Jump Start # 579

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven.”

These words are part of our Lord’s famous sermon on the mount. This section highlights our relationship and righteousness towards God. Jesus identifies three common religious practices: giving alms; prayer; and, fasting. All of these were part of the Jewish system and things that every Jewish child would have grown up learning and witnessing from their fathers. The Pharisees had lost the essence of what was behind these acts. Instead of connecting with God and helping their fellow man, they were using these things to show-off.

Most folks don’t like show-offs, however they come. Teenage boys typically like to show-off to girls with the hopes of impressing them. What they do usually bombs and they end up looking foolish and without a date.

What Jesus was addressing was not teenage boys trying to get a date, but grown men who were trying to out shine others. Behind the spirit of showing-off is pride.

Notice carefully the language of Jesus in our verse today. It begins with a warning, BEWARE. That ought to grab our attention and make us take notice. When walking through the neighborhood, a BEWARE OF DOG sign will cause me to walk on the other side of the street. It is important to grasp just what exactly Jesus is saying.

It’s not wrong to practice your righteousness. If you don’t practice it, can you really say that you are righteous? What good is righteousness if it isn’t practiced? If you don’t use it, what value or purpose is it. Righteousness is supposed to be practiced.

It’s not wrong to practice righteousness before men. Again, if I’m not righteous before men, what other options do I have? Be unrighteous before men?  Be nothing before men? Those won’t fly, not at all. The chapter before, Jesus said we are to let our lights shine before men in such a way that they will see your good works. Jesus hasn’t changed His mind. He’s not saying, don’t practice righteousness before men. We ought to do that. This is one way we learn, by seeing others. Paul said, be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. It’s follow the leader, or, more precisely, follow the example. Our righteousness before men often causes others to ask about the Lord and His ways.

What Jesus did warn about is practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Now that seems a bit odd at first. If I am practicing my righteousness and if I am practicing it before men, won’t they notice? The emphasis that Jesus is drawing us to is the motive or the intention of your righteousness. Are you doing things to help others because that’s the right thing to do, or are you wanting them to praise you? Is the motive making yourself look good? That takes God out of the picture. That makes what you have done vain and selfish.

Some are like that. They want to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. They can’t hear someone else tell a story without somehow telling their story and making what happened to them a bigger thing than the person talking to them. I don’t know if it’s a self esteem issue, a lack of attention at home, loneliness or something like that, but some have to just brag about themselves. They’ll tell you what all they have done. They’ll tell you how hard it was and how no one else was there to help. They put you in a position where you almost have to compliment them and pat them on the back. It’s all very awkward.

Jesus is telling the disciples, don’t do that. Don’t be like that. Don’t show-off. Help others, but don’t do it to make tomorrow’s headlines. Do what you do in secret. God knows. That’s all that matters. Just busy yourself helping others and don’t mention it, don’t remember it, don’t focus nor dwell upon it. First of all, in most cases, someone has done something to us. What we did is not a contest. It’s not who does the most. When you busy yourself doing what you can for as many as you can, you won’t remember.

Second, what God has done for you trumps anything you will ever do. You’ll never surpass God in the kindness, blessings or goodness department. Can’t be done. So why are we trying to get someone to brag about us, for the simple things we’ve done, when God has done so much more. The purpose of being righteous before others is God. The attention goes to God. The praise is God’s. Righteous acts are to help others, encourage others, show others. It’s not about us—this is true in worship and it is true in practicing righteousness. No one will be more righteous than Jesus.

In Titus we read that God’s people are to be zealous for good deeds. The Galatians were told that at every opportunity they had, they were to do good. The story of the good Samaritan ends with the urging, “Go and do thou likewise.” Do-gooders, that’s us. Don’t keep score. That ruins it. Don’t think I’ve done more to others than they have done to me. Be thankful that God can use you and you can be in the position of helping others. Don’t show-off.

An odd thing happened to me just the other day. Most that know me, know that I love bright, colorful and loud, I mean LOUD ties. I have a bunch. The other day, one of our members came to services with a great looking tie on. I was making a big deal about it and he was being very kind and humble about it. Later on, it dawned to me that I had given him that tie. I had forgotten. There I was bragging about a gift that I had given. Very awkward. He must have thought, ‘I’ve already thanked him once for this tie, I guess he wants me to thank him again.’ That’s a perfect example of what not to do. I feel rather embarrassed about it now.

Seeking praise, wanting compliments, showing-off ruins the good that is often done. This tells us that the good that we do, can be destroyed by the spirit of the giver. There is more than the gift that is involved. The motive and the reason behind it has everything to do with it.

BEWARE—Jesus tells us. It is possible to mess up a good thing by having the wrong attitude about it. The Pharisees were masters of this. We can be the same, if we are not careful. The humble Jesus is the example.

Roger