One day, Jesus taught His disciples a lesson about giving (Mark 12:41–44). They were watching people put donations into the temple treasury box. Rich people were making sure people saw them putting in large amounts of money. Then a poor widow put in two small coins. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
This widow gave generously from what she had, trusting the Lord to take care of her needs. That’s the principle behind Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6, although He comes at the issue from another direction.
Jesus teaches that those who give large amounts of money in a showy manner for human admiration will receive no reward from the Lord (vv. 1–2). When such people toot their own horn, so to speak, honor from other people is the only reward they’ll ever receive. They’re hypocrites, not giving for the sake of obedience or righteousness but merely to look good in front of others. The term “hypocrite” refers to actors with masks, pretending to be what they’re not. Similarly, these givers are exhibiting only false devotion, not genuine godliness.
Instead, we should give “in secret,” the exact opposite (vv. 3–4). “Give” in these verses is literally “give alms,” which is why the NIV translates verse 2 as “give to the needy.” This kind of giving leads to a reward from God, which is more valuable than any human reward could ever be. It shows that the giving, which is clearly expected as routine from all citizens of the kingdom, is being done with right motives, namely, to obey and please the Lord.
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