- Across three different examples (generosity, prayer, and fasting), Jesus makes the point that he wants his followers to pursue a relationship with him for its own sake—not for the sake of looking spiritual or holy in others’ eyes.
- There is some tension here with the idea of “letting our light shine before others” from Matthew 5:16. We are asked to do good deeds that others can see—but not to do them solely for others to see us.
- Jesus says that we will be rewarded when we pursue a relationship with him, and do righteous actions, without announcing them for the sake of getting others’ attention.
- Have you ever felt tempted to show off your devotion to seem spiritual to others?
- Why do you think Jesus asks his followers to pursue spiritual secrecy?
- Your action challenge today involves trying something pretty unusual: reverse pickpocketing. Whereas in normal pickpocketing the goal is to steal something from another person without their noticing, in reverse pickpocketing, the goal is to secretly place something in another person’s bag without their noticing. Take any amount of money, put it in an envelope, and write a message of your choice on the front. (It could be something as simple as, “Jesus loves you!”) Then, go to a public place, pray for God to point someone out, and try to sneakily drop the money into their bag, being careful not to let your hand drop into their private property. The number one rule is: don’t get caught!