Matthew 6:16-18. What I Get
Progressive Relationship Requesting Disciplines Matthew 6:16-18 5| What I Get? | Matthew 6:16-18 “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:16-18). The Rich Young Ruler enthusiastically ran to Jesus. He expressed a desire for life, showing he had the proper focus. Jesus carefully guided their conversation, ending with the Rich Young Ruler realizing that his wealth blocked his desire. He would have to give up all dependence on material security and become dependent on Jesus to have eternal security. However, materialism so gripped him he went away sorrowfully (Matthew 19:16-22). This response affected Jesus. He turned to His disciples, who questioned the ability of a rich person to get into the Kingdom of God. Jesus told them that from man’s view, this looked impossible, but nothing was impossible with God! Peter then asked an interesting question. “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have” (Matthew 19:27)? The question always asked by the self-centered person is, “What will I get?” They will not work for nothing, and they always have an angle! What is wrong with acquiring benefits? That is only fair! The Sermon on the Mount stands in direct contrast to this-worldly approach. One of the primary Scriptures we memorized as a child was, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a gift from God, and contrary to any thought, we cannot earn or merit it. The premise of the Sermon on the Mount is that we are “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Our helplessness means we are incapable of earning or meriting anything. We can only receive what God gives us. Jesus does not suggest partial helplessness. We all have different talents. I am helpless in some areas of life, while I have extraordinary abilities in other areas. However, our helplessness is at the core of our living, and we express that in every area of life. We are helpless “in spirit,” created in this manner by the Trinity God. His design for our lives is a merger between Him and us. This merger creates a new creature who gives a physical demonstration of God’s greatness. This Kingdom person is a combination of God’s nature with man’s nature. Man is always helpless, yet entirely adequate by depending on the nature of God. The helpless person will never ask, “What will I get?” His motive is never deserving, earning, or meriting. His life is a display for the glory of God! Is he angry with his brother for mistreatment (Matthew 5:21-26)? How could he be? In his helplessness, he deserves nothing. Does the Kingdom person lust for that which is not his (Matthew 5:27-30)? How could he when the nature of God supplies his perspective? He does not use marriage for self-benefit (Matthew 5:31-32) because Father provides the redemptive resource to “cause” good things in his spouse. We do not force or give great effort to honesty and integrity (Matthew 5:33-37). They flow from the nature of God possessing the Kingdom person. The heart of God is redemptive. He is only interested in bringing each individual into the full potential of His purpose for their lives. The Kingdom person is not concerned with what is fair or receiving just treatment from his fellowman. He desires to be the extension of God’s redemptive heart (Matthew 5:38-42). Therefore, the Kingdom person’s dominating attitude is love in every circumstance and relationship (Matthew 5:43-48). The Kingdom person does not ask, “What will I get?” but asks, “What can I give?” How can this be since he is helpless? It is because of the Father’s abundant resources! His reward is in the wonder of giving. Yet, Jesus consistently refers to “rewards.” The Greek word “misthon” occurs twenty-nine times in the New Testament, and Matthew records ten of those. Jesus uses this word seven times in this chapter (Matthew 6). Therefore, one must conclude that the Kingdom person benefits from merging with Jesus. “Misthon” in the literal sense refers primarily to the wages of a day laborer or a hired hand (Matthew 20:8). Why does Jesus consistently use “reward” in connection with the premise of the Sermon on the Mount? How can a helpless person earn or merit any manner of compensation? Could it be that Jesus is redefining the idea of reward? The atmosphere of the Old Testament covenant emphasized the concept of reward. However, we must redefine reward in light of the New Covenant’s new level. Let us consider what Jesus offers concerning these issues. Physical (openly) In my evangelical tradition, I learned about the rewards of a believer. There was a firm stand regarding salvation. No one can earn or will merit salvation. All our righteousness is as filthy rages (Isaiah 64:6). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23), an irrefutable truth in the evangelical tradition; however, once we experience salvation, the emphasis shifts to earning and meriting. Once God writes your name in the Lamb’s book of life, all you experience you achieve by service. While your eternal life is a gift from God, the context or condition of that life is determined by your service. The more a person serves the church, the better the afterlife. You buy or earn the material for your mansion and send it to heaven. The more you pray, read your Bible, witness, tithe, and serve the church, the more material there is for your house in heaven. Those who serve the most will have large, well-furnished mansions on the main street, next to Jesus. Those who obeyed less will have cabins on the back forty with outhouses. That thought process focuses on the physical aspect of our eternal dwelling. Mansions and streets of gold are the constant themes in the hymns. The rewards for faithfulness in this life’s service are not a unique idea to Christianity. All world religions have a final day of judgment when each individual receives rewards according to their deeds. Their faithfulness and dedication in service to their god determine their rewards. However, the focus seems to continually be on the physical aspect of life. The King James Version of the Scriptures strongly suggests rewards in heaven and is carried over in the New King James Version. “That your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4 NKJ). On the aspect of prayer, we read, “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6 NKJ). The New King James repeats this pattern in our passage regarding fasting. “So that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:18). There is some difficulty with the King James and New King James versions, which all newer translations correct. In the three verses we have quoted above, “openly” is not in the original Greek text. “Openly” apparently contrasts “secret,” which our passage states. In the section on prayer, Jesus says to go into your room and shut the door. If this is understood literally, He requires we pray in a private place where no one can physically see or hear us. However, the Father, who sees all things, will know me in this physically isolated place. In turn, He will reward us “openly,” meaning in public, so everyone will physically see the reward. But it is impossible that this is the proper interpretation of these passages. Jesus does not give a new set of rules concerning the appropriate physical methods for charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting. That would mean no one must know when you give a gift, eliminating all accountability for giving. All public prayers would become sinful and corporate fasting would become ungodly. Jesus’ emphasis is not instruction on physical methods but the inner spiritual condition. The internal spiritual attitude results in a like manner reward from the Father. Perhaps the eternal rewards are not a physical package for our comfort but an expression of the Father’s heart beyond a physical provision. We must apply this truth to our eternal dwelling and our present lives. It is easy to assume a businessman’s approach in ministry, setting goals and objectives for what we want to accomplish in the years to come. We want an adequate facility for worship in a good location, and we want to double the number of people attending our services and increase our financial budget in the next five years. However, these are all physical goals and objectives that Jesus made clear are not reasonable goals. Jesus gave us a proposition for this whole chapter in one verse (Matthew 6:1). He started this proposition with “Take heed,” the sentence’s main verb, and is an imperative, a call to “pay attention!” He urges us to focus on the only thing that matters, the one thing that must dominate every aspect of our religious activities. The one thing is the merger highlighted in the premise. We are helpless and must have the fullness of the Trinity God indwelling us. Our goal is not a physical achievement; our goal is Him! Knowing Him must consume our time. The value of the charitable deed is not in the physical activity of the deed. When a helpless person musters enough strength to give a charitable deed, we should applaud him for his sacrifice. He managed a physical deed, received physical applause, and received a reward for what he physically wanted. Jesus proposed this standard regarding rewards. You will get the reward you want! The hypocrite wants glory from men, which is what he receives. The Kingdom person wants intimacy and oneness with God; that intimacy is what he receives. The value of prayer is not in the physical activity of the deed but in the intimacy of embracing the Father. The value of fasting is not in the physical action but the total focus of one’s life on the Father. He is our reward! You and I get what we want. Perception (sees) Jesus describes the involvement of the Father in the spiritual and physical activities of religion. By this description, He gives content to the premise of the Sermon on the Mount, “the poor in spirit.” Regarding spiritual disciplines, Jesus speaks of God’s involvement in fasting. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:17-18). Jesus uses these exact words to describe God’s presence in the experience of prayer (Matthew 6:6). He uses similar language for charitable deeds (Matthew 6:4). Your Father is both “in the secret place” and “sees in secret.” We discussed “the secret place” in previous studies. “The secret place” is translated from the Greek word “kryhaios,” an adjective used as a noun. Scholars more often translate it as “hidden” connected to the idea of a mystery (Colossians 1:26), a description of the premise, the merger between God and man. The spiritual place of oneness where my helpless nature and God’s divine nature link is “the secret place.” Jesus said that is the place the Trinity God dwells. God not only dwells there, but He also “sees in secret.” Jesus relates this idea all three times, causing us to pay careful attention. “Blepo” is the Greek word translated “sees.” Fundamentally it portrays the ability to see compared to blindness, and it is the ability to perceive through sight. There is something remarkable about the seeing ability of God. He is omniscient. In the Scriptures, when God sees it is a natural metaphor indicating God is aware of what is happening. The people of Israel suffered under Egyptian bondage. “And the Lord said: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My People who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows’” (Exodus 3:7). God sees; therefore, God knows! The references to God seeing are followed with a depth of understanding or perception. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7). In the new level of the New Covenant, our helplessness merges with the nature of the Trinity God. In the hidden secret place, the mystery of oneness with Him occurs. I begin to share His mind, emotions, and will! He offers me the reward of sharing Himself! He sees with complete comprehension all that happens in my helplessness. He sees not merely the physical circumstances but the emotional and spiritual aspects of those situations. He does not reward me with the physical security of finance but with the security of His presence. He does not merely reward me with control over my temper but gives me His perspective, so there is no temper to control. He does not help me in stressful times but rewards me with His peace all the time! The reward is not the wonder of what God does in the physical circumstances but what He does in the secret place where He and I dwell together. He gives me His perception! Personal (In the secret) Jesus consistently uses the phrase “in the secret” to highlight and expand the truth of the spiritual disciplines (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). He uses the word “secret” twice in each verse. The Father is in the “secret” place, and He sees in the “secret” place. It is important to note that a definite article comes before the word “secret” each time. Remember, the Greek word for “secret” is an adjective used as a noun. It does not refer to a physical, a private, or an unknown location, but a hidden spiritual place. It is in this specific place where God dwells and has complete knowledge. Jesus again refers to the premise of the Sermon on the Mount, “the poor in spirit.” “The secret place” is the inner core of the human being where God comes to dwell. It is my helpless nature that God fills, mixes, infiltrates, possesses, merges, and fuses (many more words could describe it) with Him. In the place where we link, God sees my helplessness and openness to Him. This inner spiritual place is where God rewards me. Every Christian knows the amazing physical benefits of belonging to Jesus. Jesus eliminates our destructive habits, gives us better health, sets aside financial waste, and brings us prosperity. Love permeates our relationships. But Jesus does not relate these benefits to the idea of rewards. We discover the wonder of the reward when our inner core experiences the fullness of God! All the spiritual blessings in Christ are present in the Kingdom person (Ephesians 1:3+). He chooses us in Him, and a sense of belonging grips our lives. God removes our guilt as we dwell in a great sense of acceptance because we belong to Him. With the full benefit of forgiveness, redemption is ours, and we experience the Divine guidance of His wisdom and destiny. The list is continuous! Can you imagine what the fullness of God does to the routine of religion? Others appreciate my charitable deeds, and I have a sense of accomplishment in myself. But the Kingdom person is an extension of God’s heart. What a reward! Prayer is not a tool to manipulate God to get what I want. I share the mind of Christ in intimate communication; His thoughts become my thoughts. What a reward! Spiritual disciplines, such as fasting, are not rigorous spiritual exercise programs to increase my strength, but He draws me into the depth of His Person. I have one focus, knowing Him! That is my reward, and it is enough!