Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-18
“The basic framework of the passage is an introductory exhortation illustrated by three matching contrasts setting out the wrong and the right way to undertake three prominent religious duties, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting… The wording of the three contrasts follows a standard pattern with verbatim agreement in the concluding clauses. The wrong way in each case is a matter of outward show, looking for human approval; the right way is that of secrecy, which only God can see. It’s the only kind of “righteousness” that God, who is strikingly described as “being in secret” will reward.”
R.T. France in Matthew (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) 232.
The repetition in the language of Jesus drives home a consistent point. Let’s make our journey this Lent about secrecy and not a show. It’s the right way to do it and the reward from God will be great.
How will you practice these disciplines with secrecy this Lent? Don’t answer me. Talk to God about it. Determine how you will engage these practices and take time to examine what God is teaching you daily.
If you talk about it with others, don’t talk so much about what you are doing as what you are learning. What rewards are you reaping? What insights are you gaining? What is changing in you?