Matthew 6:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

NIV: so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

NASB: so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

CSB: so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

NLT: Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

KJV: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

NKJV: that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

In this passage, Jesus has expanded on chapter five's main idea: that inner thoughts and attitudes are part of how God judges our righteousness. Using the example of giving to charity, He explained that selfish motivation means no heavenly reward. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is not righteous, it's egotism.

Although Jesus is teaching a negative principle in this passage, He is revealing an exciting truth: God sees His people, even what they do in secret, for a positive purpose. He wants to give rewards to believers. Christians should expect that God will reward righteous behavior if done with the right motives.

Jesus has shown that this requires intentionality and strategy. When it comes to giving to the needy, for instance, Jesus commands secrecy instead of drawing excessive attention. The purpose of this command is to avoid the trap of turning generosity into a performance. Believers should give in order to help others, and to glorify God—not to earn praise or approval from people. Since human hearts are so devious, and it is so easy to fall into that kind of hypocrisy, Jesus' simple solution is this: Don't let anyone see what you are doing.

This doesn't conflict with Christ's recent teaching about letting good works shine out like light in the world (Matthew 5:16). These are compatible, mutually balancing statements. It's good for the world to see Christians acting in love, when those acts demonstrate the love of God. Those acts are not good when the Christian acts "in order to" be praised by other people.

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.