Matthew 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
So far in the Sermon on the Mount we have gone through the text of the beatitudes: the character of God and His children, the preamble to the constitution of the Kingdom of God. From the beatitudes we were led immediately into a small section that revealed our role as Ambassadors of Christ: to cause influence for God’s kingdom in the kingdom of this world. We are not here to be separate in a way that casts out those that have not yet been adopted, we are here to be separate in a manner that reveals the beauty of the Father’s love, in a manner in which, to use Paul’s words, we provoke jealousy in those that have not yet seen Jesus as their Messiah, in a manner in which shame is not caused but rather it has a light shined upon it so that it can be exposed, removed and destroyed. The light of the world does not expose sinners for the purpose of judgment; it exposes sin for the purpose of the redemption of those that have been deceived by it. From Jesus’ declaration of the influence that the citizens of God’s kingdom are to have, He then turns all of His attention to the hearts of those citizens with this incredibly broad and searching statement: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” He then defines exceeding or surpassing righteousness for us by showing that sin is not simply the actions or behavior of our bodies but it is the position of our hearts. Murder is not simply taking the life of another it is unchecked and uncontrolled anger. Adultery is not simply the act of sexual sin it is the presence of lust in our hearts and it is our effort to find loopholes in the law that allow us to follow our lust rather than to rule over it. Vanity is not only demanding that our beliefs and opinions be right but it is also when we use God’s name to further our own beliefs and opinions. Surpassing righteousness is not doing what is required of you it is going beyond what is required and offering ourselves in a manner that reveals the grace that has been given to us. Surpassing righteousness doesn’t merely love those who love us but it loves, prays for and gives grace to those that despise, curse and even hate us. Surpassing righteousness does involve our behavior but it is defined by our hearts. The last statement of chapter 5 seems to close one door but in fact it opens another: “Be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” This not the end of surpassing righteousness it is the transition from revealing what sin truly is to revealing what worship truly is. Chapter 5 showed that sin is not only what you do with your body but it is what lives in your heart, chapter 6 will show that worship is not merely what you do in a religious manner but true worship is what is found in our hearts. Again, back to Psalm 139:23-24, when David prays “Search Me, O God, and know my heart” he is not only asking for God to reveal sin but also for God to reveal worship. If the heart is deceitful in all of its ways then not only can it hide sin but it can also portray something as worship that is not so. For the next few weeks we will explore things such as giving, praying and fasting but for today, Jesus sets the stage for all of our worship with one important statement: “Take Heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before me, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”