Matthew 6:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

NIV: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

NASB: Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

CSB: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

NLT: Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

KJV: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

NKJV: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So far in this Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2), Jesus has taught that righteousness includes a person's heart—their thoughts and attitudes—as much as by their outward actions. Here, He begins to show that our inner person, including our motivations, is actually more important than actions. His message is not that what we do is unimportant, but that improper motives turn otherwise good deeds into selfishness.

One great temptation of living under the Law and the Prophets, at this moment in Israel's history, was serving spiritual pride instead of serving God with pure devotion. This is still a challenge for many believers; the approval of other people is extremely tempting. Jesus warns His audience not to expect any heavenly reward, for even the most profound acts, if the motive behind those acts was simply to be seen by others (Matthew 6:2).

This statement in no way contradicts Jesus' recent command to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works…" (Matthew 5:16), since Jesus is speaking of two different motivations. Good works ought to be visible and public if and when that publicity primarily serves to "…give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Doing good such that others believe God is good is righteous. Doing good such that others think we are good is arrogance.

The Father does indeed reward His people in heaven for "practicing righteousness" in the ways Jesus is teaching. He does not reward behavior done to gain the praise and admiration of others.

Matthew 6:1–6 contains Jesus' warning that there is no righteousness is doing the right thing for the wrong reason. This flows from His teaching in chapter 5, which focused on the idea that thoughts and attitudes are as much part of righteousness as are behaviors. Those who do good things, motivated only by the approval of other people, will not be rewarded by God. Hypocrites arrange for everyone to notice their charity, as well as their prayers, because they're mostly concerned with worldly approval. True worshippers give quietly and pray alone behind closed doors; God the Father knows, and He rewards them.

The Sermon on the Mount continues in chapter 6, which is entirely composed of the words of Christ. Jesus teaches that God rewards deeds motivated by sincere devotion to Him, not by approval from other people. He teaches a simple and authentic model prayer. Christ warns against stockpiling money and possessions on earth. Instead, believers should make choices that store up treasure in heaven. A person's top priority can either be God, or money, but cannot be both. Along with that, Jesus says believers should fight against anxiety about daily needs. The heavenly Father knows what we need. All we need to do is pursue His kingdom and righteousness; He will take care of our needs, one day at a time.

Chapter 5 began Matthew's telling of the Sermon on the Mount. In that passage, Jesus pointed out that thoughts and attitudes are part of righteousness, just as much as actions. In Chapter 6, He explains how good deeds are only righteous when done out of sincere devotion to God, rather than for other people's approval. He also provides a model for prayer. Jesus explains how excessive worry, such as over money, interferes with faith in God. Knowing that God loves us should lead believers to trust Him, not to be anxious. Chapter 6 is one of the few chapters of the New Testament entirely composed of the words of Christ. In chapter 7 Jesus will introduce additional themes such as appropriate judgment, trust in God, and treatment of others.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.