Matthew 6:1-4
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"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 honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

The Jews practiced their faith through three types of training: charity, prayer, and fasting. These trainings were a very important method for them to reach a state of piety. However, Jesus points out problems that can arise as believers practice these trainings in faith. As we listen to the word of Jesus, we should strive to practice these trainings of faith (charity, prayer, and fasting) in the proper way.

The first point that Jesus speaks about deals with charity in which there is an expectation of receiving a reward. Jesus said, "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them." Jesus is saying not to do good acts with the intent of boasting about them. If we do, Jesus tells us that we will have no reward from our Father in heaven.

When we do acts of righteousness, they should be done with no expectation of reward. If we do charity only to be seen by people, then no reward can be given from our God. This is, because the motive is wrong. Jesus declared two thousands years ago that those who wish to truly help others should expect no reward in return. When you are helping someone with an expectation of reward, then it is not proper charity.

When we help people, we must check whether we have these wrong motives in us as well. We must check what kind of heart we have as we give charity.

Likewise, this applies to the way we practice our faith everyday. Our faith must not be in a form where we expect to receive blessing in compensation for acting holy. It is ture that if you walk the path of faith, you will receive rewards and blessings. However, if you walk the path of faith only to receive rewards, then that faith is in danger of deviating. Only expecting to receive reward is not true faith.

In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, these words of Jesus carry components of judgment. We must make sure not to have faith that only wants reward. This is something God doesn't want to see, and we should not want to practice our faith in this way.

It is not beautiful when you see someone posting their pictures, boasting about their deeds. That is not beautiful at all. As we live, we still act this way. It is crucial to correct this in our path of faith. This is what Jesus is pointing out in today's main passage. Jesus said not to do 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them, or for reward. We must not be people who do good works with these wrong motives.

Matthew 6:16-18
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

- Do not look somber

As the third spiritual piety and training, Jesus talked about fasting. Fasting is regarded as an expression and a confession of faith. To show their dependence only on God and His "spiritual food", believers practice fasting in their walk of faith. Instead of concentrating on the physical, it is putting their focus on their spirit. It is showing one's desire to abandon all their sinful past through death (fasting) and to live again a new life.

The Jews constantly fasted and kept piety within their faith. However, as Jesus saw how hypocritically the Jews fasted, he scolded them by saying, "hen you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do."

When the Jews fasted, they tore their clothes and covered themselves with ash. Ash symbolizes disaster, and when ash covered their whole bodies, it made the Jews' appearance seem wretched. Jews fasted saying, "Please forgive this pitiful one who is worthy of disaster." They appeared to be so sorrowful and pitiful. It looked as if the Jews were sincerely fasting.

However, Jesus said that when you fast, do not look somber. Many times, the Jews didn't fast to repent before God and to return back to Him. Rather, their fasting was based upon how people would view them. Fasting became hypocritical. They simply looked somber to look good before other men. Jesus commanded that we do not fast simply to show others our wretched appearance. If you fast hypocritically, trying to suggest torturous pain, then the true fasting loses its meaning and its value.

- Receive rewards from heaven

It feels awkward to be around people who fast and complain about how hard it is. Believers fast in order to abandon their shameful sins and flaws. However, if somebody fasts with the intention to boast before others, this is not the based on the right foundation. Jesus said, "They have received their reward in full." Instead of trying to look absolutely pitiful, Jesus told people to put oil on their head and to wash their face when they fast.

As we fast, We must pray with the following attitude: “Lord, I know your heart hurts as you see me going through hunger and suffering. However God, please don't worry. I will bravely endure.” If we have this attitude when we fast, then God will accept our fasting with greater joy even though He has a scarred heart.

Our fasting and prayer should comfort God. After we are done with fasting, we should meditate on God's comfort. He has protected us and suffered with us in the midst of our pain. We should be able to remember the heart of God who was groaning and suffering together with us because of His love for us. Through fasting, we need to know the heart of God in depth. Fasting is an opportunity to share a deeper relationship with God.

Jesus said, "God sees what is done in secret." It's that He will later reward us with comfort and mercy. Do we have false images of charity, prayer or fasting? Jesus wants us to deeply look inside of ourselves. When we have piety stemming from a proper heart and thoughts, then the true power of piety will be revealed to us.