In Matthew 6, Jesus addressed three common Jewish practices of devotion to God: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. In each one, Jesus said of people who do things for show, “They have their reward.” Then he noted that for those who do them as genuine acts of devotion, “Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”
Last week we noted that righteousness is not for show. It’s not a vehicle to impress others or to make our name great. We are called to live out our righteousness as a sincere and humble response to God’s grace.
This week, let’s talk about how does doing these things “in secret” brings about a reward. I think that happens on two levels.
The practice of righteousness has its own reward. God has designed in such a way that when we go through life as God intends, we flourish in ways we didn’t expect.
The presence of God is a reward, as captured in the Lord’s prayer, the pinnacle of the Sermon On The Mount.
#1. The Practice Of Righteous Has Its Own Reward
GENEROSITY. When we sincerely practice generosity and compassion, it changes us.
victory over the power of money and covetousness, possessions #commercialism #rat race
victory over addiction to comfort (trusting money over God).
growing prayer life when generosity requires faith for provision
increasing love for the those toward whom we give our treasure, because "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
PRAYER. The discipline of prayer reorients us.
our hearts will change as we fellowship with God #transformed #likenessofJesus Conversation + time = change that comes from experiential knowledge.
we gain a Kingdom focus, a break from the world’s priorities
we find refuge, comfort and peace by giving God our burdens
we become more aware of our need for God and more likely to recognize what He is doing #Hisstrengthperfectedinweakness
our love for others grows as we pray for even our enemies
FASTING/SELF-DENIAL. I believe fasting can involve more than food, though food is certainly included. Bible first, then a Bible commentary.
“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58)
“Fasting also is not merely abstinence from food, but consists of self-denial in all areas of life in order to escape the control of the passions. On the eve of Great Lent, we sing, “Let us abstain from passions as we abstain from food.” St. John Chrysostom writes, “What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?” (Orthodox Study Bible)
When a believer practices Spirit-led self-denial, practical strength over the appetites of the sinful flesh grows; after all, the formative power of habits are a thing designed by God. Fasting, or other forms of self-denial, allow us to more fully experience the abundant life God offers to us.[1]
________________________________
#2 The Presence Of God Is A Reward
Jesus offered what we call The Lord’s Prayer[2] to his disciples as sort of a model. What Jesus offered was not was not new ground. Adam Clark (among many others) notes that every line of this prayer was already being prayed in common Jewish eulogies, such as this one:
"Our Father who art in heaven, be gracious unto us! O Lord our God, hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified in heaven above, and in the earth here below! Let thy kingdom reign over us now, and for ever! The holy men of old said, remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done against me! And lead us not into the hands of temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing! For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever and for evermore."[3]
While Matthew simply records the prayer, Luke records that the disciples made a common request from disciple to rabbi: “Teach us to pray.” Considering how Jesus compiles known prayers into a concise version (like when he was asked to summarize the law and the prophets), I think Jesus may have been affirming to his disciples that they already knew how to pray.
Remember last week how praying, fasting and giving were not the problem but it was the heart with which they were practiced? Jesus had just told them not to pray for show, not to try impress God with wordy, impressive prayers to get Gods attention. Just pray. You don’t need something new that will get God’s attention better. Just pray. Simple prayers can be profound and meaningful too.
Our Father, Who Is In Heaven…[4]
“Our Father” starts us off with good theology. God is not a deistic God, aloof and uncaring. God is not a pantheistic God that is just part of nature. God is not the Force. God is person who is a relational, immediate, and accessible God. The word for Father is a very relational and personal word, used only in a relationship of safety, trust, and love.[5] There is reward in remembering God is personal.
“Our Father” reminds us that he’s our father. Not mine; ours. We cannot forget when we pray this that we are raised from spiritual death into new life in a family, a Christian community. In this, we are recognizing that while God is for us, He is for all of us. I cannot be content to simply think of God in terms of “me and God.” It must be “us and God.” The Bible has no view of “loner” Christians disconnected from a local church. If we are going to pray the language of “us”, we must live the life of “us.” There is reward in remembering we are part of a community.
Hallowed be Thy Name
“Hallowed be thy name” is a plea, not a statement of fact. It’s saying, “Please, make your name - character, nature and reputation - revered or held holy.” It’s asking for God to start the process in a world full of people – including the one praying – who take Jesus too casually. It’s asking that God’s character and nature be recognized as great by all who dismiss, insult or ignore it. This should humble us, because that includes us.[6]
It’s a plea of both humility and hope. “Help me not to take the reality of who you are lightly or casually. Help me to appreciate the majesty of God. I want the entirety of my life to reflect the great weight and value I give to you; with your help, all I think, say and do will offer an accurate representation of you.” There is reward in remembering the greatness of the God we serve.
May Your Kingdom Come And Your Will be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven.
This is another phrase of hope and humility. Whenever we pray for justice, mercy, hope, love, truth, and holiness, we are praying with hope that these heavenly realities will actually manifest here and let us see in part now what we will see fully in the life to come.
It’s humbling in that we are asking God to reign in our lives in ways He does not now in our emotions, desires, thoughts and commitments. We want His desire to be our desires; His will to be our will; His loves to be our loves; His holiness to be ours. It’s also a reminder that, at the end of the day, we want God’s will to be done, not ours.
It’s also challenging. What if I am the thing God uses in answer to someone else’s prayer?
When the poor pray for finances, will I be willing to help?
When the lonely pray for a friend, am I available?
When the desperate pray for help, am I ready?
This part of the prayer reminds us that others are praying this too. If we are excited to see God’s will for us accomplished through others, buckle up. It’s not possible for us to see all that God sees, so in many situations our best prayer is one where we show hope and trust, prayer in which we surrender our desire to the will of a God who has faultless wisdom, live and power.[7]
There is reward in remembering to align our heart, soul, mind and strength with the values, priorities and practices of the kingdom of God.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread…[8]
The word used is only found in the Bible in all of ancient literature, and it is used only twice, so there is some uncertainty about how to translate it correctly. Luke seems to focus on present, practical provision, while Matthew seems to ask for the spiritual bread we will share at the banquet in God’s coming kingdom.
The main idea is this: trusting God to provide what we need to sustain us in every way now and into eternity.[9] We can take for granted that we can take care of ourselves. If that fails, our family, church or government will provide. This part of the prayer a reminder that everything happens under the sovereignty of God; all our blessings find their source in him. For that reason, we thank God ultimately for supplying for our needs.
It’s a constant reminder that life is saturated with the presence and work of God, and even in our greatest accomplishments or in the most generous deeds of others it is God who sustains and provides.
There is a future hope here as well. We are trusting that God will sustain us into and through eternity, which will require the true “bread of life,” Jesus Christ.
There is reward in remembering that our creator is our sustainer in the way that matters most both now and through eternity.
Forgive Our Sinful Debts As We Have Forgiven Those Who Have Sinned Against Us.
Here is the first acknowledgment: We have all sinned against God, broken His law and harmed others, and we are in desperate need of forgiveness of an unpayable debt we owe. This is a plea for God, in His mercy, to cover the cost of our sins. There is reward in remembering that God so loved the world…
The second acknowledgment is that we must forgive those who sin against us. This is much tougher than praying that God forgives us of our sins. We must forgive those who have sinned against us: our spouse, our parents, cruel people at work or school. This list includes users and abusers, manipulators and liars. We all have sinned; we all are in desperate needs of God’s forgiveness. We want God to forgive us; as representatives bearing His name – if we are to ‘hallow’ his name - we must offer forgiveness as well.
This portion of the prayer is what Augustine called “a terrible petition.” If we pray these words this while harboring unforgiveness, we are actually asking God not to forgive us. We would be saying, “I haven’t forgiven my friend/spouse/neighbor yet, so please don’t forgive me.”
Forgiveness is a crucial spiritual marker that says something about the sincerity of our ongoing surrender and discipleship. There is, of course, a HUGE difference between moments of unforgiveness and a settled position of habitual and intentional unforgiveness. We must be committed to being deliberately and habitually forgiving.[10] There is reward in experiencing the freedom of forgiving and living in a community committed to forgiveness.
Lead Us Not into Trials (“trouble sent by God and serving to test or prove one's faith, holiness, character”), And Deliver Us From The Temptations (“an enticement to sin, arising from outward circumstances, within, or from Satan”) Of The Evil One.[11]
Sometimes God leads us into trials, because we are a proud and rebellious people for whom God in his love will send trials to refine and mature us if that’s necessary. Here, we pray for spiritual maturity in any other way, but just by praying it we acknowledge that our hard hearts sometimes need to be broken. Please, dear God, if at all possible, let this cup pass from me. Jesus prayed it; we can too.
But if a trial is what it takes to transform us into the image of Christ – if we must drink that cup - keep us from giving into the temptation from the Evil One[12] that would turn those trials for our good into sins to our harm. It is so easy for a maturing test to push us away from God instead of toward God. Deliver us, Lord, from the Evil One, who would turn what you plan to use to bring us spiritual life into something that brings spiritual death.
But there is the hopeful reminder in this request: we know that God is a Deliverer. The Old Testament shows us that, time after time, God faithfully guides his people through trials and delivers his people from the snares of sin and power of temptation.[13] There is reward in the purifying refinement of the fire.
For Yours Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory Forever, Amen.
N.T. Wright says,
“If the church isn't prepared to subvert the kingdoms of the world with the kingdom of God, the only honest thing would be to give up praying this prayer altogether, especially its final doxology.”
After focusing on our needs, our troubles, our frailty, we return to the glory of God. All kingdoms answer to God. All power comes from God. All glory belongs to God. In a world where empires rise and fall, and power corrupts, and glory is tarnished and fleeting, it’s a reminder that God is uncorrupted, lasting, powerful and good, and true glory is found only in him.
* * * * * * * * * *
How should we pray?
Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day the bread of life both now and for eternity. Forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us. Lead us not into times of testing, and deliver us from the temptations of the Evil One. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
_________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Though I added some modificatons, the lists and the quote at the end are from Nate Holdridge, How Is A Relationship With God Rewarding? (Matthew 6:1-18). https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/how-is-a-relationship-with-god-rewarding-matthew-6-1-18
[2] To connect the Lord’s Prayer with the three practices of righteousness Jesus mentioned, praying reminds us that God’s name and Kingdom is to made great, not us and ours; generosity is God’s preparatory program for trusting him for provision; fasting is God’s preparatory program for times of testing.
[3] “In his book Jesus and the Judaism of His Time, University of Toronto scholar Irving Zeitlin cites line-by-line parallels between the Lord's Prayer and the Jewish mourner's prayer, the Kaddish ("May (God) establish His kingdom during our lifetime and during the lifetime of Israel"), the Eighteen Benedictions ("Forgive us our Father, for we have sinned" is the sixth blessing), Talmudic prayer ("Lead me not into sin or iniquity or temptation or contempt," goes one) and other Hebrew scriptures in which we find "Give us this day our daily bread." (“The Radical Truth Behind The Lord’s Prayer,” https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/02/23/the_radical_truth_behind_the_lords_prayer.html
[4] Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father!’ ” Romans 8:15, 16: “You received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
[5] “Patḗr ("father") refers to a begetter, originator, progenitor – one in ‘intimate connection and relationship.’” (HELPS Word Studies)
[6] I pulled some ideas about the radical nature of the Lord’s Prayer from this excellent article: “The Lord’s Prayer Advert Has Been Banned For Being Offensive - Which It Is.” http://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/the_lords_prayer_advert_has_been_banned_for_being_offensive_which_it_is\
[7] Even Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22)
[8] “In Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer the verb “give” in Greek is a present imperative, which means something like “keep on giving.” Also the verb “day” is a Greek expression that means “each day.” So this part of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke’s version says literally, “Keep on giving us each day our daily bread.” But Matthew’s Greek reads differently. In Matthew’s version the verb give is an aorist imperative, which in Greek is a one-time decisive action, which we might translate “Give us once and for all.” Also, Matthew’s version uses a different word for “day.” It’s not a phrase that means “each day,” but a word that means “this day, today, right now.” So Matthew’s version, translated literally says, “Give us once and for all today here and now the bread of tomorrow.” In Matthew, Jesus reminds us to pray for the bread of tomorrow, the bread we will share at the banquet in God’s coming kingdom. Pray for that bread to come into our lives and world today. I think the Bible gives us two versions of the Lord’s Prayer because Jesus wants us to practice praying both.” (From a sermon called “Tomorrow’s Bread Today,” http://spcdesmoines.org/spcsermons/2019/9/3/tomorrows-bread-today
[9] Tim Keller suggests that it’s also a prayer for justice. If one does not have bread, particularly in Jesus’ day, it wasn’t because of a lack of resources. There was either oppression from the Romans or disdain from the Jews, whom the Law required to take care of the poor. It’s a plea for justice to be done to yourself; it’s a prayer for society.
[10] If we claim to love God and hate our brother, we are liars (1 John 4:20).
[11] Both these words use the same root word; translations will differ on the usage at times. http://biblehub.com/greek/3986.htm. In this case, the commentaries I have been reading are noting that “lead us not into temptation” is better understood as “lead us not into trials”; the second part of the phrase focuses on temptation.
[12] Luke 4:13; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8
[13] Every weekday morning in synagogues around the world, Jewish People open their siddurs (prayer books) and read a prayer like this: “May it be Your will, HaShem, my God and the God of my forefathers, that you rescue me today and every day from brazen men and brazenness, from an evil man, an evil companion, an evil neighbor, an evil mishap, the destructive spiritual impediment [‘Satan’], a harsh trial and a harsh opponent, whether he is a member of the covenant or whether he is not a member of the covenant.” (From “Discover The Very Jewish Lord’s Prayer,” https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/lords-prayer-jewish-prayer/)