Day Twenty
Matthew 6:2-4 2“When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing 4that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Jesus continues on this mode of righteousness, but he addresses how we should and should not give. He is firm when He says, “When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Some among the people listening were probably uncomfortable with what Jesus said here. But first let me explain alms. Alms is money given to help the poor. It is not the money you give to support your church just what you give to the poor.
A few years back a friend of mine who went to a mega church told me how their church had given three needy families a new car. She was so proud of what they did. I asked her how it was given to these three families. She said it was done openly in front of the congregation. I inwardly cringed. I told her they should have done it quietly. I explained to her that these people were grateful, I am sure for the help that they received, but it should have been private. She was shocked. I went onto explain that they should not have been used to show how good they were. I told her it should have been done quietly so that no one in the church knew of the gift. I told her to think about how embarrassed they may have been for their personal struggle to be exposed to everyone. I told her that it was not kind to do that… giving the cars was kind but exposing their poverty to others was not kind.
When Jesus said, “sound of a trumpet before you,” this event was what he was saying to avoid. This celebrated the people of the church but not God. A church or individual who does things like this has gotten their reward from people praising what they did. The motive behind such things is not about helping someone in need, but about gaining praise for what the giver is doing. They got their reward here, but they will not receive it in heaven.
Jesus then tells them how they should do it by saying, “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Why is Jesus telling the people then and the people now to keep their gifts to the poor quiet? It is very simple. It is about respecting the person in need. My father taught me a hard lesson when I was rude to a person who had to walk everywhere. I maybe was eight years old. He said to me strongly, “Mary Elizabeth, Do not take the dignity of anyone; it may be all that they own.” It is a lesson that I live by most of the time because I do fail at times.
It is also about kindness. When we respect anyone, we are giving them an act of kindness. I met with many people from many walks of life in my job as a foster care caseworker. What my father taught me kept me focused not on myself or my job, but on what I was there to do, and the first part of it was to hear their story because it gave them back their dignity. Taking a person’s dignity robs them of their value. Each of us is a person of value, and we should be respected simply because of that.
On Monday, I met with a person in the medical field. I had figured that I had only given me more questions. I had intended to ask these questions, but the person sat down looking at her computer and said that I had no problem. I asked a question about my low heart rate, and she had to look on her computer and said to me, “That is a typo, and I will correct it.” She did not tell me how it was a typo or the correct number.” She then said you need to get help elsewhere. At that point I was in tears, and said, “I am sorry for taking up your time. I was only wanting some answers.” She told me I didn’t have to apologize. At that moment I was poor in spirit. I did have questions like “why does my diaphragm get so tight that I can barely breath,” and “why doe I have intense pain under my left ribcage that hurts so bad.” The first one is a constant but most of the time it just requires more effort to make my diaphragm move properly… other times it is stiff, and I have to use my belly to breathe. This can last up to thirty minutes. The second one is the only way I can get it to relax is heat. I will keep seeking until I find the answer.
Why am I saying this? We encounter people every day who are poor in one or another. If we are rude to them, we only increase their poverty. If we brag about what we did to help them, we rob their dignity. It is all about kindness, and kindness begins when we are respectful of their dignity.
Today’s Question:
How do you respect the dignity of others?
Ever in God’s Love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
December 12, 2024
Ruhamah United Methodist Church Bible Verses 