Friday 10th May
Read Matthew 6:2-4
“‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NIVUK)
What does it mean to ‘not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’ (v3)? It means that giving should be undertaken altruistically, with no expectation of reward for the one giving – either through potential reciprocal acts or through building up one’s own ego. It means that the only audience (if possible) for your giving should be God.
Evolutionary biologists have worked hard to try and explain the existence of altruism within humanity. A gene that acts in favour of another individual, with no expectation of reward (like giving money or food to the poor), should die out over time. One explanation is that the gene is transferred ‘culturally’ – a culture or society that is altruistic will succeed more than a selfish one. Perhaps it is hardwired into humanity from the very beginning?
Jesus argues that you should hide your giving even from yourself in case vanity creeps in and you feel you are owed a reward in some way. Dietrich Bonhoffer describes this as ‘sounding the death-knell of the ‘old man’’, the self-interested ego that sits within each of us. Imagine building a culture that gave generously? The act of giving should be done such that you are serving God alone from whom nothing can be hidden anyway!
