Matthew 6:1
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
This is the probable site of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Jesus offers several ways in which we who follow him must not practice our faith. He calls us to a different religious practice than what one might imagine. For Jesus it is not the big giver, the eloquent pray-er, or the fervent intercessor who is the ideal. He holds up one who gives without counting the cost, one who goes into his closet to pray, and one who prays simply, “Our Father who art in heaven…”
Jesus’ heros of faith are not the ones who makes a show of faith; but rather the one who shows her faith in simple words and acts of kindness and grace.
This is admittedly a challenge for a professional church worker such as myself. My thought goes immediately to the need for people to witness to their faith in words – explicitly naming Jesus as the One in whose name we serve, love, help, and seek to bless. But Jesus says external folderol and religious trappings are not the truest faith. We seek to honor God alone, even to the point of believing that he alone is the One who matters in our faith’s expression.
It might be that I need to re-examine my assumptions about truth faith. Rather than making my orthodoxy the outward expression of my faith, I must seek more and more to love my neighbor in real and – dare I say it! – non-religious ways. Rather than impressing others by my great preaching, or beautiful church building, I want to honor God by sincere listening, caring, and compassion.
This comes home to me after driving through the orthodox area of Jerusalem. Here the Jewish people have a clear witness in their manner of dress and strict observance of the Sabbath. While I’m not ready to say that such outward expressions of the faith are wrong, I do believe that the difference Jesus calls us to is not outward appearance or action. A poorly-dressed man who loves his wife, works honestly, and prays faithfully has a greater reward than those who make a show of faith in outward dress and religious practice.
Matthew 6:1-15
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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