Thread by @glprater

#GeraldsDevotional
Prayer – Matthew's Subtle Warning about Pride

We noted earlier in this devotional series about prayer that Luke’s account is different from Matthew’s account in subtle ways even though they are describing the same event. Luke was a physician and a detailed historian. He was not even Jewish (was a gentile) and did not always

personally witness what he wrote about. He often conducted interviews and his gospel represents a detailed account of the events based on facts provided by multiple reliable sources. Remember that he included the example of the person who needed bread and came knocking

persistently at his friend’s door at midnight.

But Matthew’s gospel is written describing many of the very same events surrounding Jesus from a very unique perspective. Matthew was Jewish and his gospel has woven all through it the subtle message that “Jesus is LORD, the

promised Messiah” and the arrogant Jewish leaders with their religious traditions are not. You see an element of this in his description of the LORD’s prayer. When we look at the examples that precede and follow Matthew’s description of the model prayer, we see that Matthew is

telling a subtle message to the Jews (and to us today).

In all 3 of these examples (from Matthew 6:1-17), there is a central theme about hypocrisy and the motivation behind everything that we do. Being Jewish himself and understanding what tended to motivate them, Matthew is

quoting the words of Jesus when He warned them NOT to do whatever they did in order to gain attention for themselves and to please people around them.

Although subtle, this message is vitally important because of its connection with the original sin that got Lucifer kicked out

of heaven… pride. It can quickly contaminate and destroy whatever we do because it changes the focus of the glory from being on God to being on ourselves. In these three examples, Matthew is showing how this can happen:

1) When we do good deeds and charitable works for others

2) When we pray, and
3 When we fast.

He says that God knows our hearts and our true motivation. If that motivation is to seek our own glory in THIS world, then that glory (the temporary fool’s gold) will be our only reward. In the end, it will be just dust in the wind. Just as

it was with Jesus when He lived here among us as a man, it is important for us to have a meek and humble spirit in everything that we do. Our true motivation should always be to seek the will of the Lord and to please Him.

Now let’s read and ponder that first example that Jesus

describes at the beginning of Matthew chapter 6.

Do Good to Please God
1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a

trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your

charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. - Matthew 6:1-4
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