“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6: 1-4)
I mentioned last week in Manna Monday #19 that we try to always practice the biblical principle of giving in secret. This is what I was referring to. Beginning in Matthew 5, Jesus is teaching his disciples. He covers a great many principles and practices of the Kingdom of Heaven, many times taking a principle that was taught in the old testament and expounding on it. Jesus had a habit of doing this in most everything he taught. An example of this is when he mentions, in Matthew 5: 27-32, that the old testament commandment Do Not Commit Adultery, goes beyond the physical act. He tells his disciples that if you look lustfully at a women then you are already guilty of adultery. This is a different principle which is a whole sermon unto itself, but I mention it to point out that Jesus was, and still is, concerned with out HEARTS. Not simply our actions.
The same principle applies to giving. The old testament is very specific about giving. We are to give and we are to give a specific percentage of our income (10%) to be exact. One could follow that law for their entire life and never receive a blessing for it. The reason why is because our heart is what matters. We are to give with a glad heart; and then Jesus takes it a step farther. We are to give in secret.
Why do you suppose this is? In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were the “holy men”. They lived their entire lives not for the glory of God, but to show men that they were above them and to receive the praises of men. They intended to live their life for God but they allowed vanity and the praise of men to corrupt this. The Pharisees wore boxes, called phylacteries, on their arm and forehead, in an effort to follow literally the commandment to always keep the words of the Torah before them as laid out in Mosaic Law. Following the law was not the problem. Their reasons were. Jesus pointed out that they were doing this in vanity, as it is they that Jesus is referring to in Matthew 6: 5-6. In keeping with eschewing vanity and practicing humility, Jesus calls us to give in secret.
We are to follow the law and give but by doing so in secret we are far less likely to be perverted by sin and begin looking for praise from men for our actions. This was the mistake that the Pharisees had made. In keeping and observing Mosaic Law, they began to allow sin to pervert their reasons. Their vanity led them to seek the praise of men by craving honorific titles, honorary seats at feasts and in the synagogue, and the praise of men.
I do not want this to confuse you. If you write a check to a charity, I do not believe that this violates the principle Jesus was teaching here unless you specifically write a check so that the charity will see you name. Including your information is not in itself seeking praise, but if in your heart you write a check so that the charity will know that it is YOU that gave to them, then you have done exactly as the Pharisees. In this season of giving, do not let others know that you are giving in order to receive praise. Do not let their praise turn your heart from God. Give in secret that your generosity may be a blessing to you and others. Have a different view on this passage? Think I have explained this incorrectly? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to e-mail me or a leave a comment. I appreciate your readership and I do not claim to be an expert. I am simply sharing what I feel led to share. Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!