Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 6:1 ESV1
Read Matthew 6:1-6 & 16-18
When we begin reading Matthew 6 our ears are perked up and our senses are heightened. Matthew 6 is the continuation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which began in Matthew 5. Because of His teaching on some serious subjects presented in a surprising way, this sermon convicts the hearts of all who seriously read it. We expect to continue to be convicted in Matthew 6, but when Jesus teaches here on giving and praying, it is easy to let down our guards and assume He is speaking to someone else. After all, who of us has actually sounded a trumpet to draw attention to our giving (see Matthew 6:2) or has stood on a street corner loudly praying to get others to notice us (see Matthew 6:5)?
Therefore, we often miss what Jesus is teaching us here, specifically and personally, about hypocrisy. At this point, instead of looking around at the other guy, I believe Jesus is calling us each to honestly and prayerfully ask ourselves the question, “Am I a hypocrite?” If I were to ask myself that question, I must truthfully say, “Yes, I think I am. At least, I have that tendency.”
Continue reading →
