Secret Giving

“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.

² “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. 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. Matt 6 ESV

In this passage Jesus instructs His disciples about giving. I am going to make three short observations about what this passage is telling us about God and giving.

The first observation is that giving to the needy is assumed by Jesus. Jesus does not say “if you give to the needy”, He says “when”. This implies His disciples will give to the needy. God cares greatly for the poor. So much so that when we give to the poor the Lord looks at it as if we are giving to Him.  “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Prov. 19:17)

The next observation is that our motive matters when giving to the poor. As we will see, there are two different outcomes when giving to the poor. The outcomes are based on the givers motive. One of the basic principles behind our giving is that God cares about our heart’s intent. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”(2 Cor. 9:7) It is easy to be a cheerful giver when we realize that God gave generously for us. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 9:9).    

The last observation is that there is a reward for giving. Jesus says that there is a reward for giving, whether your motive is good or bad. If you give for the praise of men, then whatever praise you get from them, you will have your reward. But when your motive is right and you give before God to please God, He will reward you for it. Commentators speculate on whether the reward from God comes in this life or the next. It could be more seed to sow (2 Cor. 9: 6-15) or a crown to cast at Jesus’s feet (1 Cor. 9:25, Rev. 4:10). One thing is for sure, God is good and any reward that could come from Him, whenever it comes, is way better than could come from man. 

A Real Slap in the Face

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  Matt 5

In this passage is Jesus commanding that we become human punching bags? As was the case last week we have run into a section in the Sermon on the Mount that can be hard to understand without some insight into the culture and background of the passage. 

Let’s gain some insight by answering two questions: 1. What does “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” mean?  2. What does it mean to turn the other cheek?

1. “An eye for an eye”. When Jesus says “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” He is quoting Exodus 21:24 verbatim. This was the law of Israel as intended by God. The intent of the law was to make the punishment fit the crime. In context of 2013 America, we would say that it was to make sure that murderers do not get off with what amounts to be a slap on the wrist. However, in the ancient world it was the other extreme. It was to keep someone from getting the death penalty for stealing a fig.  The law was there so justice was done, but done fairly. However, in the time of Jesus’s earthly ministry the people were abusing this. They were using the command as license to go “tit for tat” with someone. “Okay you slapped me; I have to slap you back.”

2. Turn the other cheek.  A “slap on the cheek” was basically an insult, as we might say today “that was a real slap in the face.” Although, back then someone may have given another person a brisk slap on the cheek to insult them, Jesus is not saying to let people wail on you physically. The heart of His instruction is, if someone insults you; do not go back at them. In fact, let them keep talking if they want.  When we are hurt and our pride takes a hit, we often want to settle the score and return the insult. Jesus says don’t take the bait. He actually instructs us to do the opposite, He instructs us to bless our enemies.

In summary what Jesus is saying here is, when people insult you, resist the temptation to go back at them and settle the score. And if they want to keep at it, let them. Unfortunately, you can be sure that people will test you in this area. Somebody will insult you. It will happen either to your face or behind back. Resist the temptation to go back at them and settle the score. You can trust that God is big enough to take care of your reputation.

Be True to Your Word

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5

Matthew 5:33-37 is a passage that in our modern culture we have some trouble understanding.  Why is Jesus forbidding swearing an oath? What does the temple or the earth have to do with it?  In context, God had instructed His people in the book of Leviticus “And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”(Lev. 19:12) By the time Jesus had come to earth Israel was abusing this commandment. To get around this commandment, instead of swearing by God’s name, they would swear by the temple, the earth or Jerusalem. These things are all of God, but did not have God’s name directly on them. Therefore if they broke an oath, they would not technically be breaking the commandment. Or so they thought. To swear by these things was a disingenuous oath.  It provided them with a “trap door” if they wanted out of the oath. Kind of like when a child makes a promise to another child while crossing their fingers. Jesus pointed out the error in this by stating that Jerusalem is God’s city, the earth is His footstool, and heaven is God’s throne.  Jesus instructed His followers to be people of their word. When a person says “yes”, they are to mean “yes” and when a person says “no” they are to mean no.

We should all take great joy in knowing that God is a God of His Word. When God says yes He means yes. When God says no, He means no. When God says that whosoever believes in His Son will not perish, He means it. When God says He will never leave us or forsake us, “never” means never. We can trust in, and believe in, all the promises of God. God is a God of truth and in Him there is nothing false.  Jesus, in telling us to be people of our word, is simply instructing us to be like our Father in heaven.