The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
HYPOCRISY AND SINCERITY
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
HYPOCRISY AND SINCERITY
Lesson Plan:
1. How Not to Give Alms (vs 1, 2)
2. How to Give Alms (vs 3, 4)
3. How Not to Pray (vs 5, 7, 8)
4. How to Pray (vs. 6, 9-15; also Lk. 11:1-4)
5. How Not to Fast (v 16)
6. How to Fast (vs 17, 18)
Lesson Setting:
Time: Summer of 28 A.D.
Place: One of the hills west of the Sea of Galilee
Inductive Study of the Lesson:
a. Read the lesson together with the form of the Lord's Prayer given in Luke 11:1-4.
b. For Bible light on almsgiving see Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Job 29:11-16; 31:16-22; Psalms
41:1-3; 112:9; Proverbs 14:21, 31; 19:17; Isaiah 58:7,10; Ezekiel 18:7; Daniel 4:27; Matthew
5:42; 25:35, 36; Luke 12:33; 14:12-14; 18:22; Acts 20:35; Romans 12:13; 1 Corinthians 13:3;
Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 4:28; James 1:27.
c. For Bible light on prayer see Exodus 22:27; Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 16:11; 28:9; 2
Chronicles 7:14; Job 22:27; Psalms 9:12; 32:6; 34:15, 17; 37:4, 5; 50:15; 55:17; 81:10; 145:18,
19; Proverbs 15:8, 29; Isaiah 55:6; 65:24; Jeremiah 29:13; Hosea 14:2; Matthew 7:7-11; 18:20;
21:22; Luke 18:1; John 14:13, 14; 15:7; Romans 8:26; 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; 1
Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:16; 10:22; 11:6; James 1:5-7; 1 John 5:14, 15; Revelation 5:8.
d. For
Bible light on fasting see Isaiah 58:3-8; Jeremiah 14:12; Joel 1:14; 2:12; Zechariah 7:5;
8:19; Matthew 17:21; Luke 5:33-35; 1 Corinthians 7:5.
Almsgiving, Praying, and Fasting (Three Great Duties and Privileges) (How To Do Them) (How
Not To Do Them)
Introduction: Matthew 6:1-18 contains one commandment with three illustrations. If we consider the
word 'righteousness' as the equivalent of our word 'religion,' the commandment runs: "Take heed
that ye do not your religion before men to be seen of them." Religion began, of necessity, with
outward observances. Certain prescribed ceremonies, sacrifices, ablutions, prostrations, and
recitations of prayers constituted religion among the ancients. Judaism advanced from this by
recognizing, in the teaching of its prophets, that mercy is greater than sacrifice, that the outer
form has value only as it expresses an inward reality of goodness and piety. Still, however, the
tendency was (and still is) to make religion Pharisaical, i.e., disregarding spirit for letter,
reality for ceremony. Against this tendency our Lord spoke often and earnestly. It is the tendency
still in many lives, since religion cannot live without some exterior form through which it
expresses itself, and it is always far easier to rest satisfied with this form than to insist upon
the purity and strength of the soul. Therefore, this important theme of spirit against letter and
substance against form runs through this lesson, i.e., these great Christian duties and privileges:
How Not To Give Alms (vs 1, 2); How To Give Alms (vs 3, 4); How Not To Pray (vs 5, 7, 8); How To
Pray (vs 6,
9-15; also Lk. 11:1-4); How Not To Fast (v 16); How To Fast (vs 17, 18)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1, 2
1. How Not to Give Alms
v 1 ... "Take heed," Christ emphatically said; upon what does He lay this emphasis? That we are not to perform our religious acts ('righteousness' in R.V., not 'alms') ...
v 1 ... "before men" for the purpose of being "seen;" such religion has "no reward" with our "Father, in heaven." How is this consistent with letting our light shine in Matthew 5:16? – The Greek word 'to be seen,' is the one which gives us our word, 'theater.' Christ means that we are not to be theatrical in our religion, making a parade and spectacle of it. We may be seen doing good, but never do good to be seen. Show when tempted to hide, hide when tempted to show.
Christ's first illustration has to do with almsgiving: what is meant by 'alms?' – The word is contracted from the Anglo-Saxon aelmysse, from the Latin eleemosyna, the same as the Greek word used here, transliterated in our English 'eleemosynary.' It includes anything given to the poor.
What did Christ forbid in almsgiving? – Boastful giving, giving for effect. There is no evidence that men actually had trumpets sounded before them as they gave, but the expression is a figurative one, derived from the custom of placing trumpeters at the head of processions; as we might say, "Don't hire a brass band when you give." Some have seen in the expression an allusion to the ten trumpet-shaped chests in the Temple into which the people put their offerings (Lk. 21:1-4). Do not make a trumpet of the box; it looks like one, but do not use it for the purpose of calling attention to what you are about to put in it. This pompous giving might be done ...
v 2 ... "in the synagogues," where alms were collected and probably also distributed, or ...
v 2 ... "in the streets," where beggars thronged.
Why did Christ forbid this mode of almsgiving? – (a) Because it was hypocritical. In Classic Greek, 'Hypocrite' means an actor in a theater. Actors usually spoke through masks. Under the mask of a king, for instance, might be a pauper, while under the mask of a philosopher a fool. So the word came to mean any one who pretended to be one thing while he was actually something far different, as in this case to be lovingly thoughtful of others while in reality he was thinking only of himself and his reputation. What a deepening of the moral sense is implied in the new meaning. The abhorrence of acting for effect in religion is due to Christ's teaching. Sad to say, our Lord's teaching on the matter has not yet banished its performance. Today there are still religious actors, often drawing large audiences. (b) Because such boastful givers ...
v 2 ... "have their reward." The Greek word implies a receipt in full; nothing more to receive. Emphasize 'their:' They get the reward that fools seek, not the reward a wise man would seek. Emphasize 'have:' They get it all at the time, nothing left for the coming years or for eternity. They have the empty applause for which they spiritually pay a great price, and the tragedy is that they are satisfied.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:3, 4
2. How to Give Alms
What rule for almsgiving did Christ lay down? –"Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (v 3). It is possible that this was a current proverb. So far are we to be from letting others know about our giving that we are not even to let ourselves know; we are to give so naturally that it is done, as it were, unconsciously. "Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience" (Spurgeon).
Why did Christ command that our alms should be "in secret" (v 4)? – (a) Because secret giving is better for the recipients, less likely to pauperize them, leaving them their self-respect. (b) Because secret giving is better for the giver, cultivating his modesty and love rather than his pride. (c) Because secret giving is better for society, which needs above everything else to consider character rather than purse and motive rather than exterior show. (d) Because secret giving is like God's giving, so quiet that we are scarcely conscious of it when receiving His greatest benefits. (d) Because our "Father" sees "in secret," (v 4) and will surely reward us. Openly is not in the best manuscripts and yet an open reward does come to the Christian giver in men's recognition of his goodness and their love for him, though they may be ignorant of his hidden acts of benevolence. The chief reward is inner joy, i.e., doing Christ's will and ministering to our Savior in the persons of His 'little ones.' In the great judgment (Matt. 25:31- 40), when all nations are gathered before Christ, the eternal reward will be given to those that have done these loving deeds, even though in surprise they ask, "Lord, when did we feed thee or clothe thee?"
When is publicity in giving wise and right? – When it is not sought but is not distasteful, yet is acquiesced in for some good purpose, as to stimulate the giving of others. There is a danger here. Is it possible that regarding money-giving and giving arrangements, the church today is more nor less attempting to draw Christ's chariot with the devil's traces? What about self-serving, agenda driven preachers and other religious leaders?
Illustration: Distinguish between doing right in order to help others, as when one lights a beacon in order to guide the sailor, and doing right in order to be praised by others, as when one stands in the full blaze of a chandelier in order to display jewelry.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5, 7, 8
3. How Not to Pray
What is prayer? – It is talking with God: not merely speaking to Him, but listening to His replies. Prayer is the voice of faith. Prayer is the wing wherewith the soul flies to heaven, and meditation is the eye with which we see God. Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but compunction of soul. A prayer, in its simplest definition, is merely a wish turned heavenward. Prayer is not conquering God's reluctance, but taking hold of God's willingness.
Since this is prayer, what customs in prayer did Christ forbid? – All that is insincere, hypocritical. All that is done for the praise of men, to be seen of men – prayers offered ...
v 5 ... "standing in the synagogues" and at the street "corners" where people on the street may see. Ever heard anyone say, "That was a most eloquent prayer." Prayers may be ...
v 6 ... "in secret," not consisting merely of ...
v 7 ... "vain" (empty, formal) "repetitions," prayers said over and over in a meaningless, superstitious routine such as some of our prayers at the dinner table and 'saying our prayers' at night. Can you think of other such overly used 'routines?'
Illustration: Orientals, especially Mohammedans and Buddhists, still make a great parade of public and repetitious prayer. A preacher once watched a woman at the entrance of a Buddhist temple. He observed that in her left hand she continually whirled a prayer cylinder, a cord in her right hand kept constantly whirling a barrel filled with written prayers, while with amazing rapidity, sixty times a minute, her mouth uttered the mystic Buddhist prayer, the passport to the Buddhist heaven, "Om mani padme Hum," whose meaning is merely, "Om! the Jewel in the Lotus! Hum!"
Why are such prayers wrong? – Because God is our Father and prayer is like a child talking to his father, using simple language, never thinking of showing off.
v 8 ... "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." He does not need, therefore, to be reminded over and over. And because He is our Father and loves us and wants the best things for us, there is no need of importuning Him, as a fretful and untrusting child teases his father for a toy.
Then what is the need of praying at all? – Because, just as an earthly father wants his child to tell him his desires, even though they may be foolish or are sure to be anticipated by the father, so our heavenly Father wants us to turn to Him with our longings or our troubles or our thanksgiving because that is the best way of coming in true contact with us, the real communion between God and man which is the soul of religion.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:9-15; Luke 11:1-4
4. How to Pray
What positive directions about prayer did Christ give? – That when we pray we are to ...
Matthew 6:6 ... "enter" our "closet," our 'inner chamber' (R.V.), originally an apartment where supplies were divided and apportioned; a treasury, magazine, and therefore a secret and well- guarded place. This does not forbid, of course, the lifting of the heart to God in crowded streets or the midst of a busy office or factory; but we are far more likely to do this if we have regular meetings with God in some quiet, retired spot.
Illustration: In the humble home of a Scottish evangelist, there were only two rooms, and between them a tiny 'closet' containing only a bed, a little table, and a chair. This was the Sanctuary of that cottage home. Twice daily, usually after a meal, he witnessed his father retire and 'shut the door' to that tiny room; and by a sorta spiritual instinct, the family knew that prayers were being poured out in that little room, as of old by the High Priest within the veil of the Most Holy Place. This marvelous Scottish preacher said that he occasionally heard the pathetic echoes of a trembling voice pleading as if for life, and he learned to slip out and in past that door on tiptoe, not to disturb the holy colloquy.
Why did Christ give His disciples a model prayer? – Because His disciples asked Him to (Luke). Because thus He could best lead them away from the formalities of Pharisaic prayer into the simplicity of real communion with the Father. Matthew and Luke give different forms of the Lord's Prayer, and so we know that Christ and the early church did not insist on the literal words of the prayer; to do so would have been to fall into the very error which Christ here condemns. We are to pray ...
Matthew 6:9 ... "after this manner," not necessarily in these words. Christ and His disciples used other words in praying. And yet the prayer is wonderfully beautiful and comprehensive, and Christians do well to repeat it often, in private and in concert. The Lord's Prayer contains the sum total of religion and morals. That wonderful gift, i.e., that briefest, tersest, fullest, of all forms of prayer, the only exhaustive, perfect and sufficient one because it is all-embracing and all- comprehending. It is, as Dr. Harrison often said, "The ABC of prayer, furnishing the letters out of which our petitions are to be spelled."
How may the Lord's Prayer be analyzed? – It contains seven petitions. The first three refer to the Holiness, the Kingdom, the Will of God; the next four to the Needs, the Sins, the Temptations, the Perils of life. Half of it is gone through before we reach ourselves. Half of it is about God. Can we pray acceptably if our thoughts do not run naturally in this order and in this proportion? Consider: This division of the Lord's Prayer corresponds to the two tables of the Ten Commandments – the Godward and the manward halves. Significance of the first word of the prayer in our English translation.
Matthew 6:9 ... "Father" is the first word in the Greek. Much of the practical difficulty of the prayer lies in the first word of it. How can we harbor in our minds ill-will toward men whom we have reason to despise, perhaps because of their race, action, or belief? We need to understand that they are actually associated with us in prayer (the very highest spiritual exercise of our lives). When we pray we are actually to be praying for them and with them! This is included in the word "our." Do your prayers demonstrate this truth? If not, why not? Are you praying as if your example, the Lord's Prayer began, 'My Father?' What is the point? You cannot have God for a Father without taking man for a brother.
What does the second word of the prayer signify? – It shows the relation in which we stand to the One we are addressing, and implies the reason why we have a right to bring Him these petitions. What think we of God? How do we name Him? Is He 'Fear,' or is He Father? Remember that whatever love our human parents have lavished upon us, God regards us with infinitely more, and as in the days of our childhood we went with confidence and alacrity to our father's knee, we shall go with delight and enjoyment to God's throne of grace.
Why does Christ add "which art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9)? – Heaven is a place where God is at home, and home is always associated in our thought with our Father's house. God is everywhere, but this clause directs our thoughts to the difference between earthly fathers and this Father. We are to have no earthly thoughts respecting the heavenly majesty of God. The envelope form: In a Bible school class, Dr. William Harrison arranged the first part of the Lord's Prayer in what he called 'the envelope form,' regarding "in earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10) as belonging to each of the previous petitions. Thus: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed by thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, In earth as it is in heaven.
The first petition of the prayer: The "name" of God (Matt. 6:9), that is, God Himself; the nature of God, so far as it can be understood by man. The sum of all the names and titles and attributes of God, who is not only Father, but Judge, King, Creator, Savior, Shepherd, Teacher, Sun, Shield, and much, much more, to His world. When a man signs his name to a note, that name stands for all the man is and owns. This great name "hallowed" [held holy] (Matt. 6:9) ... "in earth as it is in heaven": How? – First, of course, by taking it upon our tongues only with great reverence. But we cannot reverence it outwardly without reverencing it inwardly. To answer this prayer we must think much about God, and especially as He has revealed Himself in Christ, who was the name of the Father, sent by Him into the world. And then, as we come to understand and love God's name, we will find ourselves trying to bring others into the same reverence for it.
The second petition of the prayer: God's "kingdom" (Matt. 6:10), the reign of God through Christ in the hearts of all men, in the widest outreach of human society. Praying "Thy kingdom come," means nothing ... nothing at all ... to you, if you have not first invited the divine King of Kings to become your king, ruling in your heart. Then the prayer widens, as you ask God to set up His kingdom in your home, in your community, then over the whole world. What His kingdom could mean to this world? "When Scripture principles are supreme throughout the world, so that nations regulate their dealings by God's sublime ethics; when commerce follows divine morality; when society is modeled on His statutes of unselfishness and love; when every man and woman studies Holy Scripture with diligent affection, practicing it with consistent faithfulness – then will wars, jealousies, frauds, sin and misery be driven from the earth, and our Father's glorious kingdom triumphant" (Dr. James E. Priest). If it is our duty to pray for the advancement of Christ's kingdom, it is no less our duty to do all in our power to promote it.
The third petition of the prayer: God's will, which is the basis of His kingdom, its authority and law and standard. God is one, so that His name and kingdom and will are one, but seen in different aspects: the manifestation of God, the government of God, and finally the authority of God. We have our own wills, but "our wills are ours, to make them thine" (Tennyson). What is the result when God's will is done on earth as in heaven? Some Christians speak these words as if their Father's will was to do something unpleasant to them. His will is that of a loving Father. Sickness is not His will, nor sorrow of any kind. It is His will that His wise laws shall not be broken. Only the breaking of His loving will brought sickness and sorrow into this world. It is His will that men shall be bound closely together, but the sin of one can bring sorrow upon many who are innocent. God's will is always for man's happiness. It is never to be feared or shunned, but always welcomed with eagerness. Let us learn not only to endure God's will, when it goes against our plans, taking away our pleasures, but to do His will with swift and glad obedience, as done by strong angels and happy saints in heaven. So far as God's will is done on earth as in heaven, it makes earth a heaven.
The fourth petition of the prayer: Why is it not until the fourth petition that we come to the thought of our own needs? Only when we have exalted God's glory above man's need; when we have subordinated our little designs utterly to the great purpose of God; when we have bent our little wills under the great and divine will – only then are we allowed to express our wants for ourselves. And this we may believe is the natural order, the order in which an angel prays. For what do we ask in the fourth petition? Just "bread" (Matt. 6:11); not cake or candy. And just enough bread to meet our needs for the present without worrying over the future, in the way the manna was given. And that it be given today, when we need it, and tomorrow, when we need more, we are to ask for more. The Greek word translated "daily" is found nowhere else in the Bible or in Greek literature, so that its meaning is doubtful; it may mean 'bread enough for today,' or 'bread for the coming day,' and it has been suggested that the word is purposely double in significance so as to fit the use of the prayer in the morning or the evening. What does this petition teach us? (a) It is to be our bread, belonging to us, due to us. He that doth not earn his "daily bread" (Matt. 6:11) can hardly be said to own it. (b) We ask for God's bread, not the devil's bread; an honest worker's bread, not a thieving swindler's bread. (c) The need for "daily bread" implies the need of daily prayer, i.e., daily communion with the Father of life. (d) Christ's own sermon on Himself as the Bread of Life shows that He would not limit this prayer to the physical needs of man. We do not pray to God as if we were only so much muscle, vein, and artery. "Give us" (Matt. 6:11) that which is essential for our being. (e) "Give us." Christ would not have us say, 'Give me.' We will not ask anything for ourselves alone.
The fifth petition of the prayer: "Our debts" (Matt. 6:12), i.e., what we owe God, our neighbors, and ourselves, but have not paid. We owe them love, gratitude, obedience, service. We have not paid these debts because of our sins. For what do we pray regarding our debts? That God will "forgive" (Matt. 6:12) them but only on condition that, and in the say way as, we have already forgiven those that are thus indebted to us, i.e., those that have wronged us. What a prayer for an unforgiving man. The word translated 'forgive' means literally 'sent away,' both the sin and its penalty, though not, of course, the consequences already brought about by the sin. This petition is so important that it is enlarged in verses 14, 15. We do not want God to say, 'I will forgive, but I cannot forget.' We want from God a full and free forgiveness that has mingled with it no grudges and no coolnesses. However, that mercy which we want from Him we must be ready to show to others.
The sixth petition of the prayer: This petition is about "temptation" (Matt. 6:13), from the Latin tento or tempto, which had a double meaning, as our English word when the Bible was translated – an allurement to evil or a testing of value. God does not tempt any man in the first sense (James 1:13), but only in the second sense. If Satan tries us, he tries us in order to develop our wickedness; but if God tries us, it is to develop faith in Him. Why do we pray not to be brought (R.V.) into temptation? It is not a prayer that we may avoid testing, for testing strengthens. A large part of manhood is made up of sturdiness, and sturdiness means warfare, and warfare means an enemy. Character in man is what gnarliness is in the oak, and gnarliness in the oak is tempest converted into knotted fiber. But it is a prayer that we may not be brought within the seductive influence of the devil's temptations; and we pray the prayer because we are sadly conscious of our weakness and our liability to fall. No man has a right unnecessarily to trust himself in the presence of temptations. The beginning is so easy and looks so innocent – just a peek into the book at examination time; just a dollar taken from the till, to be replaced tomorrow; just a tiny glass of whisky with a pleasant companion; just a smoke or two to be a part of the group – but the most formidable attribute of temptation is its increasing power. Every act of repetition increases power diminishes resistance. It is like the letting out of waters – where a drop can go, a river can go. Whoever yields to temptation subjects himself to the law of falling bodies.
The seventh petition of the prayer: For what do we pray in this petition? That if we are brought into temptation, we may be delivered from it. The Greek is ambiguous, and scholars are divided as to the right translation, whether 'evil' or, as in R.V., 'the evil one.' But the later is more in harmony with the rest of Christ's teaching, for the Holy Scriptures do not treat the evil as a bald abstraction. Evil principle is as much actualized and intensified by having the Devil behind it as good principle is by having God behind it. How does God deliver us from evil? – The evil is not to be overcome by avoiding contact with the world (Jn. 17:15), but by preserving a spirit of purity amid the duties which bring the Christian into relations with the world. Thus God, if He allows temptation to come near His true children, will with the temptation make also the way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). He will engage us so heartily in His service and fill our hearts so full of His love that we shall have no room for evil thoughts and no time for evil acts. He will deliver us by His own presence, contending with the spirits of darkness and driving them from us.
Matthew 6:13 ... "For thine is the kingdom"
In his book, The Life of Christ, referring to the fact that these words are omitted from the oldest manuscripts, though found in some ancient manuscripts and mentioned in other parts of Scripture, Farrar states, "... in all probability it derives its sanction from the teaching of the Spirit of God, as far back as the age of the apostles." It is certainly true that God's is "the kingdom," the rule and authority over all men and all things; "the power," for He is omnipotent and can grant all these petitions; "and the glory," for no one else can grant them, and in answering this prayer His glory, His goodness and majesty, shine supreme; "for ever," since He will go on answering this prayer, with all that it implies, through endless ages. "Amen" means 'truth,' 'reality,' 'verily,' 'so be it.' In the Old Testament it is given as a title of God (Is. 65:16), and in the New as a title of Christ (Rev. 3:14).
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:16
5. How Not to Fast
What is fasting? – "Abstaining from food, especially voluntarily as a religious duty" (Webster's Dictionary). It was intended to signify sorrow for sin and to promote a clearer apprehension of truth. There is no commandment regarding it in the Mosaic laws.
How did the hypocritical Pharisees fast? – They spread ashes upon their heads literally, tearing their garments and making the picture and exemplification of hunger and dejection, and they walked up and down the streets, saying by these actions, 'Look at us, how pious we are, how observant of the law.'
Illustration: This matter of fasting was carried so far that one historian tells us it was mimicked and mocked in the Roman theater. At one play, the audience being seated and in expectation of the performance, a camel was led across the stage, and that camel was in such a lean and miserable condition, looking so utterly dejected and forsaken, that voices cried out, 'What is the matter with the camel?' The dramatic answer was, 'This is fasting-time among the Jews, and the camel has been observing the fast.'
What was their reward from this kind of fasting? – The praise of the thoughtless, and their own smirking self-satisfaction; but of the real rewards of fasting they knew nothing at all.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:17, 18
6. How to Fast
How did Christ want His disciples to fast? – Secretly, before God and not before men, presenting a joyful and not before men, presenting a joyful and not a mournful aspect. The true fast is an inward, humbling before God, and of course any admixture of pride is fatal to it. Evidently Christ expected His followers to fast (See also Mk. 9:29; Lk. 5:33, 34).
Illustration: A purpose is to every practice what an inhabitant is to a house. A house can stand with no inhabitant, but it soon becomes rotten and goes to decay. So a practice may stand after its purpose is dead, but it is weak and soon grows rotten and decays. But if you can bring its purpose back into it again, it assumes once more the look of life.
What are the purposes of fasting? – (a) To express our sorrow for sin and our sense of unworthiness before a holy God. Great grief prevents one's eating, taking away all appetite. (b) It is a fact that fasting renders the mind more acute, keener to apprehend truth and more powerful in its activity. As the body becomes unburdened with food and the processes of digestion, it releases its energy for those higher uses. (c) Fasting relieves the system of accumulated waste matter, purifying it. The result is a sense of lightness, exhilaration, and exaltation that is very inspiring. The fast is a well-recognized curative process, employed by physicians. College athletes fast from much of their customary food in preparation for severe tests of strength and alertness. (d) Any abstinence from the gratification of the senses is a self-discipline which strengthens the entire fiber of a man. It puts the soul on top, and teaches the lower part of the man to keep its place.
