BibleProject Guide
Warnings About Religious Practices
About
Jesus of Nazareth, one of the most influential people in history, taught that the good life flows out of a right relationship with each other with the Creator of the universe. This is what it means to “do righteousness.” And as we receive and share God’s love, we gain the ultimate treasure of human existence.
In this guide, discover Jesus’ teaching about true righteousness in the context of religious practices, and explore related videos, podcast episodes, and more.
The Danger of Religious Hypocrisy
In Jesus’ day (and still today), people face temptation to perform religious acts like praying, fasting, and giving in order to gain social honor. Their efforts to relate to God are motivated by personal praise or being seen as holy or righteous. So Jesus teaches his followers about that temptation.
These actions might resemble strong devotion to God, and they may even temporarily increase social status or applause. But they bring no lasting reward. Jesus describes this way of doing righteous deeds for social approval as the way of the hupokrites (Greek for “hypocrites”), which referred to actors on a stage. Jesus then focuses on three of the most popular ways to display righteousness before others: praying, fasting, and generous giving.
- Right relating or righteousness
- Religious practices
- Hypocrisy
- Devotion to God
- Generosity to the poor
- Public versus private prayer
- Fasting
Generosity
Jesus begins with the example of generosity by saying:
In Jesus’ culture, public displays of generosity were a way to celebrate God’s generous love, but they could also become a way to promote oneself. So Jesus offers an alternative.
Giving in ways that others cannot see is a foolproof way to ensure your generosity is motivated by love. But Jesus also taught earlier, in the same sermon, that people should not hide their light and good works, letting them shine as an example for others.
So which one does Jesus want us to follow? Both of these behaviors have their place in the good life. And Jesus isn’t offering black and white rules—he’s offering wisdom. It’s our job to discern when to let our good works be seen and when to keep them hidden. All of our actions should be motivated by a desire to bless and care for others. It is then that we will display the real heartbeat of God’s love.
In light of all of these encouragements to live with generosity, Jesus still challenges us to be careful and honest with ourselves. If there’s even a hint of desire for others to see how much we are giving, or whom we’re giving to, it’s probably wise for us to give in secret.
It may be easier if Jesus gave one clear rule. But by giving us this wisdom, Jesus invites us to cultivate a closer relationship with God, trusting that as we learn to operate in his ways with real love for our neighbors, we will know when it is helpful to give in private or more publicly.
Prayer
In his second case study, Jesus makes the same point about praying in public versus praying in private.
In Jesus’ culture, people traditionally prayed the Shema from the Torah every sunrise and sunset. Jesus was also known for his consistent devotion to prayer. However, he never prayed publicly in order to promote himself. Be careful, he says, because even your prayer habits can become a strategy for gaining public favor.
Imagine the temptation to “conveniently” find yourself on a busy street corner when prayer time comes—the perfect moment to show lots of people how serious you are about following God. People may be impressed, seeing your devotion and faithfulness. And if that’s what you’re after, you’ll probably get it! But that’s really all you get. Jesus says there’s a better, more-lasting reward.
Prayer is about spending time with and turning our attention to God. In prayer, we share thoughts and concerns with God, trusting that he always hears and responds in ways that work for our good. One good way to check our motives is to pray when no one can see or hear. But again, this isn’t a static rule but one part of a deeper wisdom. Jesus prayed alone often and also with his followers and in front of large public audiences. Both are important ways of connecting to God, but neither should be done out of motivation for self-promotion.
Fasting
The third case study is focused on fasting.
Fasting is the practice of intentionally refraining from food, drink, or certain actions while inviting God to meet us and sustain us. Fasting is kind of like praying with our bodies, and it’s intended to foster stronger bonds of trust with God. But even fasting can be used as a performance. So Jesus once again advises people to be honest about their motives. He even tells them to clean themselves up while they’re fasting, so they avoid any attempt to garner people’s sympathy by looking exhausted or pained:
Notice that in all three cases, Jesus does not say people should ditch these practices. Instead, he encourages everyone to find creative ways to express devotion so that they don’t treat their love for God like a trophy. Jesus knows his followers will be most effective in the world when they care the least about social status and the most about following in the way of God’s generous love.
Videos
Watch the sixth episode of the Sermon on the Mount series and the related Visual Commentary and Passage Insight videos.
Podcasts
Listen to these episodes from our Sermon on the Mount podcast series.
More Resources
Find BibleProject articles as well as books recommended by our scholar team.
