Our Reward

This text has the aroma of the New Covenant all over it. Jesus, as he taught in the previous chapter, expects his followers' righteousness to exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. And perhaps the main distinction between his servants, in contrast to the "righteousness" of the religious, is the motive that fuels such behavior.

The religious leaders do so for attention; for public acclaim. They do so to further solidify their self-righteous hold on social power, intimidating the "commoner." Christ's followers carry out deeds of compassion and worship without themselves in mind. It is for the glory of God and the joy of others, it is as though Jesus is saying in this text.

Sadly, some preachers have perverted Jesus' words here into a prooftext for their beloved and adulterated prosperity gospel. They assume that Jesus implied material blessings when he talked about a reward in this text. But it seems clear to me that Jesus is contrasting the receipt of empty praise from men with receiving affirmation from our great God.

This righteousness is, of course, founded upon a greater righteousness - an imputed righteousness from God that was secured for us in Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Faith in his righteousness means that we receive the ultimate reward from God. We are "declared righteous" (Rom. 5:1 HCSB). This reward is far greater than any human adulation and certainly greater than worldly prosperity.

Created 12 months ago