Saturday, March 6, 2010

Your Reward

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”
Matthew 6:5

Non-believers have sometimes questioned the sincerity of Christians: Are we in it for ourselves, simply after the reward? They have a point. Jesus implies that those who give to the needy will receive a reward.[1] Later, in the same passage, He does more than imply it, He promises it! It is the same with prayer. Just as the hypocrite, in giving self-interestedly, has already received his reward, so has the hypocrite who prays, whose noisy petitions are only for human consumption. Is it true, then, that even Christian piety is really about self?

There are some rewards that are awarded in recognition of service given or of a task well done. These rewards are earned. They are the bonuses that come our way after we have met, or exceeded, the expectations laid upon us. If heaven is this kind of award then the non-believers’ complaint is legitimate. We should not be able to win God’s favor either by good works or by the “work” of faith. Heaven is not for sale, and we are not mercenaries. But there is another kind of reward. The person who has tried so hard to stop smoking has that reward when he succeeds. The person who struggled to lose weight is rewarded in the mirror. In these illustrations, the reward is really just the continuation of a process. So, when we give, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are participating in God’s good will for a needy world. And when we pray, we enjoy the benefit of a deeper, more fulfilling walk with God, and that is reward enough.

Those who put on the mask of piety do so because they wish to be noticed. In Jesus’ example, the hypocrite is not condemned because he stands to pray, or because he chooses to do so on a street corner. It is, fundamentally, the inclination of his heart that condemns him. You can fool yourself, even in a closet! You can pretend to pray, even in a pulpit! But if you are praying so that others will notice you, all that you are doing is making a noise. Some of them will think, “How pious! What a religious superstar!” They may even applaud you for your devotion. But that is all the reward you are going to get.

Awesome God,
You wear no masks before me.
You don’t hide behind Your deeds.
You don’t pretend to be one thing, then suddenly do the opposite to fool me.
I know You through Your Word; not completely, but enough.
I know You through Your Son.
And I know that in the hollow of His hands He bears the mark of nails.
Amen.

[1] Matthew 6:1