Mountains and Molehills

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Religious Abominations
"Be careful that you do not do your alms before men, to be seen of them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven (6:1)."

Handouts to the poor can be good business if you let the right people know what you are doing. Most churches put much more into advertising their goodness to potential contributors, than they do in advertising the services they have available to the people who might need them. They seem ignorant of the fact that God forbids this kind of self-praise.

"Therefore when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward" (6:2).

Much fund raising exploits people's pride. Offerings or collections shame most people into giving at least a little. Children are often urged to make competitions out of fund-raising. Public pledges are so popular that the secular world has adapted them to telethons and other charity appeals. For a large donation, you can get your name on a plaque or window in a church and a smaller gift can get your name on the flyleaf of a hymnal. These donors are buying publicity and goodwill. "They have their reward," and should not expect anything from God.

"But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does: that your alms may be in secret: and your Father who sees what you do in secret shall reward you openly" (6:3-4).

Jesus never told us to be fund-raisers. True charity is a personal thing, not an organisational competition for our financial support. No accounts, no bookkeeping, no calculations. If you see a need then do something... personally. If others are following Jesus they will be doing similar things. If not, then pressuring them will only encourage more hypocrisy. Organised charities are often cop-outs from personal responsibility.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they already have their reward" (6:5).

People who like to pray publicly in church or elsewhere are hypocrites! What church dares to teach that? Be honest... you cannot give your full attention to God if you know others are listening to your prayer, and probably assessing you spiritually on the basis of it. The man who prays out loud in church prays only "with himself "(Lk 18:9-11). Jesus called such religious showmen "damned hypocrites" who "for a pretence make long prayers" (Mt 23:14). "All their works they do to be seen of men. They love the uppermost rooms at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues (Mt 23:5-6)."

"But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you" (6:6).

"Pray without ceasing" (I Thess 5:17). Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual. Intense prayer is like lovemaking. Christ is the groom(Jn 3:28-29; Lk 5:34-35; Mt 25:1) and you are the bride (Rev 21:2,9). It is a perversion of this sacred relationship to make prayer into a public spectacle.

The same problem arises with regard to speaking in "tongues." This experience is very helpful in our private love life with God (I Cor 14:2-4), but it is not proof of spiritual superiority People who ask, "Do you speak in tongues?" need to be asked in reply, "How often do you have sex?" Both issues are very private.

"But when you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because

their prayers are long. Your Father knows what you need, before you ask him" (6:7-8).

Catholics reciting Our Fathers as penance are being trained to think of prayer as painful and meaningless. Prayer books and other recitations have much the same effect. If you choose to memorise something, concentrate on the meaning of the passage and not just the words in it. "God" is just repetitious religion to many people, so they reject him. But real communication with God can be a great comfort. Prayer, like good food, is only distasteful when it is crammed down your throat.

"This is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored" (6:9)

The "Lord's Prayer" is not a magic recitation. The words here differ from those in Luke 11:2-4, but the meaning is the same. Jesus merely summarises the attitudes that will mark a healthy relationship between God and man. First, we should respect God as we would our fathers.

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (6:10)."

Then we should be eager to know God's will. Listening is the most important part of our relationship with God, for that is how we learn what his will is.

"Give us today the food we need" (6:11).

Requests for material needs are the most popular form of prayer; but Paul tells us to be happy with daily food (I Tim 6:8). Most of us could go a whole lifetime without ever even needing to say this part of the prayer, because we wake up every morning with more than enough wealth to feed ourselves that day and many more.

"And forgive us our wrongs, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us" (6:12).

A continual recognition of our need for God's forgiveness will lead to a continual willingness to show mercy towards others. Gandhi once said, "All prayer is a confession of one's own unworthiness and weakness."

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever" (6:13).

Our desire should be to stay as far away from evil as possible. God will help us to do this. and we should continually give God the praise for all that he does for us. "He that glories, let him glory in the Lord" (I Cor 1:31).

"For if you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done" (6:14-15).

This is the third time this thought has been expressed in this Sermon (see also 5:7 and 6:12). Our whole relationship with God centers around learning to love (or forgive) and learning to accept love (or forgiveness) (Mt 22:37-40). If we do not learn this, then all of our religion is useless, for "he who loves not knows not God, for God is love" (I Jn 4:8).

"Moreover when you fast do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that every one will see that they are fasting. They already have their reward. When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair, so others cannot know you are fasting- only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you openly" (6:16-18).

Fasting, too, can become a religious abomination if we are not careful. The motive is all-important. When it is just for self-denial, there is a great temptation to let people know we are on a fast. But it need not be painful. Jesus fasted for 40 days and wasn't even hungry until afterwards (Mt 4:2). An artist or writer might easily miss meals when deeply involved in creative work. People in love often lose their appetites because they are distracted by thoughts of each other. But these people do not talk about their fasting; they only talk about the object of their love.

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen?" asks God. "To deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house?" (Isaiah 58:3-12)

From this, Christ goes into the central topic of this whole sermon-- the topic of a Christian's relationship to material possessions.

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