Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

• Matthew 6:1

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Matthew 6:2-4

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

• Matthew 6:5

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

• Matthew 6:16-18

“Jesus opened a five-gallon can of worms the day He preached His Sermon on the Mount. There wasn’t a Pharisee within gunshot range who wouldn’t have given his last denarius to have seen Him strung up by sundown. Did they ever hate Him! They hated Him because He refused to let them get away with their phony religious drool and their super-spiritual ooze.
“If there was one thing Jesus despised it was the very thing every Pharisee majored in at seminary; showing off. Another word for it is self-righteousness. They were the Holy Joes of Palestine … the first to enlist undiscerning recruits into the Royal Order of Back Stabbers … past masters in the practice of put-down prayers. They spent their days working on ways to impress others with their somber look. Above all, they trafficked in criticism and intolerance.
“The Messiah unsheathed His sharp sword of truth that day, exposing their pride. Like never before, the smug show-offs were put in their place!”

• Charles R. Swindoll, The Finishing Touch (Devotion for week 43, Monday)

Rev. Swindoll covered each way the Pharisees showed off, so I quoted them as four different Scripture references, all from the same chapter in Matthew.  I am not really padding the “Bible Chapter Use Stats.”  Matthew 6 is second, following Matthew 5.

But the only time that I do not mind standing up during a worship service is when they ask for all veterans who served in the military to please stand.  And sadly, that would be twice each year just 10-15 years ago, and now it is once every three years.  And I wonder if they will ever do it again.  The old poem (mixed ideas as to who wrote it) that says “When … all is righted, God is forgotten and the soldier slighted.”

Otherwise, I would rather stay anonymous.  Sure, if the pastor wants me to stand up and say what the Sunday school class that I teach is doing, I can do that.  But I went to a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance camp one time during Hurricane Katrina recovery and I just wanted to go.  Nope.  We had to go down front and have people lay hands on us, as if we were Paul and Barnabas.  I wanted to be anonymous.  I was doing it from the heart, not “Hey!  Look at me!!  I’m a volunteer!!!”

And it seems when the church suggests a fast, they read those last verses of Matthew 6 that are quoted above in the reverse.  You do not have to attend church.  You can hear their moaning from a block away.  Okay, a bit of exaggeration, but just a bit.

The point that I have learned regarding all these warnings against people showing off is that when you have a life-giving relationship with Jesus, it shows.  You do not have to show off.  In fact, the more that you hide in the shadows helping the needy, praying, and fasting, the more it shows that you are indeed a true follower.

We have a fellowship at church, and recently it was my turn to host.  They gushed about how wonderful the table looked and how beautiful and tasty the desserts (desserts and coffee only).  But I deflected the praise.  I prayed.  I went into two different stores, and it was as if what I was looking for was the advertised special for the month.  Really, I did not break into a sweat, and I really think the prayers did more than my physical efforts.

Is that not what Jesus is getting at?  How can we act super religious, putting the praise on us, when our strength is God within us, and our purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever?

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.