Theme: Christian penance as closet piety

Exegetical note
Jesus' (or Matthew's!) criticism here is directed, not at the three types of piety specified (almsgiving, prayer, and fasting), but at what must have been (and probably still is) the irresistible tendency to make these public spectacles for popular approval. The sayings recorded here, therefore, commend a kind of "closet penance," built on the conviction that acts of repentance should be private matters between the individual and God, and not exhibitions for public consumption.

Call to Worship
Leader: Ma…