Matthew 5:16 vs Mathew 6:1-4
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthews 5:16)
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:1-4)
Lights tend to serve as an essential element of life. Lights illuminate ones’ path as they journey toward a destination. Without lights, our life will dissipate. Therefore, a hidden light is a useless light with no value and worthless because it serves no visible purpose. Even during Jesus’ ministry, He used the term light to illuminate the path toward righteousness. He stated, “While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be children of the light.” (John 12:36) In other words, believers serve as lights for others to see the true path toward the Savior. The Savior is the ultimate light; yet, His believers likewise serve as instruments for that light through Kingdom work. Thus the Savior equates Kingdom work in the believers’ life by stating “Let your light so shine before men …” However, in Matthew 6:1-4, the Savior warns believers to avoid Kingdom activities that praises the individuals. Notice, he states, “Take heed that you do not your alms…to be seen…” In other words, your motive for doing righteousness – giving, praying, and fasting – must avoid self-recognition. If you do such for selfish motives or individual incentives, you are demonstrating your worth as a façade with no true substance. Mainly, you become a worthless light because God receives no glory. A true light illuminates God’s glory through Kingdom works while all credits ascend heavenly. Remember, Peter and James were questioned by the religious leaders of that day (Anna the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander) after they performed Kingdom work that consisted of healing the lame man in Acts 4. The religious leaders identified Peter and John as unlearned and ignorant men. However, they also noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus. When the religious leaders acknowledged them as ones who had been in the company with Jesus, they failed the religious litmus but pass as children of the light. Even today, the Savior desires His followers to perform Kingdom work for HIS glory instead earning self-praise. For this reason, the Psalmist encourages us to “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” (Psalms 34:3) Often times we use magnifying lens to enlarge an item for viewing; yet, the items remains the same size. By doing Kingdom works in our daily lives no matter the sizes of the work, it will magnify the God. Kingdom works consist of sitting with the elderly, running an errand for a sick person, or sending a text message to encourage someone. Ultimately, as children of the light, we want others to see God through us rather than seeing ourselves shine in their eyes. Remember, our light must magnify God and God only.