“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to
be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew
6:1, 3-4)
Be careful not
to perform supposed godly acts with manufactured and false compassion so that people
will perceive you as righteous. If you act with false godliness, you will have
no spiritual reward from your Heavenly Father. Your reward will be people's praise.
What did Jesus
mean when He said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing?” Your left hand, in some Jewish teachings, denotes weaknesses. The right
had, in some Jewish teachings, denote strengths. Jesus’ phrase here means do
not let your baser intentions and emotions attach themselves to your intention
of giving to help someone in need. Instead, let honorable intentions and
emotions be your motivator. When honest intentions to motivate people occur,
the glory and honor go to God. When baser intentions motivate giving charity,
the desire of the person is to take the honor and glory for himself, not God. Do
charity secretly, to avoid people putting you on a pedestal and not to become
prideful. Instead, give honor to God, who told you to help the person and gave
you the means to help him.
In the Sermon
on the Mount, Jesus warned against seeking greatness and receiving adoration. People
should focus on God. Instead of seeking personal adoration, Jesus taught people
to give secretly. Help a person discreetly. The heavenly Father, who sees what someone
does in secret, will reward him. God’s rewards are heavenly and eternal.
Jesus taught
how to give:
·
In
secret, privately
·
With
righteous intentions, to help the person and not highlight oneself.
·
Not
to grow one’s reputation or receive honor.
Why should you
give this way?
·
If
you act intending to make yourself known as great, then earthly honor is all
you will receive.
·
If
you act in compassion, which comes from God and is good, and you shine the
resultant thanks towards God, the One who gives all good things, then other people
see God more than oneself and God receives the honor.
What will occur
if you act godly?
·
God
will reward you. Jesus doesn’t say in verses one through four what the reward
will be. Verses thirty-three and thirty-four do. People, God’s creation made in
His image, who revere and follow Him, can be certain that their good God will
provide for their needs. Remember, God is always faithful to His word.
·
The
reward for God’s people is His care now and forever. This promise is for
everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Jesus concludes
Matthew 6 with a promise. This promise tells of the reward for those who “do
not let their left hand know what their right hand is doing.” He said,
“But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (your needs) will be
provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:33-34a).
Do godly acts
of charity to help a person and honor God. God gives you the motivation in your
new heart. He gives you the resources to help the person. Understand that God
will provide all your needs, so follow as He leads you to love others, just as
He loved and loves you.
