Matthew 6:4
Progressive Relationship Required Donations Matthew 6:1-4 7| Payback | Matthew 6:4 “That your charitable deed may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4). This verse is Jesus’ final instruction on the exceeding righteousness in charitable deeds. He continued this instruction into spiritual communication, spiritual disciplines, and spiritual priorities, His practical application of the Sermon on the Mount’s premise. We must never forget this premise. It is the merger of God’s nature with my nature. My nature is helpless, and God created me to be dependent on my fusion with Him. This unity creates a new creature called the “Kingdom person.” There are four verses; three times, Jesus highlights the subject of “reward.” “Misthos” is the Greek word used in verses one and two to translate “reward.” “Misthos is a noun that is used consistently for “pay,” “wages,” or “compensation.” Behind this concept is the motive of “earn,” “what can I get,” or “deserve.” Jesus took a radical stand and said that any amount of this motive found within the charitable deed destroys the reward that could come from the Father. Therefore, we should conclude that Jesus redefined the concept of “reward.” We should see this clearly in Jesus’ final statement on the matter of charitable deeds; “and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” We should note that “Himself” is not in the Greek text. While the complete statement assumes this emphasis, the Greek text does not state it. Also, “openly” is not in the Greek text. This word’s presence indicates a theological interpretation that a person must do the charitable deed in a secret or a hidden manner where no one knows. Then the reward will be given by the Father in a form that will be public, which was not the intent of Jesus’ teaching. The Greek word “misthos,” translated as “reward,” is a noun (Matthew 6:1-2). Now Jesus changes to a verb translated “will reward” (Matthew 6:4), which is a translation of the Greek word “apodidomi.” “Apodidomi” is used consistently in situations where we must pay something back. It is used seven times in the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (Matthew 18:21-35). The parable focuses on the servant paying back the funds he embezzled while the master was absent. The Hebrew writer used it to instruct us on the discipline of the Father: “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields (apodidomi) the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). John spoke of “the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding (apodidomi) its fruit every month” (Revelations 22:2). “Apodidomi” is used forty-eight times in the New Testament, but the verses in Hebrews and Revelation are the only times when the subject is not a person. In our passage, Jesus used the word “apodidomi,” meaning “payback.” However, in context, the meaning is much more than God meeting an obligation that we created because of our generous deed. It pictures the natural flow of consequences and views human arrogance in the realm of evil. It is not present, allowed, or possible in the righteousness of one merged with the Divine nature. Therefore, no reward from the Father can be merited, earned, or deserved. Is not the son satisfied with his reward being that he has pleased the Father? Is not the tree rewarded by sharing in the production of the fruit? Is not the reward of the Father’s discipline sharing in the holiness of the Father’s nature? Is not the reward of breathing found in life? This reward is in consequence rather than earning or meriting. Such is the reward Jesus offers us! Let us look at several aspects of this concept. Sovereign Reign Your perception of the Father determines how you view this concept. Who is the Father? The premise of the Sermon on the Mount focuses on my helplessness merging with His resource. His resource is never apart from His person. Therefore, it is His nature and my nature in a fusion creating a new creature. This new creature is only positive if He is positive. If the person of God is mean and nasty, there could be no real merger; I could never really trust Him. If His presence is not enhancing my life, why would I want Him? If there is a reward involved from this merger, how could it be of value to me unless He is good? Who is this sovereign person? Jesus uses the word “Father” seventeen times in the Sermon on the Mount, which would have been fresh and new to the Jewish ears. The Pharisees practiced a performance-oriented “works-righteousness” apart from any relationship. They could not get past the picture of God who descended on Mt. Sinai and belched out the law. They missed the relationship of covenant coming from the Father! God always intended a relationship with them, even in the Old Testament. But they were scared of Him; they did not trust. The people of Israel were brought out of Egyptian slavery by God. God said, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself” (Exodus 19:4). However, when He appeared on Mt Sinai, they were frightened, crying out to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:19). The Pharisees were a product of this attitude. They had experienced four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments without any authentic message from God. During this time following the Babylonian captivity, they hammered out a religion of law without a relationship. What Jesus proposed in the Sermon on the Mount was radical to them, beyond their grasp. Could God be coming to them again as He did on Mt. Sinai? Had God broken His silence? While God came to them again, it was not like Mt. Sinai! God had become flesh. He leaped over every barrier and broke down every wall. Jesus, the Man, merged the gap between God and man! God revealed His immense loving heart most convincingly. His arms were open as “your Father.” He is sovereign in love! Jesus illustrated this relationship forcibly in the previous chapter (Matthew 5). He presented the Kingdom person as one who merged with the Father. The six illustrations propose a demonstration of the new level of righteousness found in the new creature. This new level of living is not merely a picture of those who are in the merger. It is a demonstration of who God is as we express Him through our helplessness. Each illustration shows the redemptive heart of God spilling forth into the world through the believer. The best we can do sourced by our helplessness is, “You shall not murder.” But the Father who does not get angry draws us into Himself (Matthew 5:21-26). In our self-sourced living, we might accomplish, “You shall not commit adultery.” If we would merge with the Father, we could conceivably experience His perspective. Our sexuality would be enhanced by His presence and become an expression of His heart (Matthew 5:27-30). If we expressed the Father’s heart, He would change our marriage. What we caused in each other through marriage would be redemptive (Matthew 5:31-32). The old self, experiencing nothing but helplessness, desired to separate from any oaths involving God’s presence. There can be no manipulation or self-advantage when God is present. But the merger with the Father causes involvement of His heart in all of my words (Matthew 5:33-37). God is not interested in fairness; He is interested in redemption, which He would demonstrate in all of my relationships with my fellow man (Matthew 5:38-42). The last illustration is not about any physical action, but strictly the heart of love from the Father. We are just like Him because He is merged with us, demonstrating Himself (Matthew 5:43-48). These illustrations are not really about who we are in the New Covenant, but who He has always been! The Father will reward us. Would He cheat us or take advantage of us? Would we need to guard or protect ourselves, lest He did not treat us properly? Do we need to keep track of benefits deserved, lest He attempts to slight us? Could we not rest in His arms, embrace our helplessness, and trust His love? Even when it seems He allows unfair treatment to come our way, is He not greater than our circumstances? “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). While this verse would be enough on its own, the next statement is startling. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). Seeing Reality Convinced that our sovereign God with whom we have merged is good and loving, we can commit the issue of reward into His hands. Jesus indicated the Father, who is responsible for the reward, dwells in a location. It is not a location limited by space or boundaries but a location as a “state of being.” The Father dwells “in secret.” The word “in” is a translation of the Greek word “en,” contrasted with “from” and “into,” which are movement terms. God has fixed His location! It is not a temporary location for the Father; He is not passing through this location. This location is His permanent dwelling place. Every time anyone approaches God, they find Him in this “state of being.” The “state of being,” the permanent dwelling place of the Father, is “secret.” This word is a translation of the Greek word “krypto.” We better see it as “hidden.” In the context of our passage, this does not refer to God hiding from us. Instead, the state of being in which we do the charitable deed is the state of being in which the Father dwells. There is no deception involved in this location and no selfish hidden agendas here. It is indeed a place of mystery, as discovered in our previous study. It is more significant than what we know, for it is the dwelling place of “your Father.” The crucified One fills the mystery with the sacrificial offering! Bleeding, suffering, and dying seem to be the atmosphere of this dwelling place. No one lives for themselves. The message is again about our helplessness and His great resource merging to form a new creature. God invites us into the place where He dwells. His redemption does not leave us where we are. We cannot dwell in the state of “toot our own horn.” Selfish desires and ambitions can no longer be the driving force of our righteousness. We cannot do to get, give to receive, or accomplish to earn. The left and right hand must both operate under the direction of Jesus, the Head. We must continuously embrace our helplessness. Many within the Evangelical Movement have missed the message of Jesus. They agree on the message of grace regarding salvation. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). No one can dispute helplessness regarding salvation. However, merit and earn are the critical factors in determining your heavenly estate. We must never think that serving God here on earth, such as charitable deeds, sends supplies to heaven constructing our mansions. The thickness of the streets of gold will be in proportion to how much you do for the church and evangelism. These are called “rewards.” Jesus contradicts this approach in the Sermon on the Mount. The same helplessness we experience in salvation is the same helplessness we must continually abide by. The merger of our nature of helplessness and His nature of resource determines how we view rewards. Any debris of selfish pride destroys the nature of the merger and eliminates the presence of rewards. According to Jesus, selfish desires have their rewards and do not come from the Father. God draws us into the location of His heart, the “secret” place. Here is where we experience the rewards from the Father. Spiritual Reward Therefore, if I do charitable deeds, there are rewards to be gained. How about a new car? Perhaps I could get a better and more straightforward job. If I do not receive these rewards in this life, maybe I can get them in the next life. You have misunderstood what Jesus is saying! The righteous act of a charitable deed is accomplished within the mystery of the merger. My helpless nature and His immense sovereign Person have united in a new Kingdom person. Within this intimacy and enhancement, the charitable deed takes place, which is the “secret,” hidden place, or mystery. God dwells in this hidden place and rewards within this mystery. The great concern of Jesus before His crucifixion was the disciples. He desperately wanted to prepare them for the unprecedented change as He established the Kingdom. He spent extensive time with them in the upper room. John’s Gospel records three chapters of Jesus’ description of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the merger between God and man (John 14, 15, 16). In the middle of this discourse, Jesus told a parable to illustrate the unity of the merger. It is the parable of the True Vine (John 15:1-8). The consistent use of the word “abide” sharpens the focus of the illustration. The helplessness of man’s nature and the greatness of God’s nature is to connect something like a vine and branch. They are interwoven together and yet distinctly recognizable. They are one and, however, two elements of oneness. One cannot tell where the vine starts or ends; it is the same with the branch. The branch shares the vine’s life, has the vine’s bark, bears the fruit of the vine, and even looks like the vine. However, it is never the vine; it is always the branch. What is the reward of the branch? There is no reward outside of the mystery of abiding! The fact that the branches are allowed to experience the vine’s life with all of its benefits is a great reward. What more could the branch desire? Paul illustrates this same truth through the intimacy and oneness of marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33). The same dynamics of the relationship between husband and wife exists between Christ and the believers, the church. He refers to this as “a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32). Much of marriage relationship dwells in the “secret” or hidden place. What do we, the bride, want from our bridegroom? What is our reward for being His? His love, His security, sharing His life, knowing His heart, and living in His presence is our reward. Is this not far beyond a new car or streets of gold? Oneness is the total emphasis and conclusion of Jesus’ remarks concerning charitable deeds. If an individual does a charitable deed for any other motivation besides oneness with the Father, it cancels the Father’s reward. We do not experience the life of the vine; we lose oneness with the Bridegroom. One may receive the applause of men or a sense of self-worth because of the charitable deed. One must be satisfied with this reward, for that is all there is! Once again, Jesus brings us back to our helplessness. No deeds, including charitable deeds, have any value if not accomplished through the resource of oneness with the Father. They cannot be considered righteous deeds, for there is no righteousness in our helplessness. A helpless person’s actions must be merged with the presence of our helpful, loving Jesus who wants to enhance our lives and all of its expressions. Every action outside of such a merger, regardless of how good it may look, must be considered sinful. Jesus must be our entire focus, resource, and love!