How Christ-Followers Are to Approach Religion

One of the greatest indicators of human depravity is our capacity to take something as good and wholesome as godly religion and twist it for self-centered purposes. This is what Jesus is dealing with here, and it is something He sought to address often in His ministry. Of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus commented that “all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’” (Matthew 23:5–7). This is a warning that we must not assume that simply because we engage in religious practices, we are truly honoring and pleasing God. Jesus declares that His followers are to be people who use religion rightly, and this is found in having the right motive. It is not enough to do good things, we must do them for the right reasons.

He presents three religious practices in order to reveal the wrong approach to religion and to instruct His followers how to engage in these practices rightly.

Charity

“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. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” (Jesus, Matthew 6:1–4)

            It is easy to assume that if one is engaged in a good endeavor, then that person is acting in a righteous manner. But Jesus reveals once again that righteousness is not only a matter of our outward behavior but of our heart as well. The first example can be seen in relation to giving to the needy. Surely this is a morally upright thing to do. But Jesus points out that some people do this for the sake of reputation, not out of love for God or others. A graphic example of this is found in a situation that took place very early in church history when church members were selling what they owned in order to supply for their needy brothers and sisters in Christ. Luke recounts in the book of Acts:

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. (Acts 5:1–11, ESV)

God was obviously not pleased in this situation. Even though Ananias and Saphira sold property and gave money to others, they lied about it and said they were giving all the money they had made. It seems they wanted to be known as having been sacrificial and generous, to the point that they were willing to lie to the apostle Peter (and ultimately God Himself). This duplicitous behavior was judged severely by God, but the church learned a valuable lesson.

Jesus teaches that those who give in order to bolster their reputation, sounding a trumpet

(metaphorically) so that others will see what they have given, will only receive the reward of immediate recognition. The correct approach is to give without making sure that others know, and then we have the assurance of receiving God’s approval and reward.

Prayer

“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. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Jesus, Matthew 6:5–8)

            Prayer is another religious activity that obviously is a good thing. But once again, Jesus shows how people use it for wrong purposes. A sign of the misuse of prayer is either praying for show or praying ritualistically. Some people would make sure to pray where they would be seen or, as Jesus mentions elsewhere, pray long prayers to impress others (cf. Matthew 23:14). As foolish as this sounds, the human heart has such a strong tendency to do things for the wrong reasons, and that is exactly what we must look at in our lives.

            Praying ritualistically is going through the motions of prayer in order to make sure we get what we want or out of obligation. There are many variations of ritualistic prayer, as John MacArthur points out:

Many Buddhists spin wheels containing written prayers, believing that each turn of the wheel sends that prayer to their god. Roman Catholics light prayer candles in the belief that their requests will continue to ascend repetitiously to God as long as the candle is lit. Rosaries are used to count off repeated prayers of Hail Mary and Our Father, the rosary itself coming to Catholicism from Buddhism by way of the Spanish Muslims during the Middle Ages. Certain charismatic groups in our own day repeat the same words or phrases over and over until the speaking degenerates into unintelligible confusion (John A. Broadus, Matthew [Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1886], p. 130). (MacArthur, 368–369)

And in case there are any others whose toes have not been stepped on, MacArthur goes on to say,

All of us, of course, have been guilty of repeating the same prayers meal after meal and prayer meeting after prayer meeting—with little or no thought of what we are saying or the One to whom we are supposedly speaking. Prayer that is thoughtless and indifferent is offensive to God, and should also be offensive to us. (MacArthur, 369)

Jesus presents an entirely different perspective on prayer than how many approach it (which we will look at more thoroughly in a future post on “The Lord’s Prayer”). But the main point here is to recognize that prayer is to be about truly relating to God. It is not for showing others our religiosity or for somehow meriting our wishes. It is a means to draw near to God, and an indication that we are truly seeking God is that we spend time with Him privately in prayer. Praying with the right motives pleases and is rewarded by God.

Fasting

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Jesus, Matthew 5:16–18)

If there is any act that seems to demonstrate self-denial, fasting (going without food) ranks highly. But even this religious activity, Jesus says, can actually be an act of self-promotion. After all, the more drastic our endeavor is, the more potentially impressed others may be at what we are doing. The funny thing to picture is the religious people Jesus speaks of, who “disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.” They make sure everyone knows how uncomfortable they feel. This applies to our own lives, not only in the case of fasting, but with any act of sacrifice or self-denial. If we are doing it for the wrong-reason we will either make sure others know or we will resent when we are not recognized for our “selfless efforts.” But if we are fasting or sacrificing out of love for God, then there is no reason to be concerned about others knowing, which is why Jesus instructs His followers to act and look like normal when they fast.

Conclusion: On Christians Putting On a Show

In this portion of the sermon, Jesus has dealt heavily with using religion for selfish purposes. In the age of American Idol and large stadiums filled with screaming fans, Christ-followers need to take a hard look at whether they are getting caught up in the pursuit of self-glorification. While it may seem this problem is relegated mainly to the context of secular entertainment, Christianity has built up its own platforms for granting celebrity status to individuals. This is not to say that being well-known is wrong, but Jesus shows that when we are using religion to become celebrities, whether in front of 1,000, 100, or 10 people, we are only getting a physical, temporary reward. A realistic view tells us that, at best, our popularity will last several decades but will not benefit us beyond the grave. Jesus is showing that living for God’s glory will gain His reward, which is beneficial in both this life and in the next.

Work Cited:

John F. MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1–7 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.