1“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him. 9Pray like this:
“‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10Let your Kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors.
13Bring us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. 25Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? 28Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, 29yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
The Money Changers
Jesus Cleansing the Temple With a Whip
This morning, one of my congregants called me and said that he had a great idea. I asked, “What would that be?” He said, “Why don’t we print up some things like business cards that show others that we are Christians? It can be like a card I carry that shows I’m part of a history club.” I just remained quiet and asked, “Why do we need cards?” He said, “So people will know that we are Christians.” I said, “Shouldn’t people be able to know that we are Christians by our words and deeds?”
This led to a discussion of whether or not it was right for people to put Christian symbols on their business cards to essentially communicate to prospective clients, “Hey, trust me and do business with me because I’m a Christian.” When we do this, we are taking God’s name in vain. We are using our relationship with Him for our own benefit. That’s a scary thing. That’s why Jesus was so angry, finding that the money changers had turned His Father’s house into a den of thieves. Not only were they doing business, but they were also ripping people off and cheating them. When we try to gain someone's confidence or communicate that we’re trustworthy because we’re a “good Christian,” we are making merchandise of our relationship with God. It’s serious, and it is wrong. We are doing business in the temple. Jesus was not happy when He found this being done. He turned over the tables, and other gospel accounts tell us that he pulled out a whip and beat the tar out of those he sent scurrying off.
There was a pastor in our town who used to go into stores and businesses to negotiate lower prices by telling them he was a pastor. He intimated that he was poorer than others and deserved special treatment because he was a man of God. That’s wrong, and that’s scary. I’m afraid we might end up getting a whip across the back for that when we get to heaven (just kidding). Let’s always be careful not to try to cash in on our “Christian faith” or Christian business card to get something for our own benefit. Let’s never cheapen our relationship with Jesus by worrying about gaining something materially or socially because of our status with Him. To do so is to be a moneychanger. Jesus was clear back in Matthew 6 when He told us that all men (the whole world) will know that we are His disciples if we love one another. We don’t need cards. We don’t need acclaim. Ask Him today to give you a pure faith bathed in prayer. Let’s never be counted among the thieves.