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.
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 part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about three religious practices familiar to his hearers: giving alms, praying, and fasting. These were honored works of piety among the Jewish people. Almsgiving meant helping the poor. Prayer meant turning to God with trust. Fasting meant freely giving up food as an act of humility, repentance, and dependence on God. Scripture already joined these practices together as good and pleasing to God, as when Tobit says, “Prayer with fasting is good, but better than both is almsgiving with righteousness” (Tobit 12:8).
Jesus begins with the heart of the matter: “take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them” (v. 1). The issue is the intention of the heart. A good deed can be done before others when it leads them to glorify God, as Jesus already taught in Matthew 5:16. Here, Jesus warns against doing good in order to win attention. When a person seeks human praise as the goal, that praise becomes the reward.
The word “hypocrites” describes people who present themselves before others as if they were actors on a stage. Jesus uses strong language because religious acts can become spiritually empty when the person performing them seeks admiration more than God. A person may give, pray, or fast outwardly while inwardly wanting to be noticed. Jesus calls his disciples to live before the Father, who sees truly and knows the heart.
Almsgiving is the first example. Jesus says, “When you give alms,” not “if you give alms” (v. 2). Care for the poor belongs to the life of the disciple. The Lord’s command that the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing teaches quiet generosity (v. 3). The disciple gives because the poor are loved by God and because mercy belongs to the life of God’s children. The Father sees the hidden act of mercy and receives it.
Prayer is the second example. Jesus tells his disciples to go into the inner room, close the door, and pray to the Father in secret (v. 6). He is teaching personal prayer that is sincere and directed to God. Public prayer remains part of the life of God’s people, and Jesus himself took part in synagogue worship. He also withdrew to pray alone, showing that the disciple needs quiet communion with the Father. Prayer is not a performance before others. It is the child of God speaking to the Father who already knows and loves him.
Fasting is the third example. In Israel, fasting was connected with repentance, mourning, and humbling oneself before God. The Law required fasting on the Day of Atonement, and many Jews also fasted at other times. Jesus assumes that his disciples will fast, but he commands them to do so with simplicity. Washing the face and anointing the head were ordinary signs of freshness and joy (vv. 17-18). The fasting disciple should not make suffering visible in order to appear devout. The sacrifice is offered to the Father who is hidden.
The repeated promise is important: “your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (vv. 4, 6, 18). Jesus presents the Father as loving, attentive, and near to his children. He is teaching that the disciple lives under the loving gaze of God. The Father sees what others miss. He receives hidden mercy, hidden prayer, and hidden sacrifice. His reward is more than public approval. It is communion with him now and the fullness of life with him in his kingdom.
This teaching remains practical for every age. Much of modern life encourages people to display their good deeds, their opinions, their sacrifices, and even their prayers. Jesus gives his disciples a quieter path. Give because mercy opens the heart to the needs of others. Pray because communion with the Father teaches trust. Fast because self-denial helps the whole person turn toward God. These hidden acts form a sincere heart before the Father.
Father, purify my intentions. Teach me to give, pray, and fast for love of you, and help me to seek your approval above all human praise. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 and notes on Matthew 6:1-18, 6:2, and 6:16.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on Matthew 6:1-18, 6:2, 6:6, and 6:17. Pages 17-18.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on Matthew 6:1-18 and 6:5-8. Page 65.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 644, paragraphs 37-38; page 645, paragraph 40.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 922.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1184-1185.
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