Beware of the Need to be Seen

Beloved Kinney,

While working through our Bible reading plan, I was struck by what I’ve read in Matthew
6. (Which is a chapter of the Bible I’ve read many times! But that’s the beauty of reading
and rereading Scripture—it hits you at certain times in your life in ways that it may not
have before.)

The chapter opens like this: ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other
people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father
who is in heaven.” (v1, emphasis mine)

Notice this: Jesus is not warning against practicing your righteousness before others. In
fact, he commanded in the previous chapter that we do that, “Let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven.” (5:16)

What Jesus is warning us against is practicing our righteousness before people to be
seen by people. It is such a subtle but dangerous tendency we may have. And it is a
key characteristic of pharisaism (i.e., acting like a Pharisee).
Consider the examples Jesus gives…

 Giving: “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.” (v2)
 Prayer: “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.” (v7)
 Fasting: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they
disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” (v16)

You get the point. Beware of this in your own life. Don’t put on a show. Just faithfully
walk with the Lord. Don’t try to prove how godly you are. Just BE godly! Don’t seek the
unfulfilling reward of the praise of men. Seek the reward of the pleasure of your
heavenly Father. It’s so much better!

Let us strive, as Jesus says, “not to let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing,” all for the glory of God and then we will have our true reward—the glory of God
himself! Amen.

Love,
Pastor Josh