What to do When ...

... You Give To Charity

"Take care not to be doing your charitable giving before men, so as to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have not a reward from your Father in heaven. 

Whenever therefore you do charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by men. Assuredly I say to you, they receive their reward in full. 

But when you do charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 

so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will Himself reward you openly. Mat. 6:1-4 English Majority Text.

Some commentaries insist that there is a big difference between charitable giving in verse 1 and the charitable giving in verse 2.  Notice: When you do good deeds (verse 1) and When you give to the poor (verse 2). Contemporary English Version.

The reason this is important is that with this difference emphasized it becomes clear that verse one When you do good deeds, is the caption for the various righteous things that Christ will be speaking of in this "three-point" sermon.  

1. When you give to the poor do it for the poor and do not sound a trumpet.  It does not appear that any such practice was literally performed, as blowing a trumpet before them, when they gave their alms. Gill.   Sounding the trumpet was Christ's way of emphasizing the feeling that He got when He noticed how ostensibly hypocrites do give.  

They sound a trumpet in the synagogues and in the streets.  Both in church and in business locations.  How often we have all seen this:  

- In churches at the end of the pew, or at the entrance to the church library is a little, sometimes not so little, plaque with words that might say "humbly gifted by John Smith" on it.  I can assure you that they already have their reward. CEV

- men, women or businesses give huge donations to charity and so often it is done with a lot of fanfare with thousands, or more, people watching. I can assure you that they already have their reward. CEV

-  A number of years ago there was a fundraising auction sale.  The first thing to be auctioned was an imaginary loaf of bread.  The money raised by that loaf of bread was destined to feed the hungry.  This is a great purpose but the man who bid $500.00 for it made sure we all heard and saw him.  He wanted all of us to think that he was a very benevolent man.  I can assure you that he already has his reward. CEV. 

They, the hypocrites, give so that they may be praised by men.  If you do it so that you're giving to be praised by humans than that praise is all you will get.  The grammar of the ancient Greek here is emphatic. When Jesus says they have their reward, the word have can be understood as “paid in full.” Guzik.

However when you do charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (this, again, is a hyperbole by Christ) so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will Himself reward you openly.

... You Pray

And whenever you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, that they receive their reward in full.
But you, whenever you pray, enter into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
But when you pray, do not babble like the heathen, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.Mat. 6:5-8 English Majority Text.

2. you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing:  Of course, if you're standing you are easier to see.

in the synagogues: this makes you look holy. 

on the street corners: more people will see you at the corner of the street than halfway down the block.  If being thought of as holy is what they want I can assure you that they already have their reward. CEV

Unless praying in public is part of your job description pray to your Father who is in secret.  

When you pray, do not babble like the heathen, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  I suppose that almost all of us who attend church have heard someone "pray" and we were convinced that they prayed so long just because they loved to hear themselves talk.

... You Fast

Moreover, when you fast, do not become gloomy, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  If you are fasting so that others will know that you are fasting Assuredly I say to you, you have received your reward in full.  

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face (look normal) so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. Mat. 6:16-18. 

3. The Mosaic law ... never enjoins fasting. Fausset.  Surely there are times when it is right, even necessary, to put aside the necessities of life so that we can focus on repentance and/or prayer.  These times might come many times, or maybe only a few times.  When they do come we must make sure that we do not push them aside!  However, let's not relegate those times to certain days or events; if we do, the whole effort tends to become ritualistic and meaningless. 

Rather than going without food or sleep or other pleasures for no apparent reasons we might choose to follow Jehovah's guidelines.  He says:

Nay, in the days of your fasts ye find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power ye wound.

I have not chosen such a fast, saith the Lord;
- but do thou loose every burden of iniquity, this is believed, by some, to mean (do your best to overturn any unjust court case).

- do thou untie the knots of hard bargains, If you forced someone into a business deal because you had him "over the barrel"; undo it!

- set the bruised free, Jewish law stated that if a slave owner purposely damaged a slave in certain ways that slave was to be set free.  Some slave owners did not do that.

- and cancel every unjust account.  How could you even think of "seeking God's face" if you are guilty of swindling anyone?

- Break thy bread to the hungry, share your food with the hungry.

- and lead the unsheltered poor to thy house: share the comforts of your home with the needy.

- if thou seest one naked, clothe him, buy the needy some clothing.

- and thou shalt not disregard the relations of thine own seed. Don't turn your back on your own kin even if they are hard to get along with.

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily spring forth: and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of God shall compass thee. Isaiah 58:3+6-8 Brenton Version.

Or, as Christ said, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.