But take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2 When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 5“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 7 In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
16 “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.
In this passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns from the interior disposition of the heart to the expression of piety. Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—pillars of Jewish religious life—are not discarded but purified. The Lord does not abolish these practices; rather, He reorients them toward God alone, stripping away all performance and pretense. “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them” (Mt. 6:1). The Greek word for “righteous deeds” can also mean “acts of justice” or “piety,” reflecting that genuine holiness is not merely personal but directed toward both God and neighbor.
The warning is not against doing good publicly, but against doing it for the sake of being seen. The Greek phrase for “to be seen” conveys a sense of performance—it is the root of the word theatrical—suggesting that Jesus is warning against turning acts of devotion into spiritual theater. Jesus is rebuking religious acts that are performative rather than transformative.
When Jesus says, “your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (v. 4, 6, 18), He is not condemning structured prayer or public worship (cf. Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 2:1–2), but teaching that the heart of authentic devotion is found in quiet fidelity, not visible approval. In this, He echoes the prophets, especially Isaiah: “This people draws near with words only… while their hearts are far from Me” (cf. Is. 29:13). Jesus also fulfills Psalm 51:19, “A humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.”
By contrasting the “hypocrites” (ὑποκριταί)—a term originally meaning “actors”—with the sincere disciple, Jesus warns against turning sacred practices into spiritual currency for human praise. Early Christian writers such as St. Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200 – 258) affirmed that prayer must be offered in humility, without boasting or self-exaltation: “Let the heart be shut against the devil and open to God alone” (On the Lord’s Prayer, ch. 9).
Fasting, likewise, is not meant to be displayed with gloomy faces or neglected appearances (v. 16). Jesus commands us to “anoint your head and wash your face” (v. 17)—symbols of joy and cleanliness in Jewish culture (cf. 2 Sam. 12:20; Eccl. 9:8). The act of penance should not seek sympathy or admiration but communion with the God who desires conversion, not spectacle (cf. Joel 2:13).
This inward spirituality—hidden but real—reflects the nature of the New Covenant itself. Under the Old Law, externals signified holiness, but in Christ, the law is written on the heart (cf. Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10). The Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving remain central to a life of grace (cf. Tob. 12:8–9), but they are to be lived as acts of love, not performances of piety.
Jesus thus invites us into deeper intimacy with the Father—not through avoidance of devotion, but through its purification. What matters is not how visible we are to others, but how open we are to the One who sees in secret. The reward is not applause, but communion with God.
Lord, teach us to seek You in secret, to pray with humble hearts, to give without counting the cost, and to fast with joy. May all that we do be done for love of You, not for the praise of others. Quiet every desire in us that is not rooted in You, and draw us into the hidden life of grace. Amen!
Sources & References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953).
- The Navarre Bible: Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§1434, 1966, 2609.
- St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord’s Prayer.
- The Didache, 1st c. Christian catechesis, ch. 8
- St. Augustine, Sermons on the Mount, Book II.
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