What does the Bible say about popularity / wanting to be popular?

The first verse is as it were the general heading: "Take heed not to do your righteousness before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens" (see footnote in J.N.D. Trans.). The Lord Jesus calls on His disciples to consider their motives. If they do their righteous deeds before men to be seen of them they are only seeking human recognition. This would be their "reward." Furthermore, the Lord affirms that those who seek the praise of men receive no reward of the Father which is in heaven. On the other hand, those who look for His reward (see Heb. 11:26) do not seek human recognition.

These men are called by the Lord hypocrites. It will not be amiss to remember that the Lord calls the religious leaders hypocrites, "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites." God is not deceived; He does not look on the outward appearance. If their hearts had been right they would not have drawn attention to what they did, for that is what is implied by "sounding a trumpet" before them. It is a fatal thing to seek glory of men. God and the world are always opposed. The Lord says, "I receive not honour from men"; and, "I know you that ye have not the love of God in you." God looks for the single eye; this is the great point here, and the most important one; for it would settle many a difficulty if our one object were to please the Lord. "Wherefore we are ambitious", says the apostle, "that whether present or absent, we may be well pleasing to Him" (or "acceptable," not "accepted"). We are "accepted" in the Beloved, and it is "to the praise of the glory of his grace." There is nothing higher than this; it is the very glory of it. It is altogether of God's grace. Grace — "riches of his grace" — "the glory of his grace" — and this last is the highest. Therefore I labour, "make it my aim," to be well-pleasing to Him Who has showed me this grace. There is no such thing as labouring for salvation; that would be uphill drudgery. But having got it I can labour to please Him. Those who seek glory of men shall get it, but this is not glory of God.

If we do good deeds we ought to do them as He desires, without even mentioning them. Those who sound a trumpet before them (v. 2) to have glory of men the Lord Jesus calls hypocrites. This is a severe word which shows how detestable such insincerity is.

But one might say, "If someone does good to others the results will remain, even if everybody sees it!" This nobody can deny, but it is not in question here at all. The Lord Jesus speaks of men who pretend to do something for God, but in reality look for recognition and glory from men (as their reward) for their alms. So the Lord Jesus says if they are admired for it by men 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 desires so much our love for Him (and for our needy fellow-men) to be the motive for our deeds.

It is very evident on the surface that when the Lord says of the "hypocrites" that "they have their reward," He means that they attain the object they have in view in their religious display before the eyes of men, that they, in a word, succeed in acquiring the praise of others. The following note will explain this very exactly: "'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. … It is expressed in English by laying the stress on 'have.' Perhaps one might say 'have got' in the same sense." This is very solemn, because 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 in that case we have nothing more to expect, inasmuch as we cannot then have God's favour and blessing. What the Lord is indeed here enforcing is that, whether in giving alms, in praying, or in fasting, it must all be done in secret before the eye of God, for, if not, none of these things will be of any avail before Him. And to encourage His disciples to this He says, "And thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee."* We need to remind ourselves of this instruction, for what is more frequently seen than the publication of the names of the donors of alms, or even private prayers presented before the eyes of others? How beautiful the words which the Lord uses of prayer! "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door" (shut out all else, even the nearest and the dearest), "pray to thy Father who is in secret" (for it is in secret that He is to be found and that His presence is to be realized); "and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee." Yea, if His eye alone, His favour alone, be sought, the end desired will be most assuredly realized. It will be readily perceived that all this applies to individual and private prayer; and yet even where two or three are gathered together in the Lord's name to pray, it is necessary to remember that we must address alone the ear of God, that we must pray to Him, and not to those who are present.

This is not contradicted by the earlier words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." 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.

We sometimes find it difficult to judge whether we really do a thing for the Lord's sake or as seeking the praise of men, because our motives are often mixed. It is true that we would like to do something for the Lord but we like men to see us doing it! The world has a saying: "Do good and do speak of it!" As our verse shows, such an attitude does not become a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus. We therefore need to examine and judge ourselves continuously.

The Jews had fallen into the prevalent and perilous snare of performing their acts of divine service for the sight and approbation of their fellows. They were attracted by the instant recompense which is "awarded to a man by his friends and neighbours for deeds of a religious nature" done under their notice. For men readily and unstintedly avow their appreciation of acts of almsgiving to which their attention is directed by a flourish of trumpets, of prayers performed at the street-corners in public view, and of tithes of goods voluntarily extended in scope to include even the lesser herbs of the garden. The synagogue and the street alike observe and generously appraise such deeds. And the Pharisee of every age seeks with much pains to obtain this praise of man rather than the praise of God. Mostly he is successful in his pursuit, and secures the adulation of his fellows, according to the words of the Psalmist, "Men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself" (Ps. 49:18). Herein, as the Lord said, the Pharisee receives his reward, i.e. the glory that comes from men, but misses that glory which comes from above, which the Father who sees in secret will bestow upon those who serve Him in spirit and in truth.

But we are also called to rejoice in the assured hope of the glory of God even now. It is now that we want its power in our souls. It strengthens us against the false and vain hopes of the world. There are few greater snares than human honour and praise; for they destroy faith. "How can ye believe," said our Lord, "who receive glory one of another, and seek not the glory which is from God alone?" John 5:44. So in John 12:42-43, we are told that, although from among the rulers many believed on Him, yet on account of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men rather than the glory of God.

The enemy lurked behind this, no doubt, but the grace of God gave to the apostles the power to act as they did. How much of such idolizing is going on in modern days; how men, professedly the servants of the Lord, seek and love the honor and praise of men, is too evident to be mentioned. Seeking honor from men and having delight in the applause of the "religious world" is a deadly thing, for it dishonors Christ, to whom all honor and glory is due. And how much of all this there is in the present day! It is but the result of not giving the Lord Jesus Christ the preeminence.

But we must not forget there was a brother, whose name we do not know, whose praise in the Gospel was in all the churches. (2 Cor. 8:18). I am sure he did not seek that praise, but he was a man whom the Lord delighted to honour. So while ever seeking first the praise of God, we need not, I judge, be entirely without regard to our brethren's praise also. But let us also remember how easy it is to have our eyes turned towards men, rather than to our Lord alone: and also remember "If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". (Gal. 1:10).

And finally we come to the eighth and last of this blessed list of subjects for meditation: "If (there be) any praise, on these-(things) meditate". I doubt not our first thought should be with regard to the praise of God: "Whose praise is not of men, but of God". When we get the praise of men, then we have our reward. (Matt. 6:1-6). The Greek word used for "reward" is apecho, and expresses the same meaning as our words: "Paid in Full". When the hypocrites did their alms, they sounded a trumpet before them, that they might have glory of men: and thus their reward was "Paid in Full". (Deissmann). We do not want this sort of praise.