Sometimes the most dangerous spiritual temptation isn’t obvious sin.
It’s the slow drift from devotion to display.
In Matthew 6:1–18, Jesus addresses something that can quietly take root in any religious community—something that can even hide inside good works, sincere prayers, and meaningful spiritual disciplines.
Two assumptions guide today’s reflection:
We cannot impress God, but we can please God.
We should not try to impress other people with our spirituality.
Humility before God—and before other people—deepens our relationship with the Father who sees us fully.
Scripture Reading (NRSVUE) — Matthew 6:1–18
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
“And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Watch the Message
Today’s Big Idea
Jesus is not warning us against giving, prayer, or fasting.
He is warning us against practicing righteousness with the wrong audience in mind.
When we live for applause, that applause becomes the reward—and it is a small reward that cannot sustain the soul.
But when we live before God, in humble devotion, the Father who sees in secret does something deeper than “praise” us.
He forms us.
A Line That Cuts Deep
George Whitefield once said:
“Before you can speak peace in your heart, you must not only be made sick of your original and actual sin, but you must be made sick of your righteousness, of all your duties and performances… There must be a deep conviction before you can be brought out of your self-righteousness; it is the last idol taken out of our heart.”
That is the danger Jesus confronts in Matthew 6.
Not “bad religion.”
Religion that has drifted into performance.
A Simple Summary of the Passage
Matthew 6:1–18 is organized around three familiar practices of devotion:
Giving
Prayer
Fasting
Jesus assumes his followers will do these things: when you give… when you pray… when you fast…
The question is not whether you practice devotion.
The question is why—and for whom.
Before we go deeper…
In the section below the paywall, I’m including:
✅ “More Than Crumbs” — notes from my research
✅ Study notes and key themes
✅ Thought questions for personal reflection
✅ Discussion questions for small groups
✅ A brief list of sermon titles from contemporary preachers (for thought and contrast)
✅ A “fresh angles” section that helps us avoid cliché applications
If you’d like the deeper material, join me below.
