Greetings & Introduction
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I welcome you all here and send you grace and peace in the name of our all-wise Father. To Him be praise, magnified and glorified. Dear ones, today we have an opportunity to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and attune our minds to the sweet and quiet voice of God.
In this world where generosity and goodness are often seen as a way of showing off and being praised, Jesus calls us to another path, a path that is quiet, where goodness is hidden, and charity becomes a holy deed, seen only by our Heavenly Father.
Today's verse Matthew 6:2 reminds us to seek not the applause of people, but the silent approval of God. Today we will meditate on this verse and pray a prayer that will fill our lives with truth, humility and God's choice. A life where we do good, but only for the sake of Him who sees in secret and rewards in the open.
Title : Matthew 6:2 – A Prayer for Hidden Kindness
Book : Matthew
Author: Matthew
Chapter: 6
Verse : 2
Therefore, when you do a Charitable Deed, do not sound a Trumpet before you as the Hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the Streets, that they may have Glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their Reward. Matthew 6:2 (NKJV)
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Matthew 6:2 - Commentary
Therefore, when you do a Charitable Deed - Pay attention, this does not start with any “if” but directly with “when”. That is, Lord Jesus is assuming that people who follow him will help the needy. Giving donations is not an “optional” thing, but is considered a normal thing. Helping, taking care of others, should be a part of our life because we are children of the one who is the greatest donor, who donated his son for us.
Do not sound a trumpet before you - Here Jesus draws a very strong and memorable picture, like a person is getting a trumpet or musical instrument played in front of him so that everyone knows how big a donation he is making. Now it is possible that at that time no one actually used to blow the trumpet but it means to announce, show off or tell everyone. Like today we see a person making a donation and then posting his photo on social media says, “Look, what a good deed I did.” Some scholars have also said that the donation boxes kept in the temple looked like “trumpets”, although I am not sure how true this is. So maybe Jesus was referring to them as well. But it seems more correct that he meant: do not make a big deal out of giving donations.
As the Hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the Streets - Here Jesus is talking about those people who are not real, but just pretend. Like a dramatist who is a clown but pretends to be a king. Jesus calls such people “hypocrites” who are something else at heart but show themselves to be very noble and good in front of the world. These people deliberately chose crowded places. Like temples or streets so that people can see how kind they are. Their real intention was not to give donations but to get people’s praise.
That they may have Glory from men - Here the emphasis is on the intention. Jesus wants to make it clear that why the work is done is more important than the work itself. If someone is giving charity just so that people praise him, then his real motive is not to help others but to make himself famous. Charity will be considered true only when it is given after seeing the need of others and not to get self-praise.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their Reward - Here Jesus says very clearly that such people have already received their reward. People praised them, clapped them twice, that's it. They will not get anything more from God, because they never wanted God to look at them, their eyes were only on the praise of the world. Some scholars say that in Greek language it means "Reward, fully paid, now nothing is left."
Matthew 6:2 is not just about giving charity, it is also about the intentions of the heart, and man's hunger for show. Lord Jesus teaches us here that doing good secretly is the truest way. Whether anyone sees your good deed or not, God definitely sees it. And when he rewards it, it will be much more valuable than cheap applause.
Matthew 6:2 - Applying in Life
The teaching of this verse calls us to first examine our intentions. Whenever the thought of helping someone comes to mind, it is important that we ask ourselves an honest question: Am I doing this to benefit someone, or to get praise? The true color of goodness is hidden in this thought. If the heart resonates that people should think of me as good, praise me, then perhaps that work has now become just a show-off. But when the feeling of helping is born from the thought that someone's suffering should be reduced, and only God will see it, then that work becomes worthy of true reward.
When we give food to a hungry person, bring medicine for a sick person, or silently fulfill the need of a stranger and then forget about it without telling anyone, only then do we actually live this teaching. If goodness is done to show off to people, then it remains only a momentary fame. But if the same goodness is done silently, it becomes a priceless pearl in the eyes of God, which is recorded in his book forever. This is why Jesus said that when you do good, do it in such a way that even your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing. This is not just a saying, but a way of life.
The environment around us often goes against this teaching. People do good and get their photos clicked, post them on social media, and expect the world to appreciate them. But whoever walks on this path has already received his reward. Praise from people and then no other reward from God remains. It is important that we understand that the reward given by God is not based on show, but on intentions. His eyes are on our intentions, on that corner of our heart where no one else can see.
If we adopt this teaching from the heart, then a new peace can come in our life. Doing good will not seem like a burden, nor will there be a desire to earn name in it. It will become a habit that will lighten the mind, and silently become a light in the lives of others. This also makes us understand that true devotion means serving without showing off, spreading goodness without making noise, and making someone's life easier without any expectations. Such acts carry God's smile, and the reward comes late, but always at the right time.
This teaching also tells us that we should teach our children the habit of doing good silently, not showing off. When a child sees his parents helping others without saying anything, that lesson gets deeply embedded in his mind. He later becomes a person who cares for others from the heart, not in front of the camera. This is actually the foundation of a better society where people work for humanity without seeking fame.
When the heart understands that doing good is not a deal, where there is a certainty of getting something in return, then goodness takes on a real form. What we do at that time is neither in search of fame nor in hope of any reward. It is only because our heart knows that it is right to do so. God recognizes that simplicity and truth, and that is His greatest identity.
So at every opportunity in life, whenever you feel like helping, try to do that work in the quietest, most humble and most secret way. The work that is done only for God, without telling anyone, is the deepest example of grace. Nothing is hidden from His eyes, and only that is written in His book which is done from the heart, without noise and without show.
Matthew 6:2 - Prayer
My loving Heavenly Father,
Today I humbly bow my head before You as I read this Word. Father, You know my heart, my intentions, and every thought that is hidden from others. You have taught me not to make a noise when I do good, nor to seek praise from others. O Omniscient God, give me a heart that does mercy in secret, a hand that does not seek fame when it helps. And when I feed the hungry or support the downtrodden, let my heart look to You and not to the world. Father, enable me to do even the most extraordinary things with ease.
O Father, and when pride whispers within me, when my eyes want people to praise me, then remind me that my real reward is with You, and You are the only One whose approval is the greatest achievement of my life. Burn away from within me all pretense, selfishness, and lust for fame. Light the lamp of humility in my soul, so that I can seek Your face in every service. Just as You give silently to everyone, teach me to give in secret, to love in silence, and to ease the pain of others without making a sound.
Oh Merciful God, from now on whenever I help someone, my left hand should not know what the right is doing. Give me such a simple mind. And let me be true in Your eyes, do everything for You, and exalt Your name in every good deed, not mine. This is all I ask of You, a life where You are the only witness of my goodness. In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
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