Matthew 6:1-34 – The Righteous Practices of the Kingdom

You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

We read these words and probably think Jesus is talking about perfection with regard to sin — our thoughts and actions — but I’m not so certain that’s what Jesus really meant. Everything preceding this is a command about how we interact with others. We should not kill, of course, but neither should we insult others. We should not commit adultery, of course, but neither should we lust. In these, as well as the other “you have heard” statements, Jesus expands our understanding of the law so as to include our thoughts as well as our actions. And in so doing, he teaches us how to better love our neighbors and, as the last “you have heard” command states, our enemies. In other words, while Jesus opens our eyes to see sin’s true boundaries, his real focus is on how we love one another. As such, the perfection to which Jesus calls us, and the subject of his final “you have heard” statement, is that our love for one another should be as perfect as the love given us by our Heavenly Father.

Jesus began the previous section of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:17-48) with the words, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). We often see that claim to be a statement regarding his death and resurrection and the sacrifice he made to pay for our sins. And that may be the case. But something Jesus says later in response to a question posed by a lawyer hints at another interpretation of these words. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37-39). The law certainly reveals to us our sin (Rom. 7:7), but at the heart of the law, according to Jesus, is our complete love for God and our love for our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus did come to pay the price for our sins, but he also came to show us what it is like to perfectly love the Father and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, with Jesus having just completed a discussion of how to love our neighbors (Matt. 5:17-48), it makes sense that he might be shifting gears so as to teach us how to love our Heavenly Father with all our heart and soul and mind (Matt. 6:1-34).

The Righteous Practices of the Kingdom of Heaven

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.

Matthew 6:1

Before we enter into this discussion, it should be noted that some Bible translations use the word “alms” instead of “righteousness.” “Alms” may seem like a good word choice based on the first category of things we are to “practice,” giving to the needy (Matt. 6:2), but “righteousness” seems to be a better fit when all three practices — giving, praying, and fasting — are taken into account. As such, I have chosen to follow those translations that use the term “righteousness” because it seems to better fit with Jesus’s apparent intention in this section (Matt. 6:1-34).

Now, I have always thought the phrase, “practicing your righteousness,” seemed a bit odd. I mean, how do you “practice” being righteous? To help myself better understand this phrase I substituted other words for “righteousness.” I tried, “basketball skills,” “soccer footwork,” “chess strategy,” “F1 Race Car Driving,” “comedy routine,” and “cat juggling.” And contrary to what Alan Iverson might think, practice is a necessary precursor to actually performing well. But, even after I did this word-substitution, I realized it seemed to be pointing me in the wrong direction. I don’t think Jesus meant to tell us to practice being righteous. This is potentially good advice, but it doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the passage. So, I looked at the Greek language.

The Greek word used for “practice” means to perform, do, or celebrate. Okay, so far. But the Greek word used for “righteousness,” means the state of who we ought to be, or the condition acceptable to God. Thus, it seems that “practicing our righteousness” is to act in a way consistent with who were meant to be in the presence of God; to celebrate who God wants us to become. Giving, praying, and fasting are not things we do to become more holy and pure, they are what we do to best emulate who we ought to be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. We don’t do these things because we love other people, or to show other people we love God; we do these things because we love the Father and we want to show our love to him.

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

This first act of righteousness may seem focused on our neighbors, but it really is a way we can show the Father that we are like him, that we value what he values, and that we love what he loves. You don’t need to read too far in the Old Testament before you realize how great God’s love is for the foreigner, the downcast, the widow, the fatherless, the unfortunate ones. And if we are to love God we must love those people, the needy, as God would love them. When we meet the needs of the needy we show the Father our love for him. But this, Jesus said, we must do in secret. And to explain what he means, Jesus uses an odd phrase that I believe we have often misunderstood. He said,

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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4

We usually think Jesus is talking about real hands and about always giving secretly so no one knows what we give or to whom we give. But, for some reason, we forget that the Bible talks about “right hands” in other places. We are told that Jesus sat at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19; Hebrews 1:3). It was common in Biblical times, even in the Middle Ages and during the fictional time of the Game of Thrones, for the person holding the highest position of glory and acting on the king’s behalf to be described as sitting at the right hand of the king; those sitting at the left hand of the king — and there were many — while still important, had less glory and responsibility. With this in mind, notice that Jesus does not want the left hand to know what the right hand is doing; not the other way around. As such, it seems that Jesus could have been indicating to his disciples that the giving known by others (left-hand-giving, less glorious) should not be part of our giving that shows our love for the Father (right-hand-giving, more glorious). Furthermore, right-hand-giving should be done in secret, known only to ourselves and the Father.

This distinction between left-hand-giving and right-hand-giving has nothing to do with the actual money or the recipient of the gift. The distinction is found in the motive and visibility of the gift. We can give to others because they ask or because we see their need; we often do this. And the recipient knows where the gift comes from. In fact, Paul did this sort of giving quite a bit when he took gifts from the churches on his journeys and gave the money to the believers in Jerusalem. The motive was to help the needy and it was quite visible. As a church, and as believers, we should be involved in this sort of giving often. Let others see the love the church has for each other. But there is another type of giving which should be done in secret and for the sole purpose of showing our love to the Father. This giving may still help the needy — in fact, it should — but it should be done privately, without fanfare, for the sole purpose of showing God how much we love him.

5 “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. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:5-6

The next practice of righteousness is prayer, but not the sort of prayers with which we are most familiar. Praying for our needs or on behalf of others is good and necessary; praying in public is an important part of our church life; praying at dinner is a wonderful way to thank God for his blessing. But none of those prayers are the focus of Jesus’s words. Jesus is talking about prayer as a private thing done for the sole purpose of being with the Father and of showing him our love. But we must notice, Jesus doesn’t leave it to our imagination as to how we are to pray. When it comes to talking with the Father, Jesus gives us a specific prayer.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10  Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11  Give us this day our daily bread,
12  and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13  And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:7-13

Since I have already written quite a bit on the Lord’s Prayer in previous posts (see The Lord’s Prayer – Lord Teach us to Pray, even this series of posts is about the Lord’s Prayer), I won’t spend much time with the actual prayer. But I would like to point out two things. First, Jesus provided his disciples with a specific prayer; he told them what and how to pray. And, since this is the only time Jesus ever told his disciples how to do anything, I might suggest it is important to follow his directions. Who knows? We may find more depth and breadth in this short prayer than any prayer we could fabricate on our own.

Secondly, of all the petitions Jesus could have emphasized from this prayer he chose forgiveness. He said,

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:14-15

If we truly love the Father, then we will forgive others. It’s that simple. But, if we are unwilling to forgive others, then do we truly love the Father? If we are unable to forgive others there is a good chance that we are not really God’s children; the children of the Father become like the Father. And forgiveness, of all the aspects of God’s character, should top the list of those that we should most desire to emulate because if it weren’t for God’s forgiveness we wouldn’t be his child. But, if we choose to be unwilling to offer forgiveness to others, then we are not becoming like the Father, we are not on the path to being perfect even as he is perfect, and we are not loving the Father. How we offer forgiveness to others may actually be THE test of whether we truly love God.

16 “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. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18

Finally, Jesus tells us we should fast. Fasting is often described as a way to seek the wisdom of God or ask for his mercy. Fasting was done by many of God’s prophets, kings, and his people as they sought the will of the Father. Such fasting is important, but the sort of fasting to which Jesus refers here is of a completely different nature. This type of fasting is done as a way of showing to our Father our love for him. And, like giving and prayer, this fasting is also done in private for only the Father to see.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth

Matthew 6:19

When we read these words, we may think that Jesus has concluded his teaching about “practicing our righteousness” and is now moving on to a new subject. But I would like to suggest that Jesus is doing here just what he did with prayer and forgiveness; he is providing additional instructions regarding one of the key issues related to fasting: how our focus is too heavily placed on the good things of this world.

But we must realize something first. Historically, many people have said that the material world is evil and the spiritual world is good. These people told us to deny ourselves the material things in life so as to become more aware of the spiritual. But, that line of reasoning quickly runs into a problem: when God created the material world he declared it good. So, how is it that God’s creation is now evil?

I think we can gain some insight into this question by looking at what Paul said about money. He said that it was the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil, not money itself (I Tim. 6:10). In like manner, I think it safe to say that it is our love of the material world that gets in the way of our relationship with the Father, not the material world itself.

Thus, the sort of fasting Jesus calls a “practice of righteousness” is fasting done which helps us refocus our minds on the true source of our satisfaction and contentment. The material world cannot supply that which we truly need; only our Heavenly Father can do that. Fasting as a “practice of righteousness” isn’t separation from an evil material world, it is a way to reawaken our understanding that the good material world is not the source of our contentment. This sort of fasting helps us truly feel and express our love for our Heavenly Father. Jesus clarifies this when he says,

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 6:19-24

Food, often the subject of fasting, is not the only material good about which we are prone to indulgence. We build, buy, and worship material treasures all the time. Sometimes it is a fluffy piece of delicious French Silk pie that catches our eye, snares our passions, and soothes our senses, sometimes it is a finely crafted automobile, an amazing house, or an expensive vacation. We all place value in earthly treasures; we even find comfort in them. But these earthly treasures we value and worship will decay and are susceptible to theft; every earthly treasure inevitably slips through our fingers. But, treasures piled up in heaven will never decay and never be stolen. Treasures in the eternal kingdom of God are eternal treasures.

Yet, even though we know this, we still spend time laying up treasures on earth. The lust of our eyes is focused on those things which satisfy the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. As a result, our eyes are darkened and we are unable to see the light of God’s presence. But when our treasures become those laid up in heaven — the greatest treasure being our Father’s love — our eyes are opened by the light of God’s love. This is why Jesus tells us to fast. When we fast we quickly realize how short-lived the satisfaction is that we gain from material treasures. With an empty stomach, growling because our last wonderful meal was not enough to completely and for all time satisfy our longings, we realize the futility of laying up for ourselves any treasure on earth. But there is another reason we fast. Jesus said,

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34

I could be wrong, but I think that anxiety tops the list of reasons why we store up material treasures. We are anxious about the future; we are anxious about impoverishment; we are anxious about having enough food, clothing, and shelter. We don’t like anxiety about our finances, not because we love having money — no rational person loves money for money’s sake — but we love having money because of what it can give us. Sure, money can give us boats, houses, and cars, stocks, bonds, and bitcoins. But that isn’t what we want. We want our anxiety to be banished. We keep money and we buy things because we are anxious about life’s uncertainties.

But this is why we fast. We fast to learn that our Father will provide. We fast so we can learn to rely upon our Father. And we fast because our Father wants us to know him and to love him. If we are unable to let go of our anxiety and place our trust in the Father, it is hard to imagine that we really know the Father, that we really love the Father, or that the Father knows us (Matt. 7:21-23).

Citizens of the kingdom of heaven “practice righteousness,” not because we have to and not because it makes us more holy, but we “practice righteousness” because it helps us realize who we really are — children of our Heavenly Father — and it is our way of expressing our love for and to the Father with all of our heart our soul and our mind. We love God with all of our heart when we, like him, love the poor. We love God with all of our mind when we mentally engage with every line of the prayer Jesus taught. And, we love God with all of our soul when we find satisfaction in him alone. It is for this — that we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and that we love our neighbor as ourselves — that we pray, “Your kingdom come.”

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