God’s Living Word Today - Wednesday, June 17, 2020

God’s Living Word Today - Wednesday, June 17, 2020

[2 Kgs 2:1, 6-14 and Matt 6:1-6, 16-18]
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father...." [Matthew]

 Jesus today is speaking about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as He takes aim at the scribes and Pharisees but what he says is meant for all of us.  Our motives are just as important as our behavior.  It is a warning against doing the right thing for the wrong reason.  Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are all good things to do, but when they are done for the wrong or less than noble intentions, their value for the one who does them is diminished. 

One might wonder how Jesus' teaching in this passage connects with his earlier teaching about being "a light to the world" so that people may see our good deeds and glorify God.  It comes down to the connection between the mind/heart on one hand and the behavior on the other.  Some might say, "Who cares where the money came from.  The new building was built!"  Others might have the idea that good deeds are put into some kind of heavenly bank account that will guarantee admission in spite of other motives and actions that are much less honorable - in short, money talks to God.   

Jesus teaches us that doing the right thing for the wrong reason is not going to get us any closer to the Kingdom of heaven.  If his teaching took hold in the political arena, we might witness a moral revolution!   

Father Dennis