Thursday, March 4, 2010

Being Seen

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1

In the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has given a summary of the values of the Kingdom (the Beatitudes), and has explained the continuing importance of the Law of Moses. He has emphasized the need to have the Law written upon our hearts. We are to avoid the legalism that manipulates the Law to suit its own purposes. Faithfulness is about the spirit of the Law, not the letter. Now, in chapter six, Jesus turns to three illustrations of practical righteousness: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting.

Some of those who heard Jesus may have been tempted to welcome His insistence upon the internalization of the Law for selfish reasons. In contrast to the ruggedly practical Old Testament, Jesus seemed to be speaking much more about inner experience. Did this mean that Jesus’ disciples could ignore outward manifestations of their faith? Could they just sit up a corner and be holy, ignoring everyone else? Of course not. Throughout the centuries, the pendulum has swung between activism and pietism in the Christian life. At times, Christians have neglected prayer, for example, in their zeal to change the world. At other times, responsibilities in the world have been made to take a back seat while Christians gathered in a holy huddle. Both extremes are misguided. The truth is, of course, that we need both activism and pietism. We need to cultivate a personal relationship with God, but we also need to engage the world. In particular, we must take seriously our responsibilities to those in need. But we must avoid showy ostentation in doing so.

Earlier, Jesus told His disciples that they were the light of the world, and that they should not be afraid to let men see their good deeds, so that they might praise their Father in heaven.[1] Now, He tells them to avoid doing their “acts of righteousness” in public, or they risk losing their reward. Is there a contradiction? Not at all. As the church, we have a perfect right to proclaim that our works of mercy are offered in the name of Jesus and for His glory. But as individuals we must be careful to avoid pride. We are not to be congratulated when we give to the needy. It is our responsibility to give. Any glory that accrues is not ours, it all belongs to Christ.

Heavenly Father,
Make me bold to speak out in Your name, but hesitant to speak in mine.
May I be so jealous for Your glory that I will refuse any for myself.
And may others, seeing me, not be moved to say, “What a wonderful Christian!”
but “What a wonderful Savior!”
Amen.

[1] Matthew 5:16