The Christian Thread

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   The Bible is rife with public prayer.  This passage is about not putting on performances of piety:

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.
5“And
 when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray 
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I
 tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6But
 when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your 
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in 
secret, will reward you.
7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.^a’
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
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. 

Being generous and pious in the ancient Near Eastern world was a way of increasing one's honor among the people.  Jesus says not to use giving, prayer, and fasting to increase your own reputation.