Cancel the Trumpets - April 25

Read Matthew 6:1-4

“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. 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. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Reflect

In today’s culture, how might we trumpet our giving? According to today’s passage, why does Jesus say that our giving should be done in secret instead?

Have you ever watched a TV or online personality do a really extravagant give-away? I have watched videos online in which participants (or sometimes even random strangers on the street) are given things like branded merchandise, all expenses paid trips, straight cash, college tuition, or brand-new vehicles! The more popular these celebrities are, the more over the top the giveaways get.

On the one hand, I think it’s great that these online content creators are sharing the immense wealth that just one video can bring in from advertising revenue. On the other hand, I know that this is also just a strategy to get more views and build their brand. The crazier the giveaway, the more attention the video gets, and the more money the creator makes.

So while I don’t know the heart of each and every online influencer, I do know that when many film themselves giving away massive amounts of money, the motivation isn’t always out of the goodness of their hearts. Oftentimes, the strategy is to give so lavishly that it gets the attention of the internet, cultivates an image of generosity, and makes them even more money.

In today’s passage, Jesus warned against practicing your righteousness before other people simply to be noticed by them. This warning was given as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Even in Jesus’ day, people liked to call attention to their giving so everyone would see how kind, compassionate, and generous they were. Apparently, some people would even sound a trumpet to announce their charitable deeds!

Imagine the scene: (trumpet blasting) “Hear ye, hear ye, I am now going to give a full day’s wage and a free meal to these poor, unfortunate souls in desperate need of my help. Boy, aren’t they lucky that I am so generous?”

That’s a laughable image, but if we are honest with ourselves, we’ve all probably done a good deed hoping that someone else noticed us, too. Jesus’ words should convict us of our selfish motivation. Jesus called these people hypocrites because they were pretending to be super holy, righteous people when they are not.

In his Enduring Word online commentary, David Guzik noted: “Jesus tells the one who gives so he can hear the applause of others that he should enjoy the applause, because that will be all the reward that he will receive. There will be no reward in heaven for the one who did it for the motive of an earthly reward.”

Instead, Jesus advised us to give to those in need anonymously. That way, God is the only One who knows that we gave and He’s the One who will reward us. We can trust that God’s eternal rewards are infinitely better than the fickle favor of man.

If we think we have to announce our giving and our good deeds, we should check our motivation. Are we trying to please God with our offering or are we people-pleasing? Is our generosity about His image or improving our own image? Is this for His glory or ours? If we are giving or doing good deeds for all the wrong reasons then we should stop…and cancel the trumpets.

Respond

Lord, I want the motivation of my heart to always be for Your glory rather than my own. And yet, my heart is often so wicked. Please forgive me for my sinful, self-seeking ways and cultivate Your true goodness in me. Help me to be generous as You are generous because I want my reward to be from You, not from man. Amen.

Reveal

Sometimes recognition for our selfless acts is unavoidable--after all, when we are the recipient of generosity the first thing we often want to do is to shout it from the rooftops. So, first resolve to give the glory to God when you are recognized for your generosity. And second, make it a point once in awhile to give a gift or act of service anonymously.