Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. Ash Wednesday!! 9/3/11
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
16 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Here today we begin another Lenten season; another time when God specifically wants us to look at where we really are in our spiritual lives. He wants us to recognise that we are a long way from being the people that we should be; and so by the end of the Lenten season we are again drawn to the depth and great importance of Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin; Then following on from that finding the power and impetus to have a whole new and greater life ahead for each one of us. It doesn’t matter who we are and how long we have been in the church; every one of us is called to use this time to allow God to draw us back into a deeper relationship with himself.
Here, right at the beginning he gets us to look at a very fundamental issue that lies at the heart of our lives: where is the focus??? What is the reason why we are doing what we are doing; whatever that might be? Even in the spiritual dimension of our lives. For so often there it is that we unearth a very sinister and diabolical problem that sets us on a disastrous path. What makes it even more dangerous is the fact that everyone is doing it. In fact it is what is promoted by our world out there as being ‘the way to go’; even though it is at odds with what God says is good; both for our relationship with him and even for a proper relationship with our fellow human-beings.
Are we doing what we are doing simply to have the praises of the people around us and so that we can look good and have our egos boosted? Are we wanting to be rewarded here and now for our goodness. Or is God Almighty the centre and focus of our lives and he and what he thinks and says as all important? Here remember that this text quite clearly states that God knows what is going on in our hearts and minds. We may be able to fool the people around us, but we cannot fool God. Here also remember that it is ultimately what he thinks that counts and not what we would like him to think.
Now here Jesus is speaking primarily to us as Christians; those who would like to think we are God’s people and who are focussing on living the Christian life. Here he is telling us what he has in mind for us as go about our lives. In this he his pointing out this inherent danger that we are so susceptible to.
He begins by saying; “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Now our first reaction is; that aren’t we supposed to live a good life so that others can see that we are Christians and so want to be one also. Aren’t we supposed to be loving and caring so that others might be drawn to join our churches. What is Jesus on about then?
Surely, Jesus is making the point that if we are only doing these things in front of others to be seen by them, there is a real possibility that our motivation can be all wrong. It is so easy to, or at least to be seen to be, putting the focus on me and what I am doing and how good I am. Remember this is a natural tendency for us a sinful human beings. If we are simply wanting others and God to see how good we are, there is a real problem there for us. If we look around us and see what much of our world thinks Christianity is all about; it is all about being good people. Remember that is all too often what we are telling the world as we do these acts of righteousness.
Along with that there is this idea that we want to be rewarded here and now for what we do. We want the praises of others around us, as well as to have God’s blessings of health, wealth and happiness, because we are good people. We want to have a build-up of treasures so that we can live in comfort and ease. And we think that this is what is important in life – even the Christian life.
So we very quickly see that our lives are stuck on ourselves and what we think is good and important. Even when it comes to the ‘christian life’ we put ourselves and what we think and do as of great importance. When we do well we believe the rewards should be there for us.
Whereas, Christianity is all about Jesus Christ. It is about God and who he is and what he has to say to us. The righteous acts that we do are really the acts that he wants done and are so that others can see that he is the one who is all important. The true rewards of life are connected to Jesus and to eternal life, rather than the things of this world.
So Jesus wants to help us see that our focus needs to be on him rather than on ourselves and the world around. Only then will we have the assurances that we want and need; as well the security, peace and hope that we long for. He wants us to see that we on our own cannot even come close to living and being the people that he created and expects us to be. So he wants us to turn to him and seek his forgiveness and help, rather than to strive to do it all by and for ourselves.
He wants us to see our weaknesses and failures so that we yearn for him and the forgiveness that he won for us through his death on the cross. For it is there alone that we can have the sure hope that we are accepted and loved by God, even before we have attempted any righteous deeds. Even when we have tried and failed or done less than we should or could have, he wants us to know that he has already rewarded us with all the good that we could ever expect and far more. He has done it all for us so that we don’t have to strive to be acceptable, but we can do these things because they are good things to do and they are what God himself would have be done. Because he loves us so much that he was prepared to die for us, we now as a loving response simply do these things. Not for praises, acceptance and rewards, but because he is so good and great.
Then with our focus on him and we he has done for us and what he has to say to us, we will give to the needy as a response to him rather than for praise to come to us. Our prayers will be prayers to him rather than so that others can see how good we are. Our fasting and things that we do to keep us on the right track will be so that we are drawn closer to God, instead of so that others will see.
Yes, others will see these things being done; but they will see in them a response to and an importance of Jesus Christ, rather than a focus on ourselves. They will see that Jesus is our treasure, rather than those other things that are here today and gone tomorrow.
So may this Lenten season be a time where God helps us to turn away from a focus on our selfish, egotistical wants and desires, to a total reliance on him and what he has to give. In that he will give us a peace, joy and hope, that surpasses all human understanding. And even more importantly, all glory and honour will go to him whom it rightfully belongs, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. After all he is God Almighty together with The Father and the Holy Spirit. They alone deserve all the praise and glory, now and always. AMEN
Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
16 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Here today we begin another Lenten season; another time when God specifically wants us to look at where we really are in our spiritual lives. He wants us to recognise that we are a long way from being the people that we should be; and so by the end of the Lenten season we are again drawn to the depth and great importance of Jesus’ death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin; Then following on from that finding the power and impetus to have a whole new and greater life ahead for each one of us. It doesn’t matter who we are and how long we have been in the church; every one of us is called to use this time to allow God to draw us back into a deeper relationship with himself.
Here, right at the beginning he gets us to look at a very fundamental issue that lies at the heart of our lives: where is the focus??? What is the reason why we are doing what we are doing; whatever that might be? Even in the spiritual dimension of our lives. For so often there it is that we unearth a very sinister and diabolical problem that sets us on a disastrous path. What makes it even more dangerous is the fact that everyone is doing it. In fact it is what is promoted by our world out there as being ‘the way to go’; even though it is at odds with what God says is good; both for our relationship with him and even for a proper relationship with our fellow human-beings.
Are we doing what we are doing simply to have the praises of the people around us and so that we can look good and have our egos boosted? Are we wanting to be rewarded here and now for our goodness. Or is God Almighty the centre and focus of our lives and he and what he thinks and says as all important? Here remember that this text quite clearly states that God knows what is going on in our hearts and minds. We may be able to fool the people around us, but we cannot fool God. Here also remember that it is ultimately what he thinks that counts and not what we would like him to think.
Now here Jesus is speaking primarily to us as Christians; those who would like to think we are God’s people and who are focussing on living the Christian life. Here he is telling us what he has in mind for us as go about our lives. In this he his pointing out this inherent danger that we are so susceptible to.
He begins by saying; “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Now our first reaction is; that aren’t we supposed to live a good life so that others can see that we are Christians and so want to be one also. Aren’t we supposed to be loving and caring so that others might be drawn to join our churches. What is Jesus on about then?
Surely, Jesus is making the point that if we are only doing these things in front of others to be seen by them, there is a real possibility that our motivation can be all wrong. It is so easy to, or at least to be seen to be, putting the focus on me and what I am doing and how good I am. Remember this is a natural tendency for us a sinful human beings. If we are simply wanting others and God to see how good we are, there is a real problem there for us. If we look around us and see what much of our world thinks Christianity is all about; it is all about being good people. Remember that is all too often what we are telling the world as we do these acts of righteousness.
Along with that there is this idea that we want to be rewarded here and now for what we do. We want the praises of others around us, as well as to have God’s blessings of health, wealth and happiness, because we are good people. We want to have a build-up of treasures so that we can live in comfort and ease. And we think that this is what is important in life – even the Christian life.
So we very quickly see that our lives are stuck on ourselves and what we think is good and important. Even when it comes to the ‘christian life’ we put ourselves and what we think and do as of great importance. When we do well we believe the rewards should be there for us.
Whereas, Christianity is all about Jesus Christ. It is about God and who he is and what he has to say to us. The righteous acts that we do are really the acts that he wants done and are so that others can see that he is the one who is all important. The true rewards of life are connected to Jesus and to eternal life, rather than the things of this world.
So Jesus wants to help us see that our focus needs to be on him rather than on ourselves and the world around. Only then will we have the assurances that we want and need; as well the security, peace and hope that we long for. He wants us to see that we on our own cannot even come close to living and being the people that he created and expects us to be. So he wants us to turn to him and seek his forgiveness and help, rather than to strive to do it all by and for ourselves.
He wants us to see our weaknesses and failures so that we yearn for him and the forgiveness that he won for us through his death on the cross. For it is there alone that we can have the sure hope that we are accepted and loved by God, even before we have attempted any righteous deeds. Even when we have tried and failed or done less than we should or could have, he wants us to know that he has already rewarded us with all the good that we could ever expect and far more. He has done it all for us so that we don’t have to strive to be acceptable, but we can do these things because they are good things to do and they are what God himself would have be done. Because he loves us so much that he was prepared to die for us, we now as a loving response simply do these things. Not for praises, acceptance and rewards, but because he is so good and great.
Then with our focus on him and we he has done for us and what he has to say to us, we will give to the needy as a response to him rather than for praise to come to us. Our prayers will be prayers to him rather than so that others can see how good we are. Our fasting and things that we do to keep us on the right track will be so that we are drawn closer to God, instead of so that others will see.
Yes, others will see these things being done; but they will see in them a response to and an importance of Jesus Christ, rather than a focus on ourselves. They will see that Jesus is our treasure, rather than those other things that are here today and gone tomorrow.
So may this Lenten season be a time where God helps us to turn away from a focus on our selfish, egotistical wants and desires, to a total reliance on him and what he has to give. In that he will give us a peace, joy and hope, that surpasses all human understanding. And even more importantly, all glory and honour will go to him whom it rightfully belongs, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. After all he is God Almighty together with The Father and the Holy Spirit. They alone deserve all the praise and glory, now and always. AMEN
Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish
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