Alms, Prayer, and Fasting

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (NASB) Matt. 6:3-4

Why do you give money? Men and women have given money to church leaders or pastors personally because they have wanted them to know who gave the money. Some have given money to gain influence. Money has been given for many reasons.

In Acts 5 we are told about Ananias and Sapphira who brought money to the Apostle Peter and apparently said that they were donating all of the money that they had received from the sale of some land. Ananias lied, and God took his life.

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he 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 some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?” (NASB) Acts 5:1-4

This is the first death recorded in the New Testament church, and it occurred because someone lied. Men and women have sought to gain approval and influence church leaders through money. This is not new. It has occurred since the days of the early church.

Then Jesus encouraged His listeners to “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” This is the only way to gain the Father’s reward. But what does it mean to “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”? Since our brain controls both the left and right hands, the left must “know” what the right hand is doing. How can we prevent one hand from “knowing” what the other hand is doing? The answer is, “It is very difficult if not impossible.” That gives us the clue to Jesus’ point. We will have to work very hard at keeping our giving a secret. We are to give and not tell. Someone once gave me a large sum of money when they heard that I had a very serious illness. The money was sent anonymously. I did not know who gave it, and I am sure that God will reward him or her as a result.

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (NASB) Matt. 6:5-6

The Pharisees liked to pray. But they liked to pray so that others would see them. So Jesus said, “. . . go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father . . .” Jesus was not telling us that we can never pray in public, in the church, or while standing. Even Jesus prayed in public when He blessed the fish and loaves for the 5,000 (Matt. 15:36). In Eph. 6:18 and 1 Thess. 5:17 we are told to constantly pray, and in 1 Tim. 2:8 we are told to pray “every place.”

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. (NASB) 1 Tim. 2:8

This means we should pray wherever we are throughout the day. So what was Jesus’ point? His point is that we should not seek the honor of men and women for spiritual deeds. We should not be obvious. We should not pray long prayers because we want someone to think that we are holy. We should not try to make others think that we have a wonderful relationshipship with God. When we pray, we should not seek the attention of others. Some of us have forgotten to whom we are praying. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes had forgotten. It is hard to convince God that one is serous about prayer or a relation with Him when He knows that you are praying for the honor of others. He knows our hearts.