"Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.
But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:2-4, Amplified).
Charity in today's world has become a sort of business, and like every business, the motivation for profit and personal gains has become the essential driving force. Few people are now interested in being good to others as an end in itself. That is why you see them publishing their good deeds everywhere, ostensibly to bring in more business, or more profit, or more recognition. A couple of years ago, I saw a man on television distributing exercise books and some other learning materials to school children. I immediately told my wife that the man must be looking for something from the community. Not long after, he announced that he was contesting for a political position and needed the people's votes. It is an irony that man could be so selfish in his act of kindness.
Sadly, the church has also bought the lie that every good deed must be advertised, publicised and published. The whole world must now know when we give food to the widow, scholarship to the orphan or help to
the physically challenged. In the days of Jesus, the hypocrites merely "blow a trumpet" when they give to the poor. But the religious hypocrites of today's world have gone nuclear. They don't just blow a
trumpet, they put a whole orchestral to work to sing the praise of their good deeds that the whole world may know how philanthropic they.
The newspapers must carry it as full page advertorials. Terrestrial and cable television must do special documentaries to proclaim how good thou art! Well, Jesus said "they have their reward in full already".
But for me the most unfortunate dimension to this hypocrisy is the attempt by the modern church to replace correct evangelism and meaningful soul winning with good works. We do it because we know that when we advertise how many bags of rice we have shared among the poor, more people will come to our churches and the feeling of having a crowd will boost the pastor's ego and public image. While it is important to take care of people and their physical needs, it is even more important - and indeed, a priority to give them the word of life that will minister to their souls and make them candidates of eternal life. The message of the cross (the salvation that Jesus came to offer) must take precedence over the message of the cash.
It was typical of the ministry of Jesus Christ to feed the people and give to the poor. But it was even more typical of Him to preach and teach the word, pointing people to the way of eternal life. He was known, first and foremost as the teacher of God’s word and it was in that process that He also became a channel to spread God’s love in practical terms. He remains our perfect example of ministry and our wisdom as individuals and as a church is to do as He did. After all,
He made it clear that He has sent us just in the same way and for the same purpose as the Father sent Him (John 20:21).
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