Real Righteousness – Giving [Part One]
(Matthew 6: 1-4)

Giving the Correct Way.

We found out last time that the essence of false righteousness is virtue signalling through good works. False righteousness, fake righteousness is doing things and can even be doing good things with the wrong motives and the main wrong motive is in order to be seen by others and project a false type of holiness. If that’s the case, what is the right way to do things especially when it comes to the tricky subject of giving well, look at verse 3 and 4, because it tells us exactly.

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 openly.  (Matthew 6: 3-4)

Real righteousness appears to be done privately almost in secret but why? It’s not stated in plain words the obvious point I think I need to make is that if there is a wrong way to give there must be a right way to give, and the right way to give must be the opposite of the wrong way to give, and we have already been told that the wrong way to give is in a way that it is seen by others and draws attention to you as the giver. The right way to give is not seen by others and embedded in that is that it will then be seen by God. Real virtue is doing the right thing for the right reason, and the right reason is because you want to do it before the Lord, as an offering to Him.

Examples of the correct way of Giving

I once read something about two famous novelists from the last century, Henry James and Edith Wharton. Both published by the same well-known publisher (Scribner's) but they were not equally successful. In his life-time Henry James had critical acclaim but limited commercial success and Wharton had phenomenal success in both fields. They were good friends, but Wharton was much more commercially successful than the James. Because James was sensitive about his earnings, Wharton made a secret plan and made an arrangement with their publisher to divert James an $8000 advance on each new novel with the understanding that the money would be taken out of her royalties and passed to him and that he would never know what’s done. I feel this is kind of what Jesus is discussing here, he is saying do it in secret , but at the same time reminding us that by doing it that way it will still means it will be seen by God.

However, early in this passage didn’t Jesus say, “let your works be known before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven”. (Matthew 5: 16) I think we need to address that verse again. Does chapter 6 now say that all of our giving should be anonymous. Well, not necessarily, for we know from this earlier verse and other texts that sometimes people gave openly. Everyone in the early church knew that Barnabas had given the income from the sale of his land. We see in Act chapter 4; church members laid their money at the apostles’ feet. It was not done in secret then; the difference of course was in the motive and manner in which it was done.

In contrast that Ananias and Sapphira tried to use their gift to make people think that they were more spiritual than they really were, and in the book of acts narrative everybody knew that Barnabas gave, that’s not the problem. However, because Ananias and Sapphira did what they did in front of everybody, they died and everybody saw them die on the spot because what they were doing was lying to the Lord This isn’t arguing that all giving has to be anonymous, as a matter of fact it’s virtually impossible for it always to be totally anonymous, it just better when it can be. Sometimes when we give somebody got to know because sometimes it’s important to know that something has been done in the correct way. Like a receipt to prove you gave to allow the receiving organisation a tax benefit, like in the UK, or as I am led to understand in the state to allow a personal tax deduction. So not all giving is anonymous, but the point is that you do it before the Lord and not just so people can see.

I once read a newspaper article about a man the newspaper nick named “Mr Anonymous” who every six weeks drove up in a nursing home in an unmarked van and delivered two large boxes full of flowers, as he put it a gift for the enjoyment of the residences. He always refused to give his name; he sought no recognition all he wanted was that the elderly people in the nursing home would enjoy those flowers. The people didn’t need to know, the just needed to enjoy the flowers. I think that is kind of what Jesus is talking about here.

Verse four said, that when our charitable giving is done in secret are father in heaven still sees it and will reward us “openly”. What does the word openly mean? Wee it doesn’t mean that everyone else will see God blessing us, as some suggest. Rather the word means that we will be able to recognise the blessing of God in our hearts and lives subsequent to an act of giving. Maybe this would be a good place to talk to you about  giving in principle.

I read somewhere that from a Biblical point of view there are differ kinds of givers, and there are different types of giving.

·        There are some people who give reluctantly or with regret. It’s the gift from the hand not from the heart. Some people give out of duty and only give when solicited or pressured or embarrassed or made to feel bad. 

·        Some give, but not proportionately.

·        Some give cheerfully and proportionately but only to be seen to give by other people. 

·        Some give cheerfully proportionately and anonymously to be rewarded by God. 

That’s what Jesus is teaching here.

I read a story years ago about a car dealer who helped a foreign student a really good deal. He was so impressed by this student’ work ethic he secretly gave him a car at cost as he wanted to help the lad out. The student graduated went back to his country of origin and built a successful company working as a purchasing agent for construction industry. Fifteen years later the man won a contract back in the UK and he needed to buy some equipment for the company he was contracted for and he remembered what that car dealer had done for him. Now the car dealer had built his business and now also sold lorries and trucks, and the article said he contacted that car dealer and through him he ordered 750 large trucks and 350 smaller vehicles.  What that dealer did in secret, just thinking he was helping one student and never looking for anything in return got abundantly rewarded later. That’s part of the concept Jesus is teaching in this passage.

As a pastor I have heard on several occasions of people who upon hearing someone in their congregation is struggling has pressed some money into the minister’s hand and said I want you to give this, and they named the person, and I don’t want you to tell him where it came from. Just say it was from the Lord. I myself have had seen happen several times. Once when I was a deacon in a church, I saw that sort of money being handed over by the Pastor and the recipient pressured the minister for permission to identify the giver, so much so that we went back and saw the giver and said the receiver really wants to know who gave it to them.  The giver just laughed and said, what are you trying to do take away my pleasure and make me lose my reward in heaven. I wouldn’t get the pleasure here, and I might miss out on the blessing of knowing that God is looking down and saying well done, you did it for me. Let your giving be before the Lord it says here, as anonymously as possible, and your father is going to reward you openly, which means in a way you can witness or understand it in your life.

Summary and Conclusion.

I believe this passage is teaching us this if you give money to be seen by others you have your full and the reward you will at best might be the plaudits of men and women.  However, if you give as before the Lord as secretly as possible, he will reward you openly in a way you can know and feel the blessing in your heart, and maybe even sometimes in your own practical life.

Real righteousness is doing the right thing for the right reason. Granted some people do religious things for the right reasons and others do them for the wrong reasons, but the issue was never the religious activity. In this case it is giving, but Jesus will also deal with the activities of praying and fasting later. In this case the issue is giving and that is about doing it with the right motive alright I’m going to sum all this up as 

Have you ever noticed that sometimes at the end of a news programme just before they go to the weather, they sometimes give you the main headlines again in case you missed anything and they then try and end on a uplifting story. Well, that’s what I’m going to try and do when it comes to what I believe Jesus has tried to teach us hear about the religious act of giving. So, this is like the end of the news, I thought to myself the other day you know maybe I ought to do that in sometimes, just in case you went to sleep halfway through. So,  I’m going to summarize what I just said in case you missed it and then I’m going to spell it out and finish with a story.

Firstly, we should all be giving to those in need. Have I made that clear? We should be giving. Psalm 41 says, “blessed is he who considers the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. But you should not give for the wrong reasons and the main wrong reason that people give is by doing it before others to get their approval and applause. 

We are going to look at the three main aspects of Christian activities over the next few episodes, giving, prayer and fasting. Someone once said, by prayer we seek to restore our relationship with God, by fasting we seek to quench the improper drives and motivations, and by giving we give thanks for the forgiveness of our sins.  

Let me be clear we don’t give so that you can have your sins forgiven that is the wrong, giving money does not help you in one iota to get to heaven. That’s a gift that God gives you when you trust Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life. So don’t do it for that wrong reason either. We give out of thankfulness to the Lord for what he has done in our lives and to express the love that God has for other people. Did you ever do something for somebody, and they didn’t thank you.  Did you do something for somebody, and they didn’t express any kind of appreciation, ever been there, well here’s my question, how did you respond to that. What I’m trying to say if that bothered you, I think you need to look at another way of giving.  If you can’t give in one area without feeling the recipient should have a sense of obligation, then try giving in another area. There’s always a danger in which we will want people to appreciate what we do, I’ve met a number of people that got offended because they did something and they didn’t think they got enough appreciation for it. I don’t want to judge anyone but I’m just pointing out that it has always bothered me when I recognise, I have felt that way or I have seen it in other people. I then must ask myself, why did I do it in the first place, maybe I was really giving to gain the approval of people.  The one clear thing this passage teaches is try not to do the right thing for the wrong reason. God is interested in only ever interested in your heart and he’s interested that you do it as unto him and not unto others.

Finally, we are to give for the right reason and the right reason is that it is approved by God. We should do things just because we love the Lord. However, at the same time understand that Jesus is teaching that if you live that way you will be rewarded by God.  The way to interpret this whole chapter, and it comes up over and over again is that we need to do everything we do for the right reason, the right reason is to do it as an act of worship before the Lord, and then we will be rewarded by God, with Gods approval, not the approval of people. It doesn’t tell us that the reward doesn’t exist, it doesn’t tell that the reward will necessarily be in this live as some kind of material blessing, although sometimes it is. The reward could be in the next life. God pays for your service to him and as your forfeit your heavenly wages and pass them on to others in this life, he stores up treasures in heaven for you.

There was a friend of a man a famous philanthropist who lived in Strasbourg many years ago and one day he went out to visit his friend and was caught in a snowstorm, he lost his way and he had he not been rescued he would have died just outside. He was rescued by a Christian who risked his own life to save the friend and brought him over land safely to his friend’s house. He sought out that man who had rescued his friend and said to this man you know I want to give you some money.  The Christian refused to take the money and finally he said at least tell me your name and the stranger replied well first you tell me the name of the Good Samaritan in that famous Bible story.  I don’t believe that’s recorded said our wealthy friend. Then will you permit me to withhold my name, for I only want the kindness inspired by that story to be remembered here today and not the man himself. So will you permit me I would rather not take you money and for you allow me to withhold my name.

That’s what I’m suggesting is going on here. This is really telling us nothing more than we are to be Good Samaritans and one day you will have a great reward. In a different way, perhaps, but in a way better than you can ever imagine.