Life in God's kingdom is different from religion. He does this by critiquing the religion of the scribes and Pharisees and all people and religions who think their good works will earn them justification with God.
Last time (5:17–48), we saw that they teach completely different ways to gain entry into God's kingdom. Religion teaches "Plan A" (briefly review idea that we can be justified by own good deeds). But Jesus exposes "Plan A" as impossible (briefly review—God’s standard is moral perfection so earning salvation is impossible), so Jesus teaches "Plan B."
Pharisees and religious people in general also teach fundamentally different forms of spirituality. That's what Jesus talks about in this passage. In 6:1, Jesus delivers a warning that capsulizes the key differences between religious piety and following him (read).
Focus: Religious piety focuses on outward, external forms of piety; Jesus wants his followers to focus on the internal attitude (“secret/not public heart attitudes”).
Motive: Religious piety seeks to impress other people; Jesus wants his followers to love and serve God because of their grace-based relationship with him—even if no one else sees or applauds them.
Reward: The reward of religious piety is having some people be impressed with how religious you are (and perhaps to use that respect to make money, earn positions of power, etc.); the reward of Jesus' way to biblical piety is growing intimacy with and effectiveness for (being salt and light) God.
Let's see how Jesus applies this to the three most popular forms of piety in the religion of the scribes and Pharisees.
Giving money
Read 6:2. "Giving alms" means (NIV) giving to the needy. This is rooted in the Old Testament teaching that God cares for the poor, so to be devoted to him necessarily involves caring for the people he cares for. It is related to the larger issue of giving money to God for his service.
Whether literal or figurative, we get the point. The Pharisees found ways to pervert a beautiful way of worshiping God into a public relations campaign for themselves. The church also has had a long and bad legacy of this, and who here can say they are immune from this temptation?
If you want to do this and give to be “noticed/applauded by men,” Jesus says, you can always get some people to be impressed with how spiritual you are. But you will miss out on the real reward...
Read 6:3–4a. What does it mean to give "in secret?"
We need to be careful not to take this in an overly literalistic way. Jesus is not saying that absolutely all of your giving must be anonymous. Some cite this passage for why they refuse to make a giving pledge. But this interpretation would contradict the rest of Scripture.
Jesus' band had a money box out of which he directed them to give to the poor (Jn. 12:5–6). In the New Testament church, people often gave publicly. Barnabas, for example, is singled out for his generosity in Acts 4:36–37. Paul also called on his churches to make pledges as individuals (1 Cor. 16:2) and as churches (2 Cor. 9:5). Prospective leaders had to have a record of generosity (1 Tim. 3:2–3), in part so they can lead by example in this area.
6:3 is obviously a figure of speech, because hands do not have self-awareness and do not themselves make decisions about giving! It means that when you give, you should not only not make a big deal of or advertise it to others—you shouldn't even make that big a deal of it to yourself.
Jesus’ point is his parable also found in Lk. 17:7–10 (read). We are God's stewards; we are responsible to manage his money in ways that advance his kingdom. To do this is not some heroic act—it is just doing our job!
If you tell people how much you give to God's work, it should be because you think it will help them to become generous stewards, not because you want them to be impressed with you.
Read 6:4b. There are wonderful rewards for giving with the right attitude: satisfaction of advancing God’s kingdom and helping others; seeing God provide for you.
Read 6:5. They were perverting personal communication with God into an opportunity to impress others. I'm sure we've all seen this in long, eloquent prayers that use much religious language.
You can always find someone who will be impressed by these types of prayer, but if you pray like this you're missing out on the real reward...
Read 6:6a. What does it mean to pray "in secret?" Is Jesus forbidding prayer aloud with other people?
I know some Christians who cite this passage as support for their refusal of corporate prayer. But that can't be what he means because it contradicts the rest of Scripture.
Jesus prayed out loud with his disciples (Jn. 17; Gethsemane) and in public (Jn. 11:41–42), and made a tremendous promise about it (Matt. 18:19 "symphonize"). The New Testament Christians followed Jesus' example and prayed together as a group all the time (Acts 4:24–31; 1 Cor. 14:16).
Many of you need to break this barrier and establish the habit of corporate (group) prayer!
Furthermore, you can observe the letter of this verse and violate the spirit or general idea of the verse. I suggest two main applications of the spirit of this verse:
Prayer (alone or with others) should be to God, and therefore sincere and personal. God is far more pleased with a stammering, awkward prayer that expresses your real thoughts and feelings than he is with a polished, publicly impressive prayer that is offered in place of this (Isa. 29:13?).
Prayer aloud with others should be the "tip of the iceberg" of our private communication with God. That means the majority of our prayer should be a private interaction directly with God.
Read 6:6b. How does God reward this kind of prayer life? With the greatest reward of all: growing intimacy with him (Jas. 4:8): clearer guidance, peace, etc. We'll talk more about this next when we look at Jesus' digression in 6:7–15.
Read 6:16–18. Although the Old Testament did not emphasize fasting, the scribes and Pharisees fasted twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays). They commonly left their "bed head" (did not fix their hair after waking up) intact and even put flour on their faces so people would ask them why they looked so bad.
Jesus says the result is they have their only reward—people noticing that they were fasting and being impressed by it. Such public displays of fasting to impress other people did not impress God and would not be rewarded.
What does it mean to "fast in secret?"
It does not mean that we should emphasize literal fasting! Unlike the above two practices, which are emphasized in the Bible, fasting is not even emphasized (it was commanded only once a year in the Old Testament; never prescribed in the New Testament; described in narrative accounts comparatively rarely; no reasons given for practicing it).
The early church quickly forgot Jesus’s point here (fasted twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays; Lent). The church also has a rich legacy of asceticism and using fasting as a means of paying for sins and twisting God's arm (manipulating God) to answer your request.
It is increasingly prescribed by key evangelicals today as one of the keys to a close walk with God and/or worldwide revival—both of which are not supported by this passage.
The modern-day and authentic application here would be along the lines of what God says to Israel in Isa. 58:6–7 (read). It's the same thing that Paul emphasizes in Phil. 2:3–4 (read)—cultivating a lifestyle of sacrificial service for others.
And to do this with the right attitude—not as a martyr who lets them know how much I am sacrificing, but cheerfully, out of love for them and out of trusting gratitude to God.
What are the rewards of "fasting in secret?" See Isa. 58:8–11 for elaboration on this. Giving sacrificially to others with no expectation of public recognition is the key to true happiness (Jn. 13:17; Acts 20:35).
Remind of contrast between acting piously in public to win the applause of others and in secret/privately praying and serving to please God alone.
If you are turned off to public religious piety, you have the support of Jesus!
If you want to learn and experience Jesus' way, remember that it is rooted in a grace-based relationship with God—which you begin by receiving Jesus (Rev. 3:20).
