Matthew 6:1

My deckhand just walked up, with his smartphone in hand, he recently downloaded a daily bible verse program, and wanted me to help him understand Matthew 6:1

¹ "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. NIV

I told him that the verse could not be properly explained without using the context of the next few verses. In the next few verses, Jesus Himself tells us how we should pray: After warning us about not being like a hypocrite that stands on the street corner to be seen by all.

When you decide to give to the poor or help others in need just to be seen doing good, that is not acceptable to the Father, He is an all knowing and all seeing God. Saint Paul warns us that salvation is not based upon works, "that no man should boast." (Ephesians 2:9).

Many people feel the need to be seen doing good works, and may even think that being seen in the act is more important that the actual work they are performing. While it is important that we as Christians are to live a good and Godly life, we also must find that "happy medium". Since we are all a part of the body of Christ, doing His will in our everyday lives, we must be careful that we are not doing it in such a public manner that we are "as hypocrites on the street corners and in the synagogues".

I think this explanation is sound, but I welcome comments, perhaps we can better understand the Word together.

 

Father, help me to better understand your word, so that I may do my part to be part of your grand and perfect plan to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Be with my deckhand as he begins to explore your word. In the matchless name of Your Son, Amen.