Matthew 6:1–4

I take the liberty of altering the word "alms" into "righteousness" (v. 1), which a few of the very best authorities support. There are those that differ here as elsewhere, but at the same time internal and spiritual reasons confirm the external grounds. If you use the word "alms" in the first verse, is there not a mere repetition in the next verse? On the other hand, take the word as "righteousness" (so the margin), and all is plain. The context supports it. Notice how in the following verses our Lord divides righteousness into three distinct parts: first, almsgiving; next, prayer; then fasting.

This principle then shows itself in three areas — toward others, toward God, and toward ourselves: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Each of these is, of course, only an illustration of the principle. But divine wisdom chose each illustration, so each one must fit in a special way.

In Matthew 6 the Lord sets His disciples before the Father in acts of kindness and in devotion. They were to do it all before Him who knows the heart. How completely His words must have swept the ground from under the recognised teachers of the day! He had said, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:20). The body of chapter 5 showed the hollowness of their teaching; what comes out in chapter 6 exposes their practice.

But one might say, "If someone does good to others the results will remain, even if everybody sees it!" Nobody can deny this, but it is not in question here at all. The Lord Jesus speaks of men who pretend to do something for God. In reality they look for recognition and glory from men as their reward for their alms. So the Lord Jesus says that if men admire them for it, they do have their reward. They shall not receive any reward from God. God does not primarily honour the results — even if they are most blessed — but the motives of our actions. He so much desires our love for Him (and for our needy fellow-men) to be the motive for our deeds.

He lays the utmost stress on the manner and the motive with which the act is done. Display in the doing of alms He compares to sounding a trumpet before the doer... Can anything be conceived baser than a son of God playing a part to win the notice and approval of men?

"Have" is compounded with a preposition, which gives it the force of having all they have to expect; they have the whole of it already... This is very solemn. It teaches that if we are tempted to seek the admiration, the honour, or the praise of men, we may be allowed to gain it. But then we have nothing more to expect, since we cannot then have God's favour and blessing.

Their reward is the approval and praise of their fellow men. This they have. It is all in the present, and there is nothing more to come. The one who gives or prays or fasts unknown to men but known to God will receive his reward openly in the day to come.

There He was speaking to His disciples who ought to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If their good works were seen, God would be glorified by them, and not men. In our paragraph in Matthew 6 the result is just the reverse.

The word "alms" comes from the biblical-Greek word eleemosyne. That word comes from the word for "mercy." The New Testament uses it only to mean a good deed or a deed of mercy. In Scripture it never has the lesser meaning of a small gift to a beggar as it has in today's language. Scripture mentions Dorcas' alms-deeds along with her good works (Acts 9:36). And the many alms which the Roman officer Cornelius gave to the poor of the Jews came up as a memorial before God (Acts 10:2, 4).

Here the Lord Himself classes alms-giving as a form of righteousness. That is a significant witness to us. Mercy is not something extra; the ministry of love is itself a debt — a due. A man who withholds from another what he could give him for his need is not even righteous. This also removes the thought of merit from the mercy shown.

If their hearts had been right they would not have drawn attention to what they did. That is what "sounding a trumpet" before them means. It is a fatal thing to seek glory from men.

He puts the greatest stress on the manner and the motive behind the act. He compares showing off in giving to sounding a trumpet in front of the giver. He condemns it as what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets — inside and outside, wherever people meet and pass. Can anything be lower than a son of God playing a part to win the notice and approval of men?

Those who sound a trumpet before them (v. 2) to get glory from men — the Lord Jesus calls them hypocrites. This is a severe word. It shows how detestable such insincerity is.

Three times over the Lord says of the mere formalist, "They have received their reward." Their reward is the approval and praise of the people around them. This they have. It is all in the present, and there is nothing more to come. The one who gives or prays or fasts unknown to men but known to God will have an open reward in the day to come.

It is possible to make a great religious profession with the object of gaining the applause of men. Of such the Lord can say, "They have received their reward." But it is not Christ's reward. It is a reward without Christ, for the Lord says, "My reward is with Me." To enjoy Christ's reward we must wait for Christ's return.

Nobody can deny that, but that is not what is in question here at all. The Lord Jesus speaks of men who pretend to do something for God. In reality they look for recognition and glory from men, as their reward, for their alms... God does not honour the results first — even if they are most blessed — but the motives of our actions.

Almsgiving is chosen to express what is "righteousness" toward men. So it is distinctly called, and indeed was by the Rabbis also. So we can see how the Lord, in correcting a righteousness done before men, takes this up as a most showy form of it... Giving costs the giver so little. Yet it meets needs so varied and so obvious, and it looks so much like kindness, that it seems like cynicism to question whether the spirit is there.

Everyone is called to see how and where he may help. The Lord does not command the giving of alms. But if we do give alms, we should do it in secret and unnoticed. For this the Lord Jesus uses words that sound impossible for anyone: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." If my left hand is not to know what my right hand does, how much less should my brothers and the people around me know it!

It is not only from others but from ourselves that such doings should be hidden. Self is a subtler evil than men. The action of grace is defiled and becomes a poison to me and a dishonour to God when I think of it with satisfaction. If we did it rightly, it went to our Father for Him to remember, not us.

We are never called to display our good works, or even to be aware of them. The Lord's lesson about almsgiving is a perfect picture of the rule for all such things... He takes for granted that there will indeed be good works. True faith in Him will surely have its fruit. But faith is the very opposite of being taken up with self, and certainly of self-satisfaction.

Here lay Job's failure. Satan's blows never touched it, nor the lack of sympathy from his friends, nor even their suspicion. He was a most gracious man, but he thought about it, instead of thinking only of God who worked in him... Part of the lesson was that his left hand should not know what his right hand did. On the contrary, right to the end of his appeal (Job 31), he knew it only too well. But everything changed when he stopped looking at the fruits of grace in himself. He saw God, in true faithfulness, drying up all self-satisfaction.

This is not contradicted by the earlier words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:16: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." There He was speaking to His disciples. They were to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If people saw their good works, they would glorify God, not men. In our paragraph in Matthew 6 the result is just the opposite.

Happy are those who are set free from mere appearances, and from the value that other people may put on their works. They value only the approval of Him who sees in secret. Their reward is certain, a reward that will not perish with man and his world, but will last for ever... There is a secret room we may enter and shut the door (verse 6). There is also a secret place in our souls where we hide the record of such gracious acts. Then none but the Father who sees in secret may know it and reward us openly.