The scripture reading comes from, as you know, the Jesus’ sermon on the Mount. In that sermon, Jesus gives us practical lessons for Kingdom-living. Those who profess to live in His Kingdom ought to seek to live in accordance with it’s values and rules. And so with that, Jesus lays down many many lessons to direct us and help us meet that end.
The Scripture doesn’t talk so much about when to give or what to give; in fact there is no instruction about giving at all really. Jesus is not grabbing the reader/listener by the neck and telling him that he must give. Not at all. Read it, and you will see that “getting us to give” is not the focus at all, but HOW we give. He doesn’t give instruction about what we should give, or when we should give or even the quantity in which we should give [stewardship?]. In fact, giving is mentioned passively as though the audience know that giving is simply the done thing. There is no need to instruct people on giving in the same way he doesn’t have to instruct them on how to breathe.
Since Jesus doesn’t try to convince His audience to give, then neither shall I. Take from that then, that giving is a responsibility that is on YOUR shoulders; this is not so much a corporate lesson as it is an individual one. Jesus is talking to you today and telling you that if you are in His Kingdom, then you express that in part by giving.
OK, he does single out a particular group as a target for giving: the needy. So who are the needy? That’s easy, people with a need! That does not necessary have to manifest itself in the homeless, or other people in similar ruin. The needy are those with a need. If I have a need, I’m needy, right? I’m perhaps overstating the case a little, just a little, because I don’t want us to think that we don’t have to give unless the person who is in need is poverty stricken, destitute, homeless and broken. This is definitely the focus of what Jesus is saying, but a general application can be made… And again, just so that you get it: He doesn’t say, “You must give to the needy” No, it more than that, he’s doesn’t try to convince you, he just tells you that that is the way it is! (When you give…) Very presumptions of Him! Well, I think he is pretty much qualified to say that.
It is interesting what he Jesus says a few verses earlier in Math 5:44ff You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
So giving is not confined to the Church, giving is a Kingdom-trait with universal application, for this emulates the Christ:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world (not confined to the church) that he gave…
So addressing peoples’ needs in giving, is a Kingdom-trait with universal application.
Therefore, the passage/lesson addresses the issue of how we should conduct ourselves when giving.
V1
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
This is general in nature “acts of righteousness”, and is not specifically aimed at giving. Verse 1 serves as an introduction from VV2 – 16. Acts of righteousness are defined in this section of scripture as Giving, Praying and Fasting.
To the Jew, these three were the fundamental works of Kingdom-living: giving, praying and fasting. Jesus wasn’t disputing that, what he was disputing was the motive behind these acts. So often in human life, these things were done with the wrong motive. It was Jesus warning that these things, when done with the intention of bringing self-glory to the doer, they lost, by far, the most important part of their value.
A man might give to someone in need, not to address the need, but to bring attention to his own generosity and to bask in the warmth of the notoriety and praise from others.
A man might pray in such a way that his prayer is not addresses to God, but addressed to his fellow-man as an attempt to demonstrate his exceptional religion in such a way that no one can fail to see it.
A man may fast, not really for the good of his own soul, or to humble himself before God, or to discipline himself in the sight of God, but simply to show what a splendidly self-disciplined character he was.
In the end, each one of these noble Kingdom-living traits have been carried out to win praise from men and to show the world how awfully good we are.
Giving
So to giving. To the Jew, giving was one of the most sacred of all religious duties. The fact that the Jews used the same word for almsgiving and righteousness, shows this to be true. Righteousness and almsgiving were one in the same thing. To give to the needy was to gain merit in the sight of God. Of all the good works that the Jews could list, giving ranked the highest. And so the Rabbis teaching on it was the same as Jesus teaching. They forbade flamboyant almsgiving, “He who gives alms in secret” they said “is greater than Moses.”
This is exactly the kind of thing Jesus condemns.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.
As some of you know, the word used for hypocrites is the Greek word for an actor. When you give from wrong motives says Jesus, he’s saying that you are doing nothing more than putting on an act, and act that is designed to bring praise from men.
As Jesus saw it, there is no doubt at all that that kind of thing does receive a certain kind of reward… look at the second half of the verse:
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
The term reward used here by Jesus, is in fact a technical term that was used in business and commerce with meant literally “payment received in full.” For example, in the day when a man sold a slave, he was given a receipt that said, “I have received the whole price due to me.”
What Jesus is saying is this: “if you give in a manner to demonstrate your own generosity, you’ll get the praise from men, you’ll get admiration, you’ll get all of that – but that is ALL you will ever get.” That is your payment in full. If you give in such a way as to usurp praise from others, you have foregone your right to reward in heaven.
That is your payment in full. Listen, if your one aim is to get yourself the world’s rewards, no doubt you will get them – but no way can you look for the rewards that God alone can give.
Those who give in this way, or with any wrong motive for that matter, would be a sadly short sighted individual who grasped the rewards of time and let the rewards of eternity go.
You have received your payment in full – but which payment is it?
…when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.