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We are continuing our series on the teachings of Jesus that actually shocked his hearers. These teachings are found in Matthew in chapters 5 and 6. Because Jesus had no need to impress people, He shared the truth. His teachings left some of His audience amazed, pleased and relieved; other listeners were startled, insulted and irate. Whatever the reaction, He always spoke the truth.

This week we are going to look at Jesus' teachings about giving to those in need...

"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. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4.

Thus far, Jesus has been teaching about living right for God. In this passage He applies the teaching to everyday life as He speaks against hypocrites. Jesus defines a hypocrite not as a person who falls short of his high ideals, or who occasionally sins (all of us experience these failures), but as someone who deliberately uses religion to cover up his or her sins and who promotes his own gains. The Greek word 'hypocrite' originally meant 'an actor who wears a mask'. During the Greek times actors on stage would place a mask in front of their faces to take on the role of different characters. Jesus says those same actions, or mask changes, can exist with people in the synagogue, or in our case, in the church.

To impress

Jesus' focus is on our motive because motives reveal the real subject someone serves or tries to impress. Depending on our motives the good things we do may be used to impress people as a way of getting us approval or praise from them, or our good deeds may be done for God, bringing Him greater glory by how we live our lives and encourage others to believe in Him.

Jesus' warning in this passage is that our giving should not be motivated by what others will think. If we give to impress men, God will allow us our wish, and He will not notice because we did not act with Him in mind. Jesus uses the expression of not allowing your left hand to know what your right hand is doing, meaning that we should give discretely and privately rather than pretentiously and publicly. People giving to be noticed will only receive the praises of men, not the eternal rewards that God has promised to those who do anything in His name or for His glory.

Having said that, Jesus is not teaching that all giving should be done anonymously or in secret. Everyone in the early church knew that Barnabus gave his income from the sale of his land to the church (Acts 4:34-37). When the church members laid their money at the Apostles feet, it was not done in secret. The difference was the motive and manner in which the giving was done. In sharp contrast was the fatal response of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11, who used their gift to make others believe that they were more spiritual than they were.

I find Matthew 6:4 very powerful. "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." This verse is so encouraging to me. It reminds me that our greatest audience is God, not other people. We must focus on doing things that will bring glory to Him rather than people. Herein is a powerful truth of the Christian life: when our motive is right, even though we are doing things for others, we are ultimately doing it for God.

I would like to leave you with Jesus' teaching on the final judgment in Matthew 25:31-40. He talks about a separation of sheep and goats, which is what shepherds would have to do from time to time. This reminds us that when we help other people, we can actually be helping Jesus. Let's look at it...

Sheep and goats

"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

Make God your focus when you do good deeds - the results will be out of this world!

Pastor Gary C. Simons serves as Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, 82 Church Street, Hamilton, Bermuda.

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