Lectionary Readings: Year A, Ash Wednesday

Just recently I ran across a comment by a priest on an internet forum, who said that the one day that has almost as high an attendance as Christmas and Easter is Ash Wednesday. He found it ironic that this scripture, which repeats the line “and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” is read on the one day that some people come to service so that they have a visible mark on their forehead that tells the whole world that they did, in fact, go to church. 

In a sense, Jesus was using this passage to poke fun at us. In it, we’ve got the people who make a big show of giving money to those who need it, so that they will be recognized for their generosity. We’ve got the people who make a big deal about their prayers, making sure that people know just how righteous they are when they pray for things that make them sound supremely spiritual. And, we’ve got people who are fasting, who make sure to look the part, and tell everyone how hungry they are for the sake of drawing nearer to God.

Jesus is poking fun. Not just poking fun at those who do these things, but poking fun at those of us who have had the same idea of displaying our righteousness publicly so people will think well of us. It’s intended to get us to laugh at ourselves, and consider that sometimes, our motivations aren’t as pure as we would like to think they are, and that sometimes, we just want other people to think well of us.

In Matthew’s gospel, we run across the word “hypocrite” when it talks about those who pray in public. This word in the Greek, that is translated as “hypocrites” is actually the word for “stage actors.” That’s right. Actors. The link between stage actors and hypocrites is pretty clear if you look at what hypocrites do. A hypocrite will look you in the eye and tell you the one thing that they consider to be their highest priority in life, and they will speak with passion about how to accomplish these things. They will proclaim from the rooftops that others have to live their lives according to the same standards that they profess, and they will judge those who don’t live up … All while they don’t actually do any of those things.

In essence, they are acting. They are getting into the mind of someone who truly believes, and they are professing what they think that person would say. But, they are only acting. And when the audience is gone, when the audience is no longer watching, then they do as they please. Which generally has nothing to do with what they said.

And as long as they can keep up the act, then, as the Gospel says, “they have received their reward.” If it is the accolades and praise of people they want, then they will have received what they were looking for. If what they are trying to do is to “look good” to all the people around them, and if they have managed it, then by all means, let them rejoice in “looking good,” because that is their reward.

But this is neither the purpose of Lent, nor the desire of God for our lives. This passage in the Gospel of Matthew tells us that what we do, we ought to do in secret. Not for the accolades of others, but for the love of God, who sees in secret, and who will reward us. These words of Jesus are intended to get us to laugh at ourselves, because we should all be able to see the desire in ourselves to “look good” to others. And if we don’t see that in ourselves, we may not be in on the joke yet. 

In Lent, we are to turn our judgements not outward, but inward, and question ourselves and why we do the things we do. Are we motivated by those things that bring about the Kingdom of God in this world? Are we motivated by the Good News of Christ, and the joys of our salvation, the love of God and the love of our neighbor? Or are we motivated by the things of this world? Things like fame, fortune, and influence?

Now. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that any of the things of this world are inherently wrong. It is the direction of our hearts that Jesus is concerned about. This Gospel passage today comes at the tail end of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus says things like, ‘You have heard it said … but I say to you.” And in each case he takes away this view of what is considered right and what is considered wrong, and presents us with another option. Rather than doing things out of the fear of punishment, or the anticipation of reward, we are to do them from a place of compassion, and a love for God and our neighbors. And, we are to do them, whether or not we receive any public recognition for what we do.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. We spend this season of penitence seeking to understand ourselves in the light of God’s mercy and grace, and what our response to that mercy and grace should be. We spend this season looking for ways to further God’s kingdom, and ways that God can receive the glory for what we do.

And maybe we can learn to laugh at ourselves just a bit when we recognize that we are trying to be rewarded, not by God, who rewards us in secret, but by others, who see our public behavior, and shower us with praise.