We made a discovery in Staff Meeting yesterday. We read Jesus' words in Matthew 6:“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. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
It assumes one thing: That it is fundamentally right and good to practice your acts of righteousness in order to be seen and rewarded.
Have a careful read.
In fact, only when we get this right can we be truly freed of the sin of hypocrisy, and of our thirst to be recognised by 'other peeps'.
Get it?
I can feel a C.S. Lewis quote coming...
_____________
Pic on Flickr by Steve Wampler.
11 comments:
I don't get it...
It reads the exact opposite to me...
Can you explain further please?
Read it three times, rodeoclown.
I take it you are doing them to be seen and rewarded... by God (rather than man)?
(I'd already read it three times - this was number 4!)
Right. It's plays with the word 'seen'. be careful NOT to have them seen by (mere) men. But do them and secret and the only who who really counts (God) will see and reward.
It isn't some kind of Kantian self forgetfulness.
i see it...
This is a pretty cool realisation.
I s'pose it shows one reason the pharisees were so angry. They knew they wanted to be rewarded but they sought it in the wrong way, from the wrong source.
Good thought, Josh.
Notice too that almost immediately before this passage, Jesus tells his listeners to "let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matt 5.16).
I.e. The difference between good works that receive a human reward and good works that receive a divine reward is whether those works are intended for and result in glory going to God or in glory going to me.
You got me thinking.
This article hit home. When I needed help with night eating syndrome I didn’t know where to get help.
Post a Comment