his sermon on this text The Motive Test. 20 In your presentation, you could even focus on the word hypocrites. Possible titles for a lesson on that topic would include Don t Be Two-Faced or The Need for Authenticity. You could call the lesson Can You Keep a Secret? and talk about secret giving, secret prayer, and secret fasting. If you use this theme, make clear the fact that our expressions of righteousness are to be secret in the sense that we do not call attention to them and that they are not done to receive the praise of men. We are not to be secret disciples in order to avoid persecution. Though it caused him to be thrown into the den of lions, Daniel prayed openly to his God (Daniel 6:10). I was deliberately brief regarding helping the poor. Expand the discussion to include the opportunities for helping the poor in the society in which you live. David Roper 19 Rudolf Eucken; quoted in E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Mount (New York: Abingdon Press, 1931), 202. 20 Clovis G. Chappell, The Sermon on the Mount (Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1930), 166 77. Copyright, 2008 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 5