A Devotional from the 40 Days Initiative
Day 30
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them...” - Matthew 6:1
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.” - Matthew 6:5
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites...” - Matthew 6:16
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them...” - Matthew 6:1
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.” - Matthew 6:5
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites...” - Matthew 6:16
By this time, you are probably well into this season of prayer and fasting. But have you stopped to ask yourself, "How should I go about participating in this fast?" I'm not concerned with the specific meals you skip or the days you fast, as much as I am concerned with the posture you embrace as you enter this special season.
In Matthew 6:1-18, the Lord Jesus takes up this very issue with an eye toward instructing His disciples in true piety. Jesus’ teaching on this matter could be summarized by the following statement: Christ calls His disciples to a sincere and humble piety.
Now, at first glance, it may seem as if Jesus is stating the obvious and unpacking something that need not be unpacked. However, a quick survey of the Bible yields numerous examples of double dealing and religious duplicity (Luke 20:20; Acts 5:1-11; Acts 8:9-24; John 12:4-6; Luke 22:47-48; Isaiah 1:10-17; Isaiah 58:2-9).
Jesus was not unaware of this reality. He knew that even good expressions of worship and piety could be misused, misunderstood, and distorted. He understood that expressions of love, generosity, humble dependence, and devotion to God could easily be transformed into an ugly, artificial, self-seeking display.
So He instructs His disciples to abstain from insincere acts of devotion which characterize the hypocrites, and, instead, to serve God sincerely. Jesus shows us genuine sincerity by contrasting it with the piety of the hypocrite. In His day, to be a hypocrite meant to be a pretender or an actor.
In this text the hypocrite is the person who gives, prays, and fasts with an ulterior motive. The hypocrite engages in these acts not for devotion’s sake but in order that he might gain something from the people who hear and see him. His aim is to build his brand and raise his esteem in the sight of men. These desires manifest themselves through his religious self-promotion. When he does a good work, he can’t wait to “sound the trump” and draw attention to it. In the prayer circle, he seeks the most public place to offer his outwardly impressive and spell-binding prayers. When he fasts, he ensures that others will detect it. The hypocrite understands that piety can serve as a social currency all its own, thus he is more concerned with the fruit of a pious appearance than with real knowledge of and intimacy with God.
...true devotion is akin to the romantic offering of poetry that a husband gives to his wife. His words are intended for her eyes alone...our worship is to be done before God and not made a spectacle of...
The Lord Jesus calls us to abandon and reject this fraudulent worship in favor of a true and sincere devotion.
Characteristics of Genuine Devotion:
True devotion is aimed at God’s reward and praise, not man’s (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18).
Genuine devotion is not ostentatious. In other words, it doesn’t advertise, parade itself, or pursue self-glory. In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus commands His followers to give in a way that does not entice others to exalt or glory in themselves. On this point Craig Bloomberg adds, “Ostentatious religion may have its reward here, but it receives none from God.”
True devotion contains an element of humility. It is not meant for public consumption; instead it is reserved for the one for whom it was intended. In this way, true devotion is akin to the romantic offering of poetry that a husband gives to his wife. His words are intended for her eyes alone. It is meant for her pleasure and satisfaction. In a similar way, our worship is to be done before God and not made a spectacle of (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18). To do otherwise is to pretend to honor God, all the while attempting to steal His glory for ourselves.[1]
This kind of offering will surely be missed by others, but it will not be missed by God. He sees the righteous deeds done and assures us that such offerings will be rewarded (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18). If your worship has been stained by the blight of hypocrisy, turn to God in confession and repentance. From there, offer your gifts anew in sincerity and humility.
Branden Brooks
Ministry Fellow at Harvard
[1] This is not to say public prayer is never appropriate. Public prayer is very appropriate when done with right motives (Matthew 11:25; 14:19; 26:39,42; Luke 11:1; Matthew 6:9-13; Acts 1:14; 2:42).
Learn more about the 40 Day Initiative > Characteristics of Genuine Devotion:
True devotion is aimed at God’s reward and praise, not man’s (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18).
Genuine devotion is not ostentatious. In other words, it doesn’t advertise, parade itself, or pursue self-glory. In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus commands His followers to give in a way that does not entice others to exalt or glory in themselves. On this point Craig Bloomberg adds, “Ostentatious religion may have its reward here, but it receives none from God.”
True devotion contains an element of humility. It is not meant for public consumption; instead it is reserved for the one for whom it was intended. In this way, true devotion is akin to the romantic offering of poetry that a husband gives to his wife. His words are intended for her eyes alone. It is meant for her pleasure and satisfaction. In a similar way, our worship is to be done before God and not made a spectacle of (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18). To do otherwise is to pretend to honor God, all the while attempting to steal His glory for ourselves.[1]
This kind of offering will surely be missed by others, but it will not be missed by God. He sees the righteous deeds done and assures us that such offerings will be rewarded (Matthew 6:3-4, 6-7, 17-18). If your worship has been stained by the blight of hypocrisy, turn to God in confession and repentance. From there, offer your gifts anew in sincerity and humility.
Branden Brooks
Ministry Fellow at Harvard
[1] This is not to say public prayer is never appropriate. Public prayer is very appropriate when done with right motives (Matthew 11:25; 14:19; 26:39,42; Luke 11:1; Matthew 6:9-13; Acts 1:14; 2:42).
