This verse in the book of Matthew, while Jesus is giving his infamous Sermon on the Mount, is one that, once I realized what He was truly saying here, it really helped me understand His message.
In Chapter 6, Jesus starts this next section of His sermon by going through a comparison of how someone can express their faith in a hypocritical way. The first example He gives is when He is talking about giving to the needy, where He says:
“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.” (Matthew 6:2)
Then, in the next example, He talks about how to pray. When He is talking about the hypocrites, He says:
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)
Lastly, He gives a third example when talking about fasting, where He says:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:16)
Now, when I first read this, I thought to myself “these people are doing the Godly things of fasting, praying, and giving to the needy. Jesus is saying those people are doing the right things, so their reward is their eternal life in Heaven.”
When reading it over again, that is not what Jesus was saying. In fact, He was saying the opposite.
In the Greek text for this, the word “hypokritḗs” is used (which is where we get hypocrite from). The definition of this word is “like a performer acting under a mask, or a two-faced person”.
Jesus is calling out these individuals, accussing their hearts being different than what their actions are reflecting.
These people are seeking the approval of others and trying to look good in front of others. Jesus, in Matthew 6:21, says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So these hypocrites have their hearts set on wanting to win the approval of others, and because that’s where their “treasure” is, they received their reward already. They were actively seeking the attention and approval of others, meaning in their hearts, they don’t need anything else. They don’t need God’s love to work through us.
Jesus calls us to be different. He calls to do things privately and not be boastful in the things we do, for by doing this, God will then rewards our great deeds, because we aren’t doing to gain the approval of others – we do it so that God’s love is reflected in our actions. We aren’t just claiming Jesus living in us, we are showing it.
Let me know below your thoughts on this and what your take is on this passage.
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