Do not announce it with trumpets
Matthew 6:2 - Jesus reminds us to practice humility while engaging in charity.
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model.
““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.”
Matthew 6:2 NIV
These words of Jesus were recorded by Matthew and are found in his Gospel, but not in the Gospels of Mark, Luke, or John. Barb wrote a devotional that included this verse back in July of 2022 when she was studying the Sermon on the Mount, but it is worth a revisit of this reminder to practice humility while engaging in charity. Matthew 6:1-4 is all about giving to the needy, with Jesus focusing on the importance of not making a show of charitable giving.
Jesus begins with the words “So when you give to the needy,” rather than “So if you give to the needy.” At the time of the ministry of Jesus, giving to the poor was an important part of Jewish culture. As far back as Leviticus and Deuteronomy, God’s people were expected to take care of the poor, and most Jews provided a portion of their income as provision for those who could not support themselves (widows and orphans). The Roman Empire, in which Judea was a subject country, could have cared less about the poor…
The ancient Greek word for “giving to the needy” is ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosynē), which not only means a donation or alms for the poor, but is also defined as “mercy” or “pity.” Giving to the poor was an act of righteous living, of showing mercy towards those less fortunate.
Why does Jesus tell the crowd “do not announce it with trumpets”? The Bible Says (via Blue Letter Bible) has this to say about the choice of phrasing:
With the rise of the Pharisees who served as guardians of Jewish tradition and Law, giving money to the poor had become a spectacle. It was apparently a competitive sport among the self-righteous as to who could draw the most attention to their giving. Generally speaking, the bigger the donation, the greater they would be honored by men. Such charity was not motivated by taking care of the poor. It was about buying honor and respect from peers.
Jesus humorously mocks this kind of giving as he describes it, when you give to the poor do not sound a trumpet before you (v 2). (Dignitaries would have their trumpeters blast their horns so everyone would pay attention when they arrived.) In similar fashion, Jesus warns against making a spectacle of your giving. He brands these types of givers as hypocrites.
“Hypocrite” was the Greek term for “actor.” It literally means to over-judge or over-emphasize a situation. It is an apt description because these hypocrites are both overdoing things and pretending to care about the poor, when really they only care about what other men think of them. When Jesus says that the hypocrites do this in the synagogues and in the streets, He is likely describing the Pharisees, who taught in the synagogues (v 2). Jesus will later directly name the Pharisees as hypocrites (Mathew 23:13).
When Jesus pointed out the practices of the hypocrites (Greek: ὑποκριτής - hypokritēs), he was highlighting the fact that the Pharisees and others were acting the part of holy people, but not living by the standards of righteousness. 17th Century Bible commentator John Trapp hit the nail on the head when he said:
iii. “Oh, let us rather seek to be good than seem to be so.” (Trapp, via Enduring Word)
All of these people who were giving for show, not true charity, wanted to be “honored by others.” I love the image that ChatGPT generated from my mental picture of a Pharisee making a big deal out of his donation to the Temple while a righteous man quietly presses his coins into the hand of a high priest in the background..
So why does Jesus tell those listening to His sermon “Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full”? David Guzik explains on Enduring Word;
c. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward: Jesus tells the one who gives so he can hear the applause of others that he should enjoy the applause, because that will be all the reward that he will receive. There will be no reward in heaven for the one who did it for the motive of an earthly reward.
i. It is all they will receive. “It would be better to translate it: ‘They have received payment in full.’ The word that is used in the Greek is the verb apechein, which was the technical business and commercial word for receiving payment in full.” (Barclay)
There is a lot of empty giving by celebrities in our time, who of course have well-paid public relations people to make sure that we hear about their “philanthropy”. What is really sad is that many times these contributions are to pet causes that actually promote sin, rather than supporting those who are truly needy. The next time you see a video or article touting “charitable giving” by a celebrity or politician, cast a critical eye on what they’re actually supporting and think about what reward they will receive in the long run…
True generosity is not about drawing attention to ourselves, but about quietly reflecting God’s love through sincere acts of compassion done for His glory rather than our own.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Prayerz.org:
Dear God, as I strive to do merciful deeds, please help me to resist the temptation to seek recognition and praise from others. May I not sound a trumpet before myself, but instead humbly serve those in need without seeking personal gain. Please remind me that true reward comes from serving You and others with a pure heart. Amen.