Jesus was in favor of a reward motive

JESUS WAS IN FAVOR OF A REWARD MOTIVE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 6:1-6 1"Be careful not to practice your
righteousnessin front of others to be seen by them. If
you do, you will have no reward from your Fatherin
heaven. 2"So when you give to the needy, do not
announceit with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not
let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you. 5"And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standingin the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full. 6But 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.

THE REWARD MOTIVE
GLENN PEASE
By PastorGlenn Pease
A 16th century German monk discoveredthe powerof religious bribery. The
children showedgreatreluctance in learning their prayers. Scolding and
punishing them did not improve things, and so he tried offering them a
reward. Tradition has it that he took thin strips of dough and twisted them
into a knot. This was suggestive ofthe folded arms of a person at prayer. He
would bake these little cakesand give them to the children who learned their
prayers. Spurred on by this reward, his students learned so much more
rapidly that other monks followed his example. The novel little tidbits came to
be called pretzels from a medieval Latin term that some feel was pretiola,
which means a little reward. They became popular in England, and in the
19th century they became popular in the United States the pretzel is good
symbol of the subjectwe are looking at, for it is the complex and often twisted
subject of rewards.
We know rewards are the key to animal training and scientific experiments.
No self-respecting rat is going to bother to figure out how to get through a
maze just for the sake ofpure knowledge. It doesn't care a fig about scientific
progress, and couldn't care less if there is a waythrough the thing or not,
unless there is a rewardin it, and namely something to eat.
Truffles are a greatdelicacyin Europe. They are an underground mushroom
that grow by severalspecies oftrees in the forest. They bring a high price as

gourmet food, and so hunting them is very profitable. Hogs love the odor of
them, and they will root them out of the ground. Hogs became the main tool
for finding and digging up this delicacy. They owners would muzzle the swine
to keepthem from eating up all the profits. They soonlearned, however, that
unless the hogs got a chance to eat some of them they lost all interest in the
pursuit, and they quit rooting for them. They didn't carry signs, but it was
clearthat they were on strike, and they were saying, no reward-no rooting.
We could conclude that rats and hogs need rewards to function, but this
would not be so for humans. This would be to hasty a conclusion, however, for
Jesus clearlyappeals to our love of rewardto getus to go God's way in the
practice of our faith. Love of reward is also that which is motivating the
Pharisees to go their self-centeredway, and so we have another paradox of
life. Rewardcan be goodor bad, and it can be ratty or righteous, and hoggish
or heavenly. The evil man out of God's will, and the righteous centerof God's
will may both be motivated by the love of reward. It is obviously a subject
then that needs to be seenfrom both the vicious and the virtuous side.
I. THE VICIOUS SIDE OF REWARD.
There is a double paradox here in the case ofthe Phariseesbecausetheir
deviate, defective, and depraved love of reward was evil preciselybecause they
were satisfiedwith too little. They did not want a greatenough reward. They
were content to have the praise of men, and so they stopped short of seeking
the praise of God. Wanting reward is bad when you do not want enough, but
if you want God's best, then it is good.
You can miss the mark by aiming too low as well as by aiming too high, and
that is what they did. This is the major folly of man that he strives to attain
rewards that are so puny and passing, and they give up the rewards that are

so powerful and permanent. They aim for the passing pleasure of a sexual
encounter, and give up the permanent joy of a lifetime commitment. They aim
for the temporary escape ofguilt through alcohol, and they give up the
permanent joy of sin forgiven. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the
desire of men for peace, joy, contentment, and happiness. These are worthy
rewards every man should seek, but when these rewards are pushed aside,
and cheapsubstitutes and shoddy counterfeits are put in their place, the
reward motive becomes a vice. Anything that motivate a man to aim too low is
a vice.
The man who marries a womanfor her money is consideredevil. The man
who marries her for love is consideredgood. Bothare motivated by reward,
but one seeks a rewardthat is too low, but the other seeksthe highest reward,
which is love. The reasonbounty hunters were despised, even though all they
did was shootoutlaws who were wanted, just the same as the sheriff would do,
is because they did it for the rewardof money. The sheriff did it for justice,
and the protection of the innocent. He was also rewardedby being loved and
appreciated. The mercenarysoldier is not held in high esteem, for he fights a
war for anybody, and kills for money. The regular soldier fights for his
country and his freedom, and he is respected.
There are numerous illustrations of two people doing the same things where
one is despisedand the other admired, and the difference is in the value of the
reward they seek. Itis not the seeking ofrewardthat is wrong, but the fact
that the reward they seek is too small and unworthy. This is why there is a
negative side to rewards. They can motivate us to do the right thing for the
wrong reason. Theycan make us aim too low. In the case ofthe Pharisees,
they sought the benefits of popularity with men. This is a rewardthat has its
place, but when it is made the supreme reward over and above that of
pleasing God it becomes a vicious motive leading to idolatry, hypocrisy, and
every other folly known to man.

II. THE VIRTUOUS SIDE OF REWARD.
The study of man reveals that the reward motive is built into him by God just
as it is built into the animal kingdom. I got out an old text book from my
college days which was titled What Education Has To Learn From
Psychology. One chapterbegins, "Learning takes place only when the act that
is performed is reinforced or rewarded." In other words, rats and hogs are
not so dumb after all. They are motivated by the same thing that motivates
people. NealMiller goes onin his book to say, "Without rewards, people fail
to learn." I didn't have to bother to check with the latesttext books to see if
this theory is still current, for Jesus makes it clearin the Sermon on the
Mount that it is a universal and perpetual truth.
If Jesus appeals to the reward motive to getHis followers to give, to pray, and
to fast in a way that is pleasing to God, then we have a key to all teaching.
Jesus was the masterteacher, and He used the reward motive constantlyto
teachthe highesttruths. Deny the validity of the reward motive, and you
rejectthe methods of the Master. He made us so that we learn fasterby being
rewardedfor goodbehavior than by being punished for bad behavior. The
beauty of what Jesus is teaching is that we see Jesus practicing the wisdom of
balance. The tendency of all teachers ofrighteousness is to ignore the balance
and go to extremes. Many will say, "The Phariseesseekfor reward, and so I
say unto you that seeking for rewardis evil. Neverdo anything for reward."
This is still a very common practice. You over reactto folly, and you throw
out the baby with the bath water.
Jesus does not do this. He says, "Look atthe mistake of the Pharisees. They
seek reward, and they get just what they want, which is the acclaimof men.
Don't you aim so low when you seek reward. Aim higher by seeking the
acclaimof God." He does not throw out the rewardmotive just because it is
abused. That is the folly of over reaction. TV is used for promoting evil,

therefore, do not use it at all is what they say who over react. The balance
Christian says that though TV is used for evil, I will use it for good. Reward
seeking is done for evil, but I will seek rewardfor the glory of God, for the
benefit of others, and for the goodof my own self-esteem. The point is, the
Christian never gives up anything that can be used in a Godpleasing wayjust
because it is abused and misused by those who care only about their own will.
Can you imagine the generals in the Pentagondeciding that since the enemy
already has developed a largergun that we should, therefore, not bother. We
don't want to have and use the same kind of weapons they do. You would hear
no such thing. They would command the researchto be speededup, for they
want the same superior weapon. You not only want the same weaponas your
enemy, but you also wantto learn how to use it better. Jesus says that Satan
can use the reward motive to entice people into being obsessedwith low goals
to aim for. Rewards canbe used to lead men into idolatry and self-
centeredness.But Jesus did not say to scrapall interestin the reward motive.
On the contrary, He said to developthis weaponto its highestpower, for what
Satancan use to glorify self, you can use to glorify God, and reap the highest
rewards. Don't rejectanything just because evil forces use it. Perfectit and
use it the way God intended it to be used.
Scientists use the rewardmotive very effectivelysome years ago when a
showerof meteors fell in North Central Mexico. Freshlyfalling meteorites are
valuable to astronomers, and so the team of scientists drove to the scene and
setup a soft drink stand on the edge of town. They offered the Indian children
a free drink for every meteorite they brought in. It was a swift and effective
plan, and they soonhad all they needed. You canjust imagine those kids
scampering all over the countryside with enthusiasm. That is the way God
wants us to live for Him-with the excitement and anticipation of being greatly
rewarded. Heb. 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For
whosoeverwoulddraw near to Godmust believe that He exists and that He
rewards those who seek Him."

The reward motive is at the very heart of the Christian faith, for you cannot
function properly for God at all unless you believe He is a giver of rewards. If
you want to serve God for nothing, you are more of a Stoic than a Christian.
A Christian wants what God delights to give, and He so delights to give that
Jesus says that even a cup of cold watergiven in His name will not go
unrewarded. There is no actof kindness so trivial that God does not recordit
for future reward. The whole emphasis of Jesus in Matt. 6 is on the fact that
you do not have to fear if no one knows of your goodworks, and you never
hear the applause of men for what you do for God. If only God knows, that is
enough. In fact, it is even better, for then there is no dangerof taking the
lesserreward. If only God knows, you canbe assuredof God's reward in time
and eternity, for Jesus says that God will reward openly that which is done in
secret.
We need to recognize that the Gospelis good news. Thatmeans it is an offer of
present and future reward. Jesus said, "Come unto me all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He did not say He would add
another burden, but He would give rest, and that is just what is needed. There
is no Gospelif there is no reward. Sinners need to experience forgiveness and
release from guilt now to have any joy and peace. This is part of the appealof
the Gospelto motivate people by the promise of reward. It was the reward
motive that enabled Jesus to stay on the cross andfinish the plan of salvation.
Heb. 12:2 says, "Who for the joy that was before Him endured the cross."If
Jesus couldnot look aheadto eternity, and to the reward of everlasting joy
with a multitude of redeemedsinners, He would not have had the motivation
to endure the price He had to pay on the cross.
We have not covereda fraction of this vast subject, but we have seenenough
to make it clearthat there is a negative and a positive side to the issue of
rewards. The important thing is that we prevent the loss of the bestrewards
by promotion of that which pleases Godrather than that which pleases only

men. Every day we have abundant opportunities to please God and add to our
treasures in heaven. But we are so often like those knights who were traveling
through unknown country. As they crossedan old dry river bed they heard a
voice that said, "Take a handful of pebbles from the river bed and you will be
both glad and sad." Eachnight scrapedup a handful of the pebbles and road
on. In the morning they lookedin their pockets and saw in the blaze of
sunlight that they had takenup diamonds, opals, rubies, and sapphires. They
were glad they had takenso many, but sadthat they had not takenmore.
There is no doubt that all of us will feelthe same way when we receive our
rewards for what we have done in the body for our Lord. We will be glad for
what we have done, but sad that we did not do more. Jesus is showing us how
to close that gap so that we will have more to be glad about. The wayis to seek
the highestrewards by developing the inner life that lifts you closerto God.
This leads to the now reward of enjoying more and more of the abundant life
Jesus wants us to have in time. Those who learn to getalone with God and
develop the inner life are like a ship in the lock. The gates closein front and
behind. The engines ceaseto drive. It rests quietly, and no longergoing
anywhere. But as it rests the wateris lifting it, and when the gate swings open
the ship goes out for its journey on a higher level. This lifting of the Christian
life to higher levels of activity is just the reward Jesus wants eachof us to
enjoy.
Jesus died that we might live forever and be free of sin, sorrow, suffering, and
death. This is the greatestgoalanyone canaim for, and the goodnews is that
you do not have to earn this as a reward. It is a free gift that God gives to all
who will put their trust in Jesus as their Savior. If you have never done so, ask
Jesus to be your Lord and Saviornow, and receive His greatestgiftof
salvation. Then you qualify to earn all of the rewards he offers for a life of
obedience to Him. You need to receive the free gift first, and then live for His
highest rewards that come by doing what pleases God.

THE REWARD MOTIVE IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Matt. 6:1-18
When we study the opening verses ofMatt. 6, we are immediatelyconfronted
with one
mostimportant question-- Whatis the place ofthe rewardmotive in the
Christian life?
Three times in this sectionJesus speaks ofGodrewarding those who have
given to him
the kind of service whichhe desires (Matt. 6:4,6; Matt. 6:18). This questionis so
important that we will do wellto pause to examine it before we go onto study
the chapter
in detail.
It is very often statedthat the rewardmotive has no place whatsoeverinthe
Christian life.
It is held that we must be goodforthe sake ofbeing good, thatvirtue is its own
reward,
and that the whole conceptionofrewardmust be banished from the Christian
life. There
was anold saintwho usedto saythat he would wish to quench all the fires of
hell with
water, andto bum up all the joys of heavenwith fire, in orderthat men seek for
goodness
nor nothing but goodness' sake, andin order that the idea of rewardand
punishment

might be totally eliminated from life.
On the face ofit that point ofview is very fine and noble; but it is not the point
of view
which Jesus held. We have alreadyseenthatthree times in this passage Jesus
speaks
about reward. The rightkind ofalmsgiving, the right kind of prayer, andthe
right kind of
fasting will all have their reward.
Noris this an isolatedinstance ofthe idea of rewardin the teaching ofJesus. He
says of
those who loyally bearpersecution, who sufferinsult without bitterness, that
their reward
will be greatin heaven(Matt. 5:12). He says thatwhoevergives to one ofthese
little ones
a cup of coldwaterin the name of a disciple will not lose his reward (Matt.
10:42). At
leastpart ofthe teaching ofthe parable of the talents is that faithful service will
receive
its reward(Matt. 25:14-30). Inthe parable ofthe lastjudgment the plain
teaching is that
there is rewardand punishment in accordance withourreactionto the needs of
our
fellow-men(Matt. 25:31-46). Itis abundantly clearthatJesus did not hesitate
to speak in
terms ofrewards and punishments. And it may well be that we ought to be
carefulthat we

do not try to be more spiritual than Jesus was inour thinking about this matter
of reward.
There are certainobvious facts whichwe must note.
(i) Itis an obvious rule oflife that any actionwhichachieves nothing is futile
and
meaningless. Agoodnesswhichachieves no endwouldbe a meaningless
goodness. As
has beenvery truly said: "Unless a thing is goodforsomething, it is goodfor
nothing."
Unless the Christian life has anaim and a goalwhichit is a joy to obtain, it
becomes
largelywithout meaning. He who believes in the Christian wayand the
Christian promise
cannotbelieve that goodness canhave no result beyond itself
(ii) To banishallrewards and punishments from the idea of religionis in effect
to saythat
injustice has the lastword. It cannotreasonablybe held that the end ofthe
goodman and
the end of the bad man are one and the same. Thatwouldsimply meanthat
Goddoes not
care whethermen are goodornot. It would mean, to put it crudely and bluntly,
that there
is no point in being good, andno special reasonwhya man should live one kind
of life
insteadof another. To eliminate allrewards and punishments is really to say
that in God
there is neither justice nor love.

Rewards andpunishments are necessaryinorderto make sense oflife. A. E.
Housman
wrote:
Yonder, on the morning blink,
The sun is up, and so must I,
To washand dress andeatand drink
And look atthings and talk and think
And work, andGodknows why.
And often have I washedand dressed,
And what's to show forall my pain?
Let me lie abedand rest;
Tenthousand times I've done my best,
And all's to do again.
If there are no rewards andno punishments, then that poem's view oflife is
true. Action
is meaningless andall effort goes unavailinglywhistling down the wind.
(i) The ChristianIdea ofReward
But having gone this lengthwith the idea of rewardin the Christian life, there
are certain
things about whichwe must be clear.
(i) WhenJesus spokeofreward, he was verydefinitely not thinking in terms of
material
reward. Itis quite true that in the Old Testament the idea ofgoodness and
prosperity are

closelyconnected. Ifa man prospered, ifhis fields were fertile and his harvest
great, if
his children were many and his fortune large, itwas takenas a proofthathe
was a good
man.
Thatis preciselythe problem at the back ofthe Book ofJob. Jobis in
misfortune; his
friends come to him to argue that that misfortune must be the result of his own
sin; and
Jobmost vehemently denies that charge. "Think now,"saidEliphaz, "who that
was
innocent everperished?" (Jb.4:7) "Ifyouare pure and upright," saidBildad,
"surelythen
he would rouse himselffor you and reward you with a rightful habitation"
(Jb.8:6). "For
you say, Mydoctrine is pure, and I am cleanin God's eyes," saidZophar, "but
oh that
Godwould speak andopenhis lips to you" (Jb.11:4). The veryidea that the
Book ofJob
was writtento contradict is that goodnessandmaterialprosperity go hand in
hand.
"I have beenyoung, and now am old," saidthe Psalmist, "yethave Inot seen
the
righteous forsaken, orhis children begging bread" (Ps.37:25). "Athousand
may fall at
your side," saidthe Psalmist, "andtenthousandat your right hand; but it will
not come

nearyou. You will only look withyour eyes andsee the recompense ofthe
wicked.
Becauseyouhave made the Lord your refuge, the MostHigh your habitation,
no evil
shallbefall you, no scourge comenearyourtent" (Ps.91:7-10). Theseare things
that
Jesus couldneverhave said. It was certainlynotmaterial prosperity which
Jesus
promised his disciples. He infactpromised them trial and tribulation,
suffering,
persecutionand death. Quite certainlyJesus did not think in terms ofmaterial
rewards.
(ii) The secondthing which it is necessaryto rememberis that the highest
rewardnever
comes to him who is seeking it. Ifa man is always seeking reward, always
reckoning up
that which he believes himselfto be earning, then he will in factmiss the
rewardfor
which he is seeking. Andhe will miss it because he is looking atGodand
looking atlife
in the wrong way. Aman who is always calculating his rewardis thinking of
Godin
terms ofa judge or an accountant, andabove allhe is thinking of life in terms
of law. He
is thinking of doing so much and earning so much. He is thinking of life in
terms ofa

credit and debit balance sheet. He is thinking ofpresenting an account to God
and of
saying, "Ihave done so much. Now I claim my reward."
The basic mistake ofthis point of view is that it thinks of life in terms of law,
insteadof
love. Ifwe love a persondeeply and passionately, humbly and selflessly, we will
be quite
sure that if we give that personall we have to give, we willstill be in default,
that if we
give that personthe sun, the moon and the stars, we willstillbe in debt. He who
is in love
is always in debt; the lastthing that enters his mind is that he has earneda
reward. Ifa
man has a legalview oflife, he may think constantlyin terms ofrewardthat he
has won;
if a man has a loving view oflife, the idea of rewardwill never enterhis mind.
The greatparadoxof Christian rewardis this--the personwho looks for
reward, andwho
calculates thatitis due to him, does notreceive it; the personwhose onlymotive
is love,
and who never thinks that he has deservedany reward, does. infact, receive it.
The
strange factis that rewardis atone and the same time the by-product and the
ultimate end
of the Christianlife.
(ii) The ChristianReward

We must now go onto ask: Whatare the rewards ofthe Christian life?
(i) We beginby noting one basic andgeneral truth. We have already seenthat
Jesus
Christ does notthink in terms of materialrewardat all. The rewards ofthe
Christian life
are rewards only to a spiritually minded person. To the materiallyminded
personthey
would not be rewards atall. The Christianrewards are rewards onlyto a
Christian.
(ii) The firstof the Christianrewards is satisfaction. The doing ofthe right
thing,
obedience to Jesus Christ, the taking ofhis way, whateverelse itmayor may
not bring,
always brings satisfaction. Itmay wellbe that, if a man does the right thing,
and obeys
Jesus Christ, he maylose his fortune and his position, he may end in gaoloron
the
scaffold, he mayfinish up in unpopularity, loneliness anddisrepute, but he will
still
possessthatinner satisfaction, whichis greaterthanallthe rest put together.
No priceticket canbe put upon this; this is not to be evaluatedin terms of
earthly currency, but
there is nothing like it in all the world. It brings that contentment which is the
crownof
life.
The poetGeorge Herbertwas a member ofa little group offriends who usedto
meetto

play their musicalinstruments togetherlike a little orchestra. Once he was on
his wayto a
meeting of this group, whenhe passeda carterwhose cartwas stuck inthe mud
of the
ditch. George Herbertlaid aside his instrument and wentto the help ofthe
man. It was a
long job to getthe cartout, and lie finished coveredwithmud. Whenhe arrived
at the
house ofhis friends, it was too late formusic. He told them whathad detained
him on the
way. One said: "Youhave missedallthe music." GeorgeHerbertsmiled.
"Yes," he said.
"but I will have songs atmidnight." He had the satisfactionofhaving done the
Christlike
thing.
GodfreyWinn tells of a man who was the greatest plastic surgeoninBritain.
During the
war, he gave up a private practice, whichbrought him in 10,000 Britishpounds
per year,
to devote allhis time to remoulding the faces andthe bodies ofairmen who had
been
burned and mutilated in battle. GodfreyWinn said to him, "What's your
ambition, Mac?"
Back came the answer, "Iwantto be a goodcraftsman."The 10,000 British
pounds per
yearwas nothing comparedwith the satisfactionofa selflessjobwelldone.

Once a womanstoppedDale ofBirmingham on the street. "Godbless you, Dr.
Dale,"she
said. She absolutelyrefusedto give her name. She only thankedhim and
blessedhim and
passedon. Dale atthe moment had beenmuch depressed. " But,"he said, "the
mist broke,
the sunlight came; Ibreathed the free air ofthe mountains of God." Inmaterial
things he
was notone penny the richer, but in the deepsatisfaction, whichcomes to the
preacher
who discovers he has helped someone, he hadgainedwealthuntold.
The first Christian rewardis the satisfactionwhichno money onearth canbuy.
(iii) The secondrewardofthe Christianlife is still more work to do. It is the
paradoxof
the Christian idea of rewardthat a task welldone does notbring restand
comfortand
ease; itbrings still greaterdemands and still more strenuous endeavours. Inthe
parable of
the talents the rewardof the faithful servants was stillgreaterresponsibility
(Matt. 25:14-
30). Whena teachergetsa reallybrilliant and able scholar, he does notexempt
him from
work; he gives him harder work than is given to anyone else. The brilliant
young
musician is given, noteasier, butharder music to master. The ladwho has
played wellin

the secondelevenis notput into the third eleven, where he couldwalk through
the game
without breaking sweat; he is put into the first elevenwhere he has to play his
heart out.
The Jews hada curious saying. Theysaidthat a wise teacherwilltreatthe
pupil "like a
young heifer whose burden is increaseddaily." The Christianrewardis the
reverse ofthe
world's reward. The world's rewardwouldbe an easiertime; the rewardofthe
Christian
is that Godlays still more and more upon a man to do for him and for his
fellow-men.
The harder the work we are givento do, the greaterthe reward.
(iv) The third, and the final, Christian rewardis whatmen allthrough the ages
have
calledthe visionof God. Forthe worldly man, who has nevergiven a thought to
God, to
be confrontedwith God will be a terrorand not a joy. If a man takes his own
way, he
drifts farther and farther from God; the gulf betweenhim and God becomes
everwider,
until in the end Godbecomes a grim stranger, whomhe only wishes to avoid.
But, if a
man all his life has soughtto walk with God, if he has soughtto obeyhis Lord, if
goodness has beenhis questthrough all his days, thenall his life he has been
growing

closerandcloserto God, until in the end he passes into God's nearerpresence,
without
fearand with radiant joy--andthatis the greatest rewardofall.
RIGHT THINGS FROM THE WRONG MOTIVE
Matt. 6:1
Take care notto try to demonstrate how goodyouare in the presence ofmen,
in
order to be seenby them. If you do, you have no rewardwith your Fatherin
heaven.
To the Jew there were three greatcardinal works ofthe religious life, three
greatpillars
on which the goodlife was based--almsgiving, prayerandfasting. Jesuswould
not for a
moment have disputed that; what troubled him was thatso oftenin human life
the finest
things were done from the wrong motives.
It is the strange factthatthese three greatcardinal goodworks readilylend
themselves to
wrong motives. Itwas Jesus' warning that, whenthese things were done with
the sole
intention ofbringing gloryto the doer, theylostby far the mostimportant part
of their
value. A man may give alms, notreallyto help the personto whom he gives, but
simply
to demonstrate his owngenerosity, andto bask in the warmth of some one's
gratitude and

all men's praise. A man may pray in such a waythat his prayer is not really
addressedto
God, but to his fellow-men. His praying may simply be anattempt to
demonstrate his
exceptional piety in such a waythat no one canfail to see it. A man may fast,
not really
for the goodofhis ownsoul, notreally to humble himself in the sight ofGod,
but simply
to show the world whata splendidly self-disciplinedcharacterhe is. Aman
may practise
goodworks simplyto win praise from men, to increase his ownprestige, andto
show the
world how goodhe is.
As Jesus sawit, there is no doubt at all that that kind of thing does receive a
certainkind
of reward. Three times Jesususes the phrase, as the RevisedStandardVersion
has it:
"Truly I sayto you, they have their reward" (Matt. 6:2,5; Matt. 6:16). Itwould
be better
to translate it: "Theyhave receivedpayment in full." The wordthat is usedin
the Greek is
the verb apechein(GSN0568), whichwas the technicalbusiness and
commercialword
for receiving payment in full. It was the word whichwas usedon receipted
accounts. For
instance, one mansigns a receiptgivento anotherman: "I have received
(apecho,

GSN0568) fromyou the rent of the olive press whichyou have on hire." Atax
collector
gives a receipt, saying, "Ihave received(apecho, GSN0568) fromyouthe tax
which is
due." A man sells a slave andgives a receipt, saying, "Ihave received(apecho,
GSN0568) the whole price due to me."
What Jesus is saying is this: "Ifyou give alms to demonstrate your own
generosity, you
will getthe admiration of men--butthat is all you will everget. Thatis your
payment in
full. If you pray in such a wayas to flaunt your piety in the face ofmen, you will
gainthe
reputation of being an extremely devout man--butthat is all you will everget.
Thatis
your payment in full. If you fastin sucha way that all men know that you are
fasting, you
will become knownas anextremely abstemious andascetic man--butthat is all
you will
everget. Thatis your payment in full." Jesus is saying, "Ifyour one aim is to
getyourself
the world's rewards, no doubt you will getthem--but you must not look forthe
rewards
which Godalone cangive." Andhe would be a sadly short-sightedcreature
who grasped
the rewards oftime, and let the rewards ofeternity go.
HOW NOT TO GIVE

Matt. 6:2-4
So, whenyougive alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites
do
in the synagogues andin the streets, thatthey may be praisedby men. This is
the truth I tell you--theyare paid in full. But when you give alms, yourleft hand
must not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms-giving may be
in secret, andyour Fatherwho sees whathappens in secretwillgive you your
rewardin full.
To the Jew almsgiving was the mostsacredofallreligious duties. How sacredit
was may
be seenfromthe factthat the Jews usedthe same word--tsedaqah(HSN6666)--
both for
righteousness andalmsgiving. To give alms andto be righteous were one and
the same
thing. To give alms was to gainmerit in the sightof God, andwas evento win
atonement
and forgiveness forpastsins. "Itis better to give alms than to lay up gold;
almsgiving
doth deliver from death, andit purges awayallsin" (Tob.12:8).
"Almsgiving to a fathershall not be blotted out,
And as a substitute for sins it shallstand firmly planted.
In the day ofaffliction it shall be rememberedto thy credit.
It shallobliterate thine iniquities as the heat, the hoar-frost."
(Ecc.3:14-15).

There was a rabbinic saying: "Greateris he who gives alms than he who offers
all
sacrifices." Almsgiving stoodfirstin the catalogue ofgoodworks.
It was thennatural and inevitable that the man who desiredto be goodshould
concentrate
on almsgiving. The highestteaching ofthe Rabbis was exactlythe same as the
teaching
of Jesus. Theytoo forbade ostentatious almsgiving. "He who gives alms in
secret," they
said, "is greaterthanMoses."The almsgiving whichsaves fromdeathis that
"whenthe
recipient does notknow from whom he gets it, and when the giverdoes not
know to
whom he gives it." There wasa Rabbiwho, whenhe wishedto give alms,
dropped
money behind him, so that he wouldnot see who pickedit up. "It were better"
they said,
"to give a man nothing, than to give him something, andto put him to shame."
There was
one particularly lovelycustomconnectedwith the Temple. Inthe Temple there
was a
room calledThe Chamberof the Silent. People who wishedto make atonement
for some
sin placedmoney there; andpoor people from goodfamilies who had come
down in the
world were secretlyhelpedby these contributions.

But as in so many otherthings practice fellfar short ofprecept. Too oftenthe
givergave
in sucha way that all men might see the gift, andgave farmore to bring glory
to himself
than to bring help to someone else. During the synagogue services, offerings
were taken
for the poor, andthere were those who took goodcare thatothers shouldsee
how much
they gave. J. J. Wetsteinquotes aneasterncustomfrom the ancientdays: "In
the east
wateris so scarce thatsometimes ithadto be bought. Whena man wantedto
do a good
act, andto bring blessing onhis family, he went to a water-carrierwitha good
voice, and
instructed him: `Give the thirsty a drink.'The water-carrierfilledhis skinand
wentto the
market-place. `O thirsty ones,'he cried, `come to drink the offering.'And the
giverstood
by him and said, `Bless me, who gave youthis drink.'" That is preciselythe
kind of thing
that Jesus condemns. He talks aboutthe hypocrites who do things like that. The
word
hupokrites (GSN5273) is the Greek wordforan actor. People like thatput on
an actof
giving which is designedonly to glorifythemselves.
THE MOTIVES OF GIVING
Matt. 6:2-4(continued)

Let us now look atsome ofthe motives which lie behind the actofgiving.
(i) Aman may give from a sense ofduty. He may give not because he wishes to
give, but
because he feels thatgiving is a duty whichhe cannotwellescape. Itmay even
be that a
man cancome--perhapsunconsciously--toregardthe pooras being in the
world to allow
him to carryout this duty, and thus to acquire merit in the sightof God.
Catherine Carswellinher autobiography, Lying Awake, tells ofherearlydays
in
Glasgow: "The poor, one mightsay, were ourpets. Decidedlytheywere always
with us.
In our particular ark we were taughtto love, honour and entertainthe poor."
The keynote, as she lookedback uponit, was superiorityand condescension.
Giving was
regardedas a duty, but oftenwith the giving there was a morallecture which
provided a
smug pleasure forthe man who gave it. In those days Glasgowwasa drunken
city on a
Saturday night. She writes: "EverySundayafternoon, forsome years, my
father wenta
round ofthe cells ofthe police station, bailing out the week-enddrunks with
half-crowns,
so that they might not lose theirjobs onMonday morning. He askedeachone
to signthe
pledge, andto return his half-crownoutof the next week's wages." No doubthe
was

perfectly right, but he gave froma smug eminence of respectability, and
included a moral
lecture in the giving. He clearlyfelt himself to be in a quite different moral
categoryfrom
those to whom he gave. Itwas saidofa great, butsuperiorman: "Withall his
giving he
never gives himself" Whena man gives, as itwere, froma pedestal, whenhe
gives
always witha certaincalculation, whenhe gives froma sense ofduty, evena
sense of
Christian duty, he may give generouslyofthings, but the one thing he never
gives is
himself, and therefore the giving is incomplete.
(ii) Aman may give from motives ofprestige. He maygive to getto himself the
glory of
giving. The chances are that, ifno one is to know about it, or, if there is no
publicity
attachedto it, he would not give at all. Unless he is duly thankedand praised
and
honoured, he is sadlydisgruntled and discontented. He gives, notto the gloryof
God, but
to the gloryof himself. He gives, notprimarily to help the poor person, butto
gratify his
ownvanity and his ownsense ofpower.
(iii) Aman may give simply because he has to. He may give simply because the
overflowing love and kindliness in his heart will allow him to do no other. He
may give

because, tryas he may, he cannotrid himself of a sense ofresponsibilityfor the
man in
need.
There was a kind ofvastkindliness about Dr. Johnson. There wasa poverty-
stricken
creature calledRobertLevett. Levettin his day had been a waiterin Paris and
a doctorin
the poorerparts of London. He had an appearance andmanners, as Johnson
saidhimself,
suchas to disgustthe rich and to terrify the poor. Somehow orotherhe became
a member
of Johnson's household. Boswellwas amazedatthe whole business, but
Goldsmith knew
Johnsonbetter. He saidof Levett: "He is poorand honestwhichis
recommendation
enoughfor Johnson. He is now become miserable, andthatinsures the
protectionof
Johnson." Misfortune was a passportto Johnson's heart.
Boswelltells this storyof Johnson. "Coming home late one night he found a
poorwoman
lying on the street, so muchexhaustedthat she could not walk: he took her
upon his back
and carriedher to his house, where he discoveredthatshe was one ofthese
wretched
females, who hadfalleninto the loweststate ofvice, povertyanddisease.
Insteadof

harshly upbraiding her, he had her takencare ofwith all tenderness fora long
time, at
considerable expense, tillshe was restoredto health, andendeavouredto put
her in a
virtuous way ofliving." All that Johnsongotout ofthat was unworthy
suspicions about
his owncharacter, butthe heartof the man demanded that he should give.
Surely one of the loveliestpictures in literary history is the picture ofJohnson,
in his own
days of poverty, coming home in the small hours ofthe morning, and, as he
walkedalong
the Strand, slipping pennies into the hands of the waifs andstrays who were
sleeping in
the doorways becausetheyhadnowhere else to go. Hawkins tells thatone
askedhim how
he couldbear to have his house filled with "necessitous andundeserving
people."
Johnsonanswered: "IfIdid not assistthemno one else would, andthey must
not be lost
for want." There youhave realgiving, the giving which is the upsurge oflove in
the heart
of a man, the giving which is a kind ofoverflow of the love ofGod.
We have the pattern of this perfectgiving in Jesus Christhimself. Paulwrote to
his
friends at Corinth: "Foryouknow the grace ofourLord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was

rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so thatby his poverty you might
become rich"
(2Cor.8:9). Ourgiving must never be the grim and self-righteous outcome ofa
sense of
duty, still less must it be done to enhance ourown gloryand prestige among
men; it must
be the instinctive outflow ofthe loving heart; we must give to others as Jesus
Christ gave
himself to us.
HOW NOT TO PRAY
Matt. 6:5-8
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, forthey are fond of
praying standing in the synagogues andatthe corners ofthe streets, sothat
they may be seenby people. This is the truth I tell you--theyare paidin full. But
when you pray, go into your private room, and shut the door, andpray to your
Fatherwho is in secret; andyourFatherwho sees whathappens insecretwill
give you your rewardin full. When you pray, do not pile up meaningless
phrases, as the Gentiles do, fortheir idea is that they will be heard because of
the length oftheir words. So, then, do notbe like them, for your Fatherknows
the things you needbefore you ask him.
No nation everhad a higherideal ofprayer than the Jews had; andno religion
ever
rankedprayer higher in the scale ofpriorities than the Jews did. "Greatis
prayer," said

the Rabbis, "greaterthanallgoodworks." One ofthe loveliestthings that was
eversaid
about family worshipis the Rabbinic saying, "He who prays within his house
surrounds it
with a wallthat is strongerthaniron." The only regretof the Rabbis was thatit
was not
possible to pray all the day long.
But certainfaults had creptinto the Jewishhabits ofprayer. It is to be noted
that these
faults are by no means peculiarto Jewishideas ofprayer; theycanand do
occur
anywhere. And it is to be noted that they could only occurin a community
where prayer
was takenwiththe greatest seriousness. Theyare notthe faults of neglect; they
are the
faults ofmisguided devotion.
(i) Prayertendedto become formalized. There were two things the daily use of
which
was prescribedforevery Jew.
The first was the Shema (compare HSN8088), whichconsists ofthree short
passagesof
scripture--Deut.6:4-9; Deut.11:13-21; Num.15:37-41. Shema is the imperative of
the
Hebrew word to hear (HSN8085), andthe Shema takes its name from the verse
which
was the essenceandcenterofthe whole matter: "Hear, O Israel, the Lordour
Godis one

Lord."
The full Shema had to be recitedby every Jew everymorning and every
evening. It had
to be said as earlyas possible. Ithad to be said as soonas the light was strong
enoughto
enable a man to distinguish betweenblue and white, or, as RabbiEliezersaid,
between
blue and green. In any eventit had to be saidbefore the third hour, that is, 9
a.m.; andin
the evening it had to be saidbefore 9 p.m. If the lastpossible momentfor the
saying of
the Shema had come, no matterwhere a man found himself, at home, in the
street, at
work, inthe synagogue, he muststopand sayit.
There were many who loved the Shema and who repeatedit with reverence
and adoration
and love; but inevitably there were stillmore who gabbledtheir waythrough it,
and went
their way. The Shema had everychance ofbecoming a vain repetition, which
men
mumbled through like some spellor incantation. We Christians are but ill-
qualified to
criticise, foreverything that has been saidabout formally gabbling through the
Shema
canbe saidabout grace before meatinmany a family.
The secondthing which everyJew must daily repeatwas calledthe Shemoneh
'Esreh

which means The Eighteen. Itconsistedofeighteenprayers, andwas, andstill
is, an
essential partofthe synagogue service. Intime the prayers became nineteen,
but the old
name remains. Mostofthese prayers are quite short, andnearly all of them are
very
lovely.
The twelfth runs:
"LetThy mercy, O Lord, be showeduponthe upright, the humble, the elders of
thy people Israel, andthe rest ofits teachers; be favourable to the pious
strangers
amongstus, andto us all. Give thou a goodrewardto those who sincerelytrust
in
thy name, that our lotmay be castamong them in the worldto come, thatour
hope be not deceived. Praisedbe thou, O Lord, who artthe hope and
confidence
of the faithful."
The fifth runs:
Bring us back to thy law, O our Father; bring us back, O King, to thy service;
bring us back to thee by true repentance. Praisedbe thou, O Lord who dost
accept
our repentance,
No Church possessesa more beautiful liturgy than the Shemoneh'EsrehThe
law was that
the Jew must recite it three times a day, once in the morning, once in the
afternoon, and

once in the evening. The same thing happened again. The devoutJew prayedit
with
loving devotion; but there were many to whom this series oflovelyprayers
became a
gabbledformula. There was evena summary supplied which a man might
pray, if he had
not the time or the memory to repeatthe whole eighteen. The repetitionofthe
Shemoneh
'Esrehbecame nothing more than the superstitious incantationof a spell.
Again, we
Christians are ill-qualified to criticise, forthere are many occasions whenwe
do precisely
the same with the prayer whichtaught us to pray.
HOW NOT TO PRAY
(ii) Further, the Jewishliturgy supplied statedprayers for all occasions. There
was hardly
an eventor a sight in life which had not its statedformula of prayer. There was
prayer
before and aftereachmeal; there were prayers in connectionwiththe light, the
fire, the
lightning, on seeing the new moon, comets, rain, tempest, atthe sightof the sea,
lakes,
rivers, onreceiving goodnews, onusing new furniture, onentering orleaving a
city.
Everything had its prayer. Clearlythere is something infinitely lovelyhere. It
was the

intention that everyhappening in life should be brought into the presence of
God.
But just because the prayers were so meticulouslyprescribedand stated, the
whole
systemlent itself to formalism, and the dangerwas forthe prayers to slip off
the tongue
with very little meaning. The tendencywas glibly to repeatthe right prayer at
the right
time. The greatRabbis knew that and tried to guard againstit. "Ifa man," they
said, "says
his prayers, as ifto getthrough a settask, thatis no prayer." "Do notlook on
prayer as a
formal duty, but as an actofhumility by which to obtain the mercy of God."
Rabbi
Eliezerwas so impressedwiththe dangerof formalism that it was his customto
compose
one new prayer every day, that his prayer might be always fresh. Itis quite
clearthat this
kind of dangeris not confinedto Jewishreligion. Evenquiettimes which began
in
devotion canend in the formalism of a rigid and ritualistic timetable.
(iii) Stillfurther, the devout Jew hadsettimes forprayer. The hours were the
third, the
sixth and the ninth hours, that is, 9 a.m., 12midday and 3 p.m. In whatever
place a man
found himself he was bound to pray. Clearly he might be genuinely
remembering God, or

he might be carrying out anhabitual formality. The Mohammedans have the
same
custom. There is a storyof a Mohammedanwho was pursuing an enemy with
drawn
knife to kill him. The muezzin rang out; he stopped, unrolledhis prayer mat,
knelt and
racedthrough his prayer; and then rose to continue his murderous pursuit. It
is a lovely
thing that three times a day a man should remember God; but there is very real
danger
that it may come to no more than this that three times a day a man gabbles his
prayers
without a thought of God.
(iv) There was a tendencyto connectprayerwith certainplaces, andespecially
with the
synagogue. Itis undeniably true that there are certainplaces where Godseems
very near,
but there were certainRabbis who wentthe length ofsaying that prayer was
efficacious
only if it was offeredin the Temple or in the synagogue. So there grew upthe
customof
going to the Temple at the hours ofprayer. In the first days of the Christian
Church, even
the disciples ofJesus thoughtin terms like these, forwe readofPeterand John
going up
to the Temple atthe hour ofprayer (Ac.3:1).

There was a dangerhere, the dangerthat a man might come to think ofGod as
being
confined to certainholy places andthat he might forgetthat the whole earthis
the temple
of God. The wisestofthe Rabbis saw this danger. Theysaid, "Godsays to
Israel, prayin
the synagogue ofyourcity; if you cannot, pray in the field; if you cannot, pray
in your
house; ifyou cannot, prayon your bed; if you cannot, commune with your own
heart
upon your bed, and be still."
The trouble about any systemlies, notin the system, but in the men who use it.
A man
may make any systemof prayer aninstrument ofdevotion ora formality,
glibly and
unthinkingly to be gone through.
(v) There wasamongstthe Jewsanundoubted tendency towards long prayers.
Thatwas a
tendency by no means confined to the Jews. In18thcentury worshipin
Scotlandlength
meant devotion. In sucha Scottishservice there wasa verse byverse lecture on
scripture
which lastedforan hour, and a sermonwhich lastedforanother hour. Prayers
were
lengthy and extempore. Dr. W. D. Maxwellwrites, "The efficacyofprayerwas
measured

by its ardour and its fluency, and not leastby its fervid lengthiness."Rabbi
Levi said,
"Whoeveris long in prayer is heard." Anothersaying has it: "Wheneverthe
righteous
make their prayer long, theirprayer is heard."
There was--andstillis--a kindofsubconscious idea thatif men batter long
enoughat
God's door, he will answer; thatGodcanbe talked, andevenpestered, into
condescension. The wisestRabbis werewellawareofthis danger. One ofthem
said, "It
is forbidden to lengthen out the praise of the Holy One. It says in the Psalms:
`Who can
utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or show forth all his praise?'(Ps.106:2).
There only
he who canmay lengthen out and tell his praise--butno one can." "Leta man's
words
before Godalways be few, as itis said, `Be notrash with your mouth, and let
not your
heart be hasty to utter a word before God; forGodis in heaven, andyou upon
earth,
therefore letyour words be few'" (Ecc.5:2). "The bestadorationconsistsin
keeping
silence."Itis easyto confound verbositywith piety, and fluency with devotion,
and into
that mistake many of the Jews fell.
HOW NOT TO PRAY

(vi) There were certainotherforms of repetition, whichthe Jews, like all
easternpeoples,
were aptto use and to overuse. The easternpeoples hada habit of hypnotising
themselves
by the endless repetitionofone phrase or evenof one word. In 1Kgs.18:26we
readhow
the prophets ofBaalcriedout, "O Baal answerus,"forthe space ofhalfa day.
In
Ac.19:34 we readhow the Ephesianmob, for two hours, keptshouting, "Great
is Artemis
of the Ephesians." The Mohammedanswillgo onrepeating the sacredsyllable
HE for
hours onend, running round in circles, untilthey drive themselves to ecstasy,
and finally
fall down unconscious intotalexhaustion. The Jews didthat with the Shema. It
is a kind
of substitution of self-hypnotismfor prayer.
There was anotherwayin which Jewishprayerusedrepetition. There was an
attempt to
pile up everypossible title and adjective in the address ofthe prayer to God.
One famous
prayer begins:
"Blessed, praised, andglorified, exalted, extolledandhonoured, magnifiedand
lauded be the name of the Holy One."

There is one Jewishprayerwhich actuallybegins with sixteendifferent
adjectives
attachedto the name ofGod. There was a kindof intoxicationwith words.
When a man
begins to think more ofhow he is praying than of whathe is praying, his prayer
dies upon
his lips.
(vii) The finalfault which Jesus foundwith certainof the Jews wasthatthey
prayed to be
seenofmen. The Jewishsystemofprayer made ostentationvery easy. The Jew
prayed
standing, with hands stretchedout, palms upwards, andwith head bowed.
Prayerhad to
be saidat 9 a.m., 12 midday, and3 p.m. It had to be saidwherevera man might
be, and it
was easyfora man to make sure that atthese hours he was ata busy street
comer, orin a
crowdedcity square, so thatallthe world might see with whatdevotion he
prayed. It was
easyfora man to halt onthe top step ofthe entrance to the synagogue, and
there pray
lengthily and demonstratively, so thatall men might admire his exceptional
piety. It was
easyto put on anactof prayer which allthe world might see.
The wisestofthe JewishRabbis fully understoodand unsparingly condemned
this

attitude. "A man in whom is hypocrisy brings wrath upon the world, and his
prayer is not
heard." "Fourclasses ofmendo not receive the face ofthe gloryof God--the
mockers,
the hypocrites, the liars, andthe slanderers."The Rabbis saidthatno man
could pray at
all, unless his heart was attunedto pray. Theylaid it down that for perfect
prayer there
were necessaryanhourof private preparation beforehand, andan hour of
meditation
afterwards. Butthe Jewishsystemofprayer did lend itselfto ostentation, ifin a
man's
heart there was pride.
In effect, Jesus lays downtwo greatrules forprayer.
(i) He insists thatall true prayer must be offered to God. The realfault ofthe
people
whom Jesus wascriticising wasthatthey were praying to men and not to God.
A certain
greatpreacheronce describedanornate andelaborate prayerofferedin a
BostonChurch
as "the mosteloquent prayer everofferedto a Bostonaudience."The preacher
was much
more concernedwithimpressing the congregationthanwith making contact
with God.
Whether in public or in private prayer, a man should have no thought in his
mind and no
desire in his heart but God.

(ii) He insists that we must always rememberthat the Godto whom we pray is
a God of
love who is more ready to answerthanwe are to pray. His gifts and his grace
have not to
be unwillingly extractedfrom him. We do not come to a God who has to be
coaxed, or
pestered, orbatteredinto answering ourprayers. We come to one whose one
wishis to
give. Whenwe remember that, it is surely sufficient to go to Godwith the sigh
of desire
in our hearts, andonour lips the words, "Thywillbe done."
http://goodnews.thruhere.net/BibleStudy/Downloads1/S_MLesson%205%20
Readings.pdf
Is Love Fake IfMotivatedby Reward?
00:00-13:04
Episode 897 July14, 2016
Interview with John Piper
Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org
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Audio Transcript
Thank you for listening to the Ask PastorJohnpodcast, todaywe have an
anonymous question in the inbox, here it is: PastorJohn, Ihave heard you say
that while you were working onyour doctoral dissertationaboutJesus’s
command to love your enemies, youreadlots ofscholars who arguedagainst
being motivated to love by the promises ofreward. Yousaid that this is simply
unbiblical — thatJesusand theapostlesmotivateloveallthetimeby
encouragingusto pursueourown greater happiness. Myquestion is:Howcan
thatbelove? How isthisnotjustusingotherpeopleforour ownselfishends?
Didn’tPaulsay, ‘Loveseeksnot itsown’ in 1 Corinthians13:5?”
I thinkthatthisisoneof themostimportantquestionsthatcanbeaskedin the
Christianlife. Wereallyneedto settleit, whether wearegoingto feelguiltyfor
beingmotivatedby thepromisesof joy in God’spresencethathe offersusasa
motivation for sacrificein thisworld.
Thisisabsolutelyhuge.
The Bibleisfullof commandsto lovepeople,at cost to ourselves. Weareoften
calledto makegreat sacrificesin thisworld, evenriskingourlivesor
intentionallylayingthemdown forothers. If theBibleoffersusmotivationsand
incentivesto do thisby promisingthattherewillbegreatrewardbecauseof it
and wethink itisethicallyinferior to bemotivatedthatway, then wearegoing
to turnawayfrom theverystrengththat Godoffersusin thecauseof love. So
thatisserious.

We arenot dabblingon theedgeof things. Wearetalkingabouttheverycenter
of motivationfor Christianliving. Jesussaid,“Whenyou givea dinneror a
banquet, do notinviteyour friendsor yourbrothersor your relativesor rich
neighbors,lesttheyalso inviteyou in return andyouberepaid. Butwhenyou
givea feast, invitethepoor, thecrippled, thelame,theblind, andyouwillbe
blessed, becausetheycannot repayyou.” Andthen headdsthis: “Foryouwillbe
repaidattheresurrectionof thejust” (Luke14:12–14).
Jesusdidn’taddthatlastpromisefor nothing.It beginswiththeword“for” or
“because.”Youwillbeblessedin making sacrificesin thisworldto loveothers
becauseyouwillberepaidattheresurrectionof thejust. Heintendsfor thatto
be a motivation,an incentive, a strengthening. Wearenot seekingpayback here
on theearth. Thatisthewholepoint. Itiscostlyto loveothers. Itisthankless,
many times, to loveothers. Thepayback islater attheresurrectionof thejust.
And yes, I didcontinuallyruninto thiskindof thinkingwhenI wasworkingon
my dissertation. I readscholarafterscholar who saidtheopposite. I willgive
you oneconcreteexample. I won’tnamehim. I willjustgiveyoutheexact
quote. And itisin hiscommentaryon Luke14thatI justread. Andhesaysthis:
“Thepromiseof rewardforthiskind of lifeisthereasa fact. Youdon’t livethis
way forthesakeof thereward. If youdo that, youarenotlivingin thenewway,
buttheold selfishway.”
Now, I believethatissimply wrong. Andnotonlywrong, thismistakedamages
the causeof love. Jesusgavethatpromiseof rewardattheresurrectionof the
justpreciselyto motivateus.If thatscholar wereright, wewouldhaveto work
to keep thepromiseoutof our mindsso thatit wouldn’tcontaminateour
motivation.

“Youwouldbea foolto livein a waythatgainsnothing.”TweetShareon
Facebook
But Jesustellsusto do justtheoppositein Acts20:35. Paulistalkingto the
eldersandhequotesJesus — oneof thefewplaceswhereJesusisquoted
outsidetheGospels. In Acts20:35hesaysthis: “Wemusthelptheweak and
remember” — thatisthewordI am fasteningon:not forgetting— “remember
the wordsof theLordJesus, howhehimselfsaid, ‘Itismoreblessed to givethan
to receive.’”Now, thatscholar wouldsay, “No, no,no, no. Youshouldn’t be
constantly rememberingthatasyoutryto do goodto people. ‘Remember thatit
is moreblessed.’You should forget that. Keep thatoutof yourmind, because,
yes, itistrue, butit isgoingto contaminateyourmotivationif youkeep
rememberingit.” So,I am goingto go withJesushereandnotthat scholar. Jesus
emphasizes:Keepitin yourmind. Remember, remember.It ismoreblessedto
givethanto receive.Keeptheblessingin mind.
And thenhesaid in Luke6:35, “Loveyour enemies, anddo good, andlend,
expectingnothingin return, and yourreward willbegreat.” So, in other words,
justlikeLuke14,don’texpectpayback now. Theyaregoingto killyounow, for
goodness’sake. Theyaregoingto malignyouandtortureyouandkillyou.So,
expecttroubleandaffliction andingratitudein thisworld, but, oh, remember
your rewardwillbegreat. Letthatsustainyouthroughitall.
I thinkthatisan explanationof whatPaulmeant. Thequestioner askedabout1
Corinthians13:5, whatPaulmeantin 1 Corinthians13:5, when hesaid, Love
“doesnotseekitsown”(NASB). Itisa good,literaltranslation. Hedidnotmean
thatloveshouldfind no pleasurein or look for anypleasurefromthebeautiful
act of love. Hemeant: Don’t look for thatreward by usingpeopleformaterial
gain or advancementin thisworld. Hedidn’t mean: Ignorethepromiseof great
rewardin heaven.

And thereasonweknowthisfrom1 Corinthians13, notjustfromthewordsof
Jesus, but fromtheverycontext, twoversesearlier Paulsays, “If I giveawayallI
have, andif I deliver upmy bodyto beburned, buthavenotlove, I gainnothing”
(1 Corinthians13:3). I gainnothing. I gainnothing. Thewholeargumentisyou
wouldbea foolto livein a waythatgainsnothing.Andthatistheexactpoint.
You gain a greatrewardthroughgivingyourlifefor otherpeople. So, heis
motivatingloveby long-termgain, notshort-termprofit, by manipulating
peopleto getricher or to getfamousor anythinglikethat.
So, C.S. Lewis — youknowthis, Tony— welovethisquotefromhisgreat
sermon.What isthenameof thesermon?
“TheWeightof Glory.”
“TheWeightof Glory,” yes, thatisright.
If therelurksin mostmodernmindsthenotionthat to desireour owngood and
earnestlyto hopefor theenjoymentof itisa bad thing, I submitthatthisnotion
has creptin from[Immanuel]KantandtheStoicsandisno partof theChristian
faith. Indeed, if weconsidertheunblushingpromisesof rewardandthe
staggeringnatureof therewardspromisedin theGospels, itwouldseemthat
Our Lordfindsourdesires, nottoo strong, but too weak.
I rememberthefirsttimeI readthat. I thought: Oh, unbelievable. I can’t believe
he is saying this. Thisisso right. “Wearehalf-heartedcreatures, foolingabout
with drinkandsexandambitionwheninfinitejoyisofferedus, likean ignorant
childwho wantsto go on makingmud piesin a slumbecausehecannotimagine
whatismeantby theoffer of a holiday atthesea. Wearefartoo easilypleased.”
So, thecrucialquestionis: Howisthislove?AndI havejust gottwo shortand, I

think, simpleandI hopecompellinganswersfor why isitlove — to be
motivatedto lovepeople,to sacrificefor people,giveyourlifefor people — for
the sakeof reward?
“It isa greathonorto Christto bemotivatedby a desirefor moreof himthat
comesthroughlovingpeople.”TweetShareon Facebook
1) Thereisnothingmorally inferior about lookingfor rewardforour behavior,
providedthat therewardisultimatelymoreof Christ asthesupremejoyof our
souls.Andthereasonthatisnot morallyinferioristhat Christismostglorified
in uswhenwearemost satisfiedin Christ. Thegloryof Christisatstake.It is
simply notvirtue. Itisnotan honor to Christto say — I can imaginesomebody
tryingto saythis: “Well, I am going to sufferfor Christ, andit makesno
differenceto mewhetherit leadsto knowingandenjoyingChristbetter.”That
is nota virtue. Thatisself-sufficiency cloakedasa sacrifice. Itisright. Itis a
greathonorto Christto bemotivatedby a desirefor moreof himthatcomes
throughlovingpeople.
2) Hereisthelastone. Thisisprobably themostimportant. Itislovingto
sacrificeforotherswitha viewto reward, wantingreward, aimingatrewardif
our aim isthat, in beingsustainedby thisrewardof moreof Christ, wewin
peopleto comewithusinto thereward.That isthegoal.That isthegoal.And
we can’t do thatif wedon’tlovethereward. Therewould benothingto
welcomethesepeople into,to enticetheminto,if wehavestoppeddelightingin
the veryrewardwegetthroughlovingothers. So,1 Peter 2:12says, “Keepyour
conduct amongtheGentileshonorable, so thatwhentheyspeak againstyouas
evildoers,theymayseeyour good deeds” — andI am paraphrasingnow: join
you in glorifyingGod“onthedayof visitation.”
Our motiveisnever— mark this — ourmotiveisnever to returngoodfor evil
so thatweget therewardand theydon’t. Letmesay thatagain. Mymotivein

returningto someonegoodforevilisnever,I get a reward. Youdon’t. I want
them. Mymotiveis: In seekingto lovethem, I want themto joinme. I want them
to seein my very behaviortheall-satisfyingworthof JesusChrist.
So, myconclusionisnever, never, never forget, butalwaysremember,
remember, thatitismoreblessedto givethanto receive. Your rewardwill be
greatin heaven.No matter thecostof lovehere, youwillberepaidatthe
resurrectionof thejust, anda great andwonderfulpartof thatrewardwillbe
that, in lovingpeoplelikethis, youwillwin manyof themto joinyouin enjoying
the reward.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
SecretPrayer
Matthew 6:6
W.F. Adeney
These words are not intended to discourage the practice of public worship.
The contrastthey afford to the ostentatious worshipof the Pharisees.makes it
clearthat our Lord is not alluding to the generalprayers of a congregation.
For with the synagogue he associatesthe street corner(ver. 5), thus showing
that he is thinking of a man's personaldevotions throughout, although in the
case ofthe Pharisee these are made indecently public, and therefore do not
deserve the name "private" which is usually attached to them in contrastwith

what is called the "public" worship of the Church. The secretprayerin
private is commended to us.
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PRAYER. Jesus is very explicit in
regard to these details, although his objectis simply to obtain reality and
spirituality of worship, because we are largelyinfluenced by the scenes among
which we live. The private chamber and the closeddoor are necessaryfor the
devotion which Christ approves of.
1. Unostentatiousness. This is readily secured. We cannotthink of winning the
applause of men when we have shut out all observers. Yet even here the
danger may return if we let it he known that we resort to seclusionfor prayer.
Therefore the very act of retirement should be kept private.
2. Freedomfrom distraction. The noise and glare of the world are withdrawn,
and we are left alone with God. This need not l)e in a room. Christ found it on
the mountain.
3. A personalapproachto God. Eachsoul must seek Godseparately. There is
a loneliness of personality, a deep seclusionof the interior life. We do not
really pray until we open this up to God.
II. THE OBJECT OF THE PRAYER. The end is not securedby the mere act
of going into seclusion. We may carry the world into our chamber; and we
shall do so if the world is in our hearts. We may not meet God there; and we
shall not find him if he is "not in all our thoughts." The accessoriesare but
favourable conditions. Still, we need the spiritual effort of devotion, which is
to draw near to our Father - the highest act of human experience. Whenthat
is truly attained, the accessories cease to be very important. We may find the
soul's secretchamber in the heart of a crowd, while walking through the busy
street, or while rushing over the country in a railway carriage full of fellow-

travellers, if we canwithdraw our minds into inwardness of thought, into the
seclusionofprivate meditation; we have but to shut to the door of
observation, and we are alone with God. But this is only possible in proportion
as our worship is a really spiritual approachto God. We have just to consider
what worship is - not a performance, but a communion.
III. THE RESULT OF THE PRAYER.
1. Observedby God. He sees in secret. He sees the secrethollowness, vanity,
falsehood, and blasphemy that lie behind the decorous worshipof ostentation.
He also sees the prayer that is but a thought,
"Prayeris the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear;
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near."
2. Rewardedby God. The reward of prayer is to hear and answerit. We are
not to expectto be paid for our goodness in being unostentatious. It is enough
that God meets us in secretprayer, that he condescends to respond and to visit
our chamber, transforming it into a temple. That is the reward. - W.F.A.

Biblical Illustrator
Enter into thy closet.
Matthew 6:6
Private prayer.
J. Pollock.
I. The NATURE of prayer.
II. The KIND of prayer prescribed — "Enter into thy closet."
III. The OBJECT ofprayer" Thy Father."
IV. The REWARD promised — "Rewardthee openly."

(J. Pollock.)
Closetprayer
T. Whitelaw, M. A.
I. The duty.
II. The place.
III. The Spirit.
IV. The object.
V. The profit of prayer.
(T. Whitelaw, M. A.)
The duty of secretprayer
Thomas Boston.
To press this I offer the following motives: —
1. It is expresslycommanded of God.
2. Are not the vows of God upon you for the performance of it?

3. Were ye not baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to
worship them, and that in all parts of worship, of which prayer is a principal
one?
4. Have not some of you been admitted to the Lord's table, when ye professed
to renew your baptismal engagements?
5. Have ye not secretsins, secretwants, and secrettemptations? And shall ye
not have secretprayers adapted to each?
(Thomas Boston.)
Secretprayer
Dr. A. Barnes.
I. The DUTY of secretprayer. All the force of a command. It is more by
example than by precept that this duty is enforcedin Scripture. Is essential,
because we have wants which can be presented before God in no other way.
.No times are specifiedfor the performance of this duty.
II. The proper MODE AND SEASON'S ofsecretprayer. If possible, a place to
which we may retire and be alone with God. Settimes. The appropriate
seasons— early morning, evening, times of perplexity, etc.
III. The REWARDS AND ADVANTAGES of secretprayer. Furnishes the
best testof piety. What is the "open reward"? Are you obeying the command?
(Dr. A. Barnes.)

Secretprayer
Various., Studies.
I. DIRECTIONS.
1. The place. As solitary as possible.
2. The Being. He is in secret — invisible — omniscient. Realizationof the
Divine presence.
3. The spirit — filial.
II. ENCOURAGEMENTS.
1. From the relationwhich He sustains.
2. From the prerogative which He exerts. He sees the suppliant.
3. From the rewardwhich He bestows, presentand future.
(Various.)
I. The duty and necessity.

II. The employments and enjoyments.
III. The many advantages.
IV. The lamentable consequences ofneglecting secretdevotion.
(Studies.)
Secretprayer
American Homiletic Monthly.
I. It is a DUTY.
1. Becauseit is commanded.
2. Becauseindispensable to the religious life of the soul.
II. It is a PRIVILEGE.
1. Becauseit is communion with God.
2. Becauseit is priceless and seasonable. Itis not like the Roman Porta Santa,
which is openedbut once in twenty-five years, with grand ceremonies,
conducted by the highestdignitaries of the Church.

III. Its PRACTICE IS COMMENDED TO US.
1. By example of Christ.
2. By the observance ofeminent saints.
IV. Its OBJECT.
1. TO be alone with God.
2. To cultivate heart-religion.
3. To obtain neededsupplies of grace.
V. Its BENEFITS.
1. Its privacy promotes meditation and heart-scrutiny.
2. It favours the confessionofsuch sins as are individual.
VI. APPLICATIONS.
1. A command all followers ofChrist will obey.

2. Some local"inner chamber not necessary." Everyman can build a chapel
in his breast.
(American Homiletic Monthly.)
The secretlife of the Christian the most important
Salter.
The root that produces the beautiful and flourishing tree, with all its
spreading branches, verdant leaves, and refreshing fruit, that which gains for
it sap, life, vigour, and fruitfulness, is all unseen; and the farther and deeper
the roots spreadbeneath, the more the tree expands above. Christians! if you
wish to prosper, if you long to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, strike your
roots wide in private prayer.
(Salter.)
The silent influences of secretprayer the most productiv
Brooks
e: — As the tender dew that falls in the silent night makes the grass and herbs
and flowers to flourish and grow more abundantly than greatshowers ofrain
that fall in the day, so secretprayer will more abundantly cause the sweet
herbs of grace and holiness to grow and flourish in the soul, than all those
more open, public and visible duties of religion, which too, too often are
mingled and mixed with the sun and wind of pride and hypocrisy.
(Brooks,)
Closetprayer secretin mode as well as in place

Gurnall.
Not like the hen who goes into a secretplace to lay her egg, but by her
cackling tells all the house where she is, and what she is doing.
(Gurnall.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(6) Enter into thy closet.—Literally, the store-closetof thy house. The
principle, as before, is embodied in a rule which startles, and which cannot be
binding literally. Not in synagogue orstreet, nor by the river-side (Acts
16:13); not under the fig-tree in the court-yard (John 1:50), nor on the
housetopwhere men were wont to pray (Acts 10:9)—these might, eachand
all, present the temptations of publicity—but in the steward’s closet, in the
place which seemedto men leastlikely, which they would count it irreverent
to connectwith the idea of prayer. The principle thus clothed in paradox is, of
course, that personalprayer should be strictly personal and private. Our
Lord’s mode of acting on the principle was, it will be remembered, to
withdraw from crowds and cities, and to pass the night in prayer on the lonely
slopes of the hills of Galilee (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; John 6:15).
Openly.—Probably, as before, in Matthew 6:4, an interpolation.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
6:5-8 It is taken for granted that all who are disciples of Christ pray. You may
as soonfind a living man that does not breathe, as a living Christian that does
not pray. If prayerless, then graceless. The Scribes and Pharisees were guilty

of two greatfaults in prayer, vain-glory and vain repetitions. Verily they have
their reward; if in so greata matter as is betweenus and God, when we are at
prayer, we canlook to so poor a thing as the praise of men, it is just that it
should be all our reward. Yet there is not a secret, sudden breathing after
God, but he observes it. It is calleda reward, but it is of grace, notof debt;
what merit can there be in begging? If he does not give his people what they
ask, it is because he knows they do not need it, and that it is not for their good.
So far is God from being wrought upon by the length or words of our prayers,
that the most powerful intercessionsare those which are made with groanings
that cannotbe uttered. Let us well study what is shown of the frame of mind
in which our prayers should be offered, and learn daily from Christ how to
pray.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Enter into thy closet - Every Jewishhouse had a place for secretdevotion. The
roofs of their houses were flat places, welladapted for walking, conversation,
and meditation. See the notes at Matthew 9:2. ProfessorHackett
("Illustrations of Scripture," p. 82) says:"On the roof of the house in which I
lodged at Damascus were chambers and rooms along the side and at the
corners of the open space orterrace, which constitutes often a sort of upper
story. I observedthe same thing in connectionwith other houses." Overthe
porch, or entrance of the house, there was frequently a small room of the size
of the porch, raiseda story above the rest of the house, expresslyappropriated
for the place of retirement. Here, in secrecyandsolitude, the pious Jew might
offer his prayers, unseen by any but the Searcherof hearts. To this place, or
to some similar place, our Saviourdirected his disciples to repair when they
wished to hold communion with God. This is the place commonly mentioned
in the New Testamentas the "upper room," or the place for secretprayer.
The meaning of the Saviour is, that there should be some place where we may
be in secret - where we may be alone with God. There should be some "place"
to which we may resortwhere no ear will hear us but "His" ear, and no eye
can see us but His eye. Unless there is such a place, secretprayer will not be
long or strictly maintained. It is often said that we have no such place, and can
secure none. We are away from home; we are traveling; we are among

strangers;we are in stages andsteamboats, andhow can we find such places
of retirement? I answer, the desire to pray, and the love of prayer, will create
such places in abundance. The Saviour had all the difficulties which we can
have, but yet he lived in the practice of secretprayer. To be alone, he rose up
"a great while before day," and went into a solitaryplace and prayed, Mark
1:35. With him a grove, a mountain, a garden, furnished such a place, and,
though a traveler, and among strangers, and without a house, he lived in the
habit of secretprayer. What excuse canthey have for not praying who have a
home, and who spend the precious hours of the morning in sleep, and who will
practice no self-denial that they may be alone with God? O Christian! thy
Saviour would have broken in upon these hours, and would have trod his
solitary way to the mountain or the grove that he might pray. He did do it. He
did it to pray for thee, too indolent and too unconcernedabout thy own
salvationand that of the world to practice the leastself-denialin order to
commune with God! How canreligion live thus? How can such a soul be
saved?
The Saviour does not specify the times when we should pray in secret. He does
not sayhow often it should be done. The reasons may have been:
(1) that he designedthat his religion should be "voluntary," and there is not a
better "test" of true piety than a disposition to engage oftenin secret prayer.
He intended to leave it to his people to show attachment to him by coming to
God often, and as often as they chose.
(2) an attempt to specify the times when this should be done would tend to
make religion formal and heartless. Mohammed undertook to regulate this,
and the consequence is a cold and formal prostration at the appointed hours
of prayer all over the land where his religionhas spread.

(3) the periods are so numerous, and the seasonsfor secretprayer vary so
much, that it would nor be easyto fix rules when this should be done.
Yet without giving rules, where the Saviour has given none, we may suggest
the following as times when secretprayer is proper:
1. In the morning. Nothing can be more appropriate when we have been
preservedthrough the night, and when we are about to enter upon the duties
and dangers of another day, than to render to our greatPreserverthanks, and
to commit ourselves to His fatherly care.
2. In the evening. When the day has closed, what would be more natural than
to offer thanksgiving for the mercies of the day, and to implore forgiveness for
what we have saidor done amiss? And when about to lie down againto sleep,
not knowing but it may be our last sleepand that we may awake in eternity,
what more proper than to commend ourselves to the care of Him "who never
slumbers nor sleeps?"
3. We should pray in times of embarrassmentand perplexity. Such times
occurin every man's life, and it is then a privilege and a duty to go to God and
seek his direction. In the most difficult and embarrassedtime of the American
Revolution, Washington was seento retire to a grove in the vicinity of the
camp at Valley Forge. Curiosityled a man to observe him, and the father of
his country was seenon his knees supplicating the God of hosts in prayer.
Who can tell how much the liberty of this nation is owing to the answerto the
secretprayer of Washington?

4. We should pray when we are besetwith strong temptations. So the Saviour
prayed in the gardenof Gethsemane (compare Hebrews 5:7-8), and so we
should pray when we are tempted.
5. We should pray when the Spirit prompts us to pray; when we feellust like
praying; when nothing can satisfythe soul but prayer. Such times occurin the
life of every Christian, (and they are "spring-times" of piety - favorable gales
to waft us on to heaven. Prayer to the Christian, at such times, is just as
congenialas conversationwith a friend when the bosom is filled with love; as
the societyoffather, mother, sister, child is, when the heart glows with
attachment; as the strains of sweetmusic are to the earbest attuned to the
love of harmony; as the most exquisite poetry is to the heart enamored with
the muses;and as the most delicious banquet is to the hungry.
Prayer, then, is the elementof being - the breath the vital air; and, then, the
Christian must and should pray. He is the most eminent Christian who is most
favored with such strong emotions urging him to prayer. The heart is then
full; the soul is tender; the sun of glory shines with unusual splendor; no cloud
intervenes; the Christian rises above the world, and pants for glory. then we
may go to be alone with God. We may enter the closet, and breathe forth our
warm desires into his ever-open ear, and He who sees in secretwill reward us
openly.
In secret- Who is unseen.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet—a place ofretirement.

and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;and
thy Fatherwhich seethin secretshallreward thee openly—Of course, it is not
the simple publicity of prayer which is here condemned. It may be offeredin
any circumstances,howeveropen, if not prompted by the spirit of ostentation,
but dictated by the greatends of prayer itself. It is the retiring characterof
true prayer which is here taught.
Supplementary Directions and ModelPrayer (Mt 6:7-15).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
By this public prayer is not condemned, but secretprayer is established, and
made every Christian’s duty; and Christians are warnednot to think that
their duty of prayer is dischargedby their going to places ofpublic worship,
and praying there: but that which our Saviour here cautions us againstis
ostentation, by which men may as much offend in their closets as elsewhere.
Wherever we pray, we must take heed that our ends be right, that the glory of
God be our principal end, and yielding obedience to his command; and there
is no better means in order to this than the right setting of God before our
eyes, as he that seethin secret, and knoweththe most secretdesigns, scopes,
and intentions of our hearts, and who, if we thus perform our duty, will
reward us of his free grace and mercy; not as persons who by our prayers
have merited any thing at his hand, (for what merit can there be in our
prayers?)but as having showedour obedience to his will, and in the fulfilling
of those many promises which he hath made to those that seek his face for the
hearing of their prayers.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,.... Or"chamber", a secret
place, fit for private retirement, meditation, and prayer.
And when thou hast shut thy door; see some suchlike phrases in Isaiah 26:20
where they are used to express security, here secrecy. Our Lord does not

mean to exclude and condemn public prayer, in joining with few, or more
persons, in such service;for he himself directs to it, and approves of it,
Matthew 18:19 but his view is to instruct persons that they should not only
pray in public, but in private also;and especiallythe latter, which is more
suitable and fitting for their particular cases,and less liable to pride,
hypocrisy, and vanity.
Pray to thy Father, which is in secret;who is invisible; not to be seenwith the
eyes of the body, but to be approachedwith a true heart, in faith and fear,
through his SonJesus Christ, the only mediator betweenGod and man; and
who is the image of the invisible God, and in whom he is pleasedto manifest
himself to his people, so as he does not unto the world:
and thy Father, which seethin secret, observes andtakes notice of the secret
breathings, pantings, desires, and requests of thy heart and lips,
shall reward thee openly, both here and hereafter;by pouring into thy bosom
all the goodthings thou hast been praying for, both for time and eternity. This
is agreeable to what the Jews sometimes say,
"that a man ought not to cause his voice to be heard in prayer; but should
pray "silently", with a voice that is not heard; and this is the prayer which is
daily accepted(g).''
(g) Zohar in Gen. fol. 114. 4.
Geneva Study Bible

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, andwhen thou hastshut
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;and thy Father which seeth in
secretshallreward thee openly.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 6:6. Ταμεῖον]any room in the interior of the house, as opposedto the
synagoguesand the streets. We are therefore not to think exclusively of the
closetin the strict sense of the word, which was called ὑπερῷον; see note on
Acts 1:13. Forthe expression, comp. Isaiah 24:20;for ταμεῖον, conclave, see
Xen. Hell. v. 4. 5; Matthew 24:26;Sir 29:12;Tob 7:17.
ἀποδώσει σοι] for thy undemonstrative piety. It is not public prayer in itself
that Jesus condemns, but praying in an ostentatious manner; rather than this,
He would have us betake ourselves to a lonely room. Theophylact: ὁ τόπος οὐ
βλάπτει, ἀ̓λλʼ ὁ τρόπος καὶ ὁ σκόπος.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 6:6 : true prayer in contrastto the theatrical type.—σὺ δὲ, hou, my
disciple, in oppositionto the “actors”.—ὅταν, whenthe spirit moves, not when
the customaryhour comes, freedomfrom rule in prayer, as in fasting
(Matthew 9:14), is taken for granted.—τὸ ταμεῖον, late form for ταμιεῖον
(Lobeck, Phryn., 493), first a store-chamber, then any place of privacy, a
closet(Matthew 24:26). Note the σου after ταμ. and θύραν and πατρί, all
emphasising isolation, thy closet, thy door, thy Father.—κλείσας,carefully
shutting thy door, the door of thine own retreat, to exclude all but thy Father,
with as much secrecyas if you were about a guilty act. What delicacyof
feeling, as wellas sincerity, is implied in all this; greatly to be respected, often
sinned against.—τῷἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, He who is in the secretplace;perhaps with
allusion to God’s presence in the dark holy of holies (Achelis). He is there in
the place from which all fellow-menare excluded. Is socialprayer negatived
by this directory? No, but it is implied that socialprayer will be a reality only

in proportion as it proceeds from a gathering of men accustomedto private
prayer.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
6. closet]A private oratory or place of prayer. These were usually in the
upper part of the house. The Greek word in the original is translated (1)
“SecretChambers,” ch. Matthew 24:26;(2) “Storehouse,”Luke 12:24.
pray to thy Fatherwhich is in secret]Christ was the first to enjoin clearly
secretand silent prayer. Certainly to pray aloud and in public appears to have
been the Jewishpractice;it is still the practice with the heathen and
Mahomedans. The Roman lookedwith suspicion on private prayer: “quod
scire hominem nolunt deo narrant” (Seneca). Cp. Hor. Ep. i. 16. 59–62,where
see Macleane’s note. Cp. also Soph. Electra, 638, where Clytemnestra
apologisesforoffering up a secretprayer.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 6:6. Ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, in secret)Godboth is, and sees,in secret.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 6. - But thou (emphatic) when thou prayset, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut thy door, pray, etc. An adaptation of Isaiah26:20 (cf. also
2 Kings 4:33). The prophet's language describing the actionbefitting a time of
terror is used by our Lord to express what ought to be the normal practice of
eachof his followers. Observe that the widow of one of the sons of the
prophets so actedwhen she was about to receive the miraculous supply of oil
(2 Kings 4:4, 5). Closet;RevisedVersion, inner chamber, more readily
suggesting the passagein Isaiah to the English reader. To thy Fatherwhich is
in secret. Not"which seethin secret," as in the next clause. The thought here
may be partly that to be unseen of men is a help to communion with him who
is also unseen by them, but especiallythat the manner of your actions ought to
resemble that of your Father's, who is himself unseenand works unseen. And
thy Fatherwhich seethin secret. You will be no loser, since his eyes pass by

nothing, howeverwellconcealedit be from the eyes of men. Shall reward thee
openly (ver. 4, notes).
Vincent's Word Studies
Closet(ταμιεῖον)
See on Luke 12:3.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Matthew 6:5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they
love to stand and pray in the synagoguesand on the streetcorners so that they
may be seenby men. Truly I say to you, they have their rewardin full.
(NASB: Lockman)
Greek:Kai hotan proseuchesthe,(2PPMS)ouk esesthe (2PFMI)hos hoi
hupokritai; hoti philousin (3PPAI) en tais sunagogaiskaien tais goniais ton
plateion hestotes (RAPMPN)proseuchesthai, (PMN)hopos phanosin (3PAPS)
tois anthropois; amen lego (1SPAI) humin apechousin(3SPPAI) ton misthon
auton.
Amplified: Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they
love to pray standing in the synagoguesand on the corners of the streets, that
they may be seenby people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full
already (Amplified Bible - Lockman)

KJV: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they
love to pray standing in the synagoguesand in the corners of the streets, that
they may be seenof men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
NLT: And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites
who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogueswhere
everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get.
(NLT - Tyndale House)
Philips: And then, when you pray, don't be like the play-actors. They love to
stand and pray in the synagoguesand at street-corners so that people may see
them at it. Believe me, they have had all the rewardthey are going to get.
(New Testamentin Modern English)
Wuest: And wheneveryou are praying you shall not be as the actors on the
stage oflife, because theyare fond of praying in the synagoguesand while
standing at the corners of avenues in order that they may be seenby men.
Assuredly, I am saying to you, They have their reward and the receipt for the
same in full.
Young's Literal: 'And when thou mayest pray, thou shalt not be as the
hypocrites, because they love in the synagogues, andin the corners of the
broad places -- standing -- to pray, that they may be seenof men; verily I say
to you, that they have their reward.
WHEN YOU PRAY, YOU ARE NOT TO BE LIKE THE HYPOCRITES;
FOR THEY LOVE TO STAND AND PRAY IN THE SYNAGOGUES AND
ON THE STREETCORNERSSO THAT THEY MAY BE SEEN BY MEN:

Kai hotan proseuchesthe, (2PPMS)ouk esesthe (2PFMI)hos hoi hupokritai;
hoti philousin (3PPAI) en tais sunagogaiskaien tais goniais ton plateion
hestotes (RAPMPN)proseuchesthai, (PMN)hopos phanosin (3PAPS)tois
anthropois
When you pray - Mt 7:7,8;9:38; 21:22; Psalms 5:2; 55:17; Proverbs 15:8;
Isaiah55:6,7; Jeremiah29:12;Daniel 6:10; 9:4-19; Luke 18:1; John 16:24;
Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2,3;1Th 5:17; James 5:15,16
You are not to be like - Mt 6:2; 23:14;Job 27:8-10;Isaiah1:15; Luke
18:10,11;20:47
Matthew 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Relatedresource - The Kneeling Christian
Ironside calls on us to "Think of the privilege of sitting at the feet of the great
intercessorHimself and hearing Him tell us how to pray! It is indeed a
priceless opportunity not to be despised or passedon to disciples of some other
age.
When you pray - Not "if" you pray. Prayer is the believer's lifeline to God.
Spurgeonputs it this way…
Prayer pulls the rope below and the greatbell rings above in the cars of God.
Some scarcelystir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give but an
occasionalpluck at the rope; but he who wins with heavenis the man who
grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously, with all his might. (Feathers for
Arrows)

Stand - The posture is not the problem, for posture is irrelevant if the motive
of the heart is to please God. Many postures are associatedwith prayer:
prostrate (Num 16:22;Josh5:14; Dan 8:17; Matt 26:39; Rev 11:16), kneeling
(2 Chronicles 6:13; Dan 6:10; Luke 22:41, Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5), sitting
(2Sam 7:18), and standing (1Sam 1:26; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11, 13).
A hypocrite (hupokrites - see word study) prays on his knees on Sunday and
preys on his neighbors on Monday.
A T Robertsoncommenting on synagoguesandon streetcorners writes that…
These were the usual places of prayer (synagogues)and the streetcorners
where crowds stopped for business or talk. If the hour of prayer overtook a
Pharisee here, he would strike his attitude of prayer like a modern Moslem
that men might see that he was pious. (Robertson, A. Word Pictures in the
New Testament)
Ron Mattoonadds: The streetcorners were a normal place for prayer,
because devout Jews wouldstop whereverthey were at the appointed hour for
prayer, even if they were walking down the streetor visiting at the corner.
The appointed hours were at nine in the morning, noon, and three in the
afternoon, perfect times for people who wanted to be seenpraying because
these were busy times of the day. (Ron Mattoon - Treasures FromProverbs,
Volume One)
C H Spurgeon's comments…

Prayer also is takenfor granted. No man can be in the kingdom of heaven
who does not pray.
Those around our Lord knew what he meant when he alluded to the
hypocrites; for they had often Beenthe proud sectarystanding in public
places repeating his prayers, and very likely they had hitherto felt bound to
hold such in repute for superior sanctity. By our Lord’s words these
hypocrites are unmasked, and made to seemwhat they really are. Our King
was wonderfully plain-spoken, and calledboth things and persons by their
right names. These religionists were not seekersofGod, but seekersafter
popularity; men who twistedeven devotion into a means for self
aggrandizement. They chose places and times which would render their
saying of prayers conspicuous. The synagogues andthe corners of the streets
suited them admirably; for their aim was “that they may be seenof men. ”
They were seen. They had what they soughtfor. This was their reward, and
the whole of it.
Lord, let me never be so profane as to pray to thee with the intent of getting
praise for myself. (Commentary)
Pray (4336)(proseuchomaifrom prós = toward, facing, emphasizing direct
approachin seeking God's face + eúchomai= wish, pray, a technicalterm for
invoking a deity and so covers every aspectof such invocation: to request,
entreat, vow, consecrate etc)(Click for in depth study of the relatednoun
proseuche)means literally to prayer to or before. The prefix "pros" conveys
the sense ofbeing immediately before God and hence would also include the
ideas of adoration, devotion, and worship.
The basic idea of this verb is to bring something, and in prayer this pertains to
bringing prayer requests. In early Greek culture an offering was brought with

a prayer that it be accepted. Laterthe idea was changedslightly, so that the
thing brought to God was the prayer. In later Greek, prayers appealed to God
for His presence. This word for prayer encompassesallthe aspects ofprayer:
submission, confession, petition, intercession, praise, and thanksgiving.
Proseuchomai - 85xin 80v-
Matt 5:44; 6:5ff, 9; 14:23; 19:13;24:20;26:36, 39, 41f, 44;Mark 1:35; 6:46;
11:24f; 12:40;13:18; 14:32, 35, 38f;Luke 1:10; 3:21; 5:16; 6:12, 28; 9:18, 28f;
11:1f; 18:1, 10f; 20:47;22:40f, 44, 46; Acts 1:24; 6:6; 8:15; 9:11, 40; 10:9, 30;
11:5; 12:12; 13:3; 14:23;16:25; 20:36;21:5; 22:17; 28:8; Rom 8:26; 1 Cor
11:4f, 13;14:13ff; Eph 6:18; Phil 1:9; Col 1:3, 9; 4:3; 1 Thess 5:17, 25;2 Thess
1:11; 3:1; 1 Tim 2:8; Heb 13:18; Jas 5:13f, 17f; Jude 1:20
The root noun proseuche is the more generalword for prayer and is used only
of prayer to God. Lawrence Richards writes that proseuchomai…
"In classicalGreekwas the technical term for calling on a deity. The NT
transforms the classicalstiffness into the warmth of genuine conversation.
Such entreaty in the NT is addressedto God or Jesus and typically is both
personaland specific." (Richards, L: Expository Dictionary)
Wuest picks up on this meaning translating it
"by prayer whose essenceis that of worship and devotion".

In Jesus'day the pious Jews prayed publicly at set times, commonly, in the
morning, afternoon, and evening (Ps. 55:17;Dan. 6:10; Acts 3:1). The Jewish
historian Josephus points out that sacrifices, including prayers, were offered
“twice a day, in the early morning and at the ninth hour.” Jesus makes no
mention of appropriate times for His focus is that of an appropriate attitude
on any occasionon which one prays
Jesus is warning citizens of the Kingdom of heavenof the danger of emulating
the "righteousness"(according to man's standard of what is righteous, not
God's standard!) which they had seemin the lives and religious activities of
the scribes and Pharisees.
Hypocrite (Click for in depth discussion)is the man or woman who puts on a
mask and pretends to be what he or she is not in the innermost person.
Hypocrite describes the insincere personwho pretends to be pious or virtuous
when he or she really is not. The parallel thought is what others see what's on
the outside. We callthis reputation. God sees what's really present on the
inside. We callthis character. Godis interested in our character, notour
reputation.
THOUGHT - Who do we seek to please in our various religious activities? Are
we "playing the part" like an actor/actressorare we seeking to please only
our FatherWho art in heaven? Do we pray in order to cause others to think
highly of us? Do we pray to somehow impress even ourselves that we are
spiritual? Do we pray in order to gain merit with God?
Unger adds that…

the hypocrite is a double person, natural and artificial. The first he keeps to
himself, and the other he puts on, as he does his clothes, to make his
appearance before men. Hypocrites have been divided into four classes:(1)
The worldly hypocrite, who makes a professionof religion and pretends to be
religious, merely from worldly considerations (Matt. 23:5). (2) The legal
hypocrite, who relinquishes his vicious practices, in order thereby to merit
heaven, while at the same time having no real love for God(Ro 10:3). (3) The
evangelicalhypocrite, whose religionis nothing more than a bare conviction
of sin; who rejoices under the idea that Christ died for him, and yet has no
desire to live a holy life (Matt. 13:20). (4) The enthusiastic hypocrite, who has
an imaginary sight of his sins and of Christ and talks of remarkable impulses
and high feelings, etc., while living in the most scandalous practices (2Cor.
11:14). (Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M.
F. The New Unger's Bible dictionary. Chicago:Moody Press)
Vine writes that a hypocrite is
primarily one who answers;then, a stage–actor;it was a custom for Greek
and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanicaldevices for
augmenting the force of the voice;hence the word became used
metaphorically of a dissembler (one who hides by putting on a false pretense,
concealing the real facts, their true intentions and genuine feelings), a
hypocrite. It is found only in the Synoptists (Matthew - Luke), and always
used by the Lord, fifteen times in Matthew;elsewhere, Mark 7:6;Luke 6:42;
11:44 (in some mss.); Luke 12:56;13:15.
When (not if but when) you give, pray and fast, don't be an play actorhiding
behind your mask of religious activity trying to convince people you are
someone you devoted to God and pious, when you really are not. By way of
application it would be wise to apply this warning by our Lord to all our

"religious activities". Be honestand ask yourself "Why am I doing what I am
doing at church?"
Ron Mattoonadds an interesting note pointing out that…
Pompous hypocrites would gather at busy street corners at these times to be
seenpraying. It is interesting to note that the word used here for streetis not
the same as that in Mt 6:2, rhume, which refers to a narrow street. The Greek
word used here is plateia and refers to a wide, major street, and thus refers to
a major street cornerwhere a crowdwas most likely to be. The implied fault
here is that the hypocrites loved to pray where they would have the largest
audience. This is why they gatheredat the wide streets.
There was nothing wrong with praying at a major intersectionif that was
where you happened to be at the time for prayer, but something was very
wrong if you planned to be there at prayer time for the specific purpose of
praying where the most people could see you. The real evil of those
hypocritical worshipers, whether in the synagogues oron the streetcorners,
was the desire to display themselves in order to be seenof men. (Ron Mattoon
- Treasures FromProverbs, Volume One)
The Pharisees were like actors in a play, speaking from under a mask. Their
mask was that of self-righteousnesswhichmen would look at and be deceived
thinking that they were something they were not. They were not praying to
honor God but themselves!They sought the esteemof men not that of God.
Praying in an inner room as Jesus instructs below would have been the last
thing these pseudo-pious hypocrites would do. Who would heartheir lengthy
and embellished oratory?

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