“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”-Matthew 6:5-6
Are we more concerned about attracting God or a crowd? In this section of scripture Jesus is comparing two types of people: those who pray to draw a crowd and those who pray to draw God.
Prayer, for the Pharisees, had become a marketing strategy. It was all about attracting attention. When they prayed they prayed publicly on street corners and synagogues. Their goal was to attract a crowd, but to what end? To build a reputation and a following.
This is where Jesus makes the distinction. We can either choose to use prayer to build a reputation among men or to build a reputation with God:
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”-Matthew 6:7-8
When God is not the focal point of our prayer life, then our prayers are nothing but babel, vain repetitions that are not rooted in any type of relationship. Prayer, however, that is God-centric is rooted in knowing the Father and knowing that He knows our needs before we ask.
Nestled among these verses is some great teaching on giving, prayer, and fasting; but the common denominator/the pressing need connecting each of them was the superficial spirituality that was replacing true worship. Think about how social media has influenced friendships, communication, dating, and self-image replacing the genuine with the superficial.
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”- Matthew 6:16-18
They tried to look miserable and disheveled so people would admire their spirituality. They were trying to pawn off superficial spirituality as genuine worship. Superficial means: appearing to be true or real only until examined more closely.
Jesus was combating the tendency of men to make their giving, prayer and fasting about themselves, rather than taking those things into the secret place with God where He would be glorified. In fact, the only way that our giving, prayer, and fasting can be adequately gauged is by the amount of glory God receives because of them. We give in secret, so that God is seen, not you and I. We pray in secret, so God is seen, not you and I. We fast in secret, so God is seen, not you and I.
Giving, prayer, and fasting is most sincere when it is done in secret, where we hide ourselves in Him, so that He receives all the glory.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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