I have a question: What do you think of prayer? When you pray, do you pray with purpose and confidence? I ask this because prayer is integral to our partnership with the Lord – and not least in our gospel promotion.

In Luke chapter 9 we read that Jesus sent out the twelve on a mission to Jewish people. And, in chapter 10 we learn that he sent out seventy to both the Jewish and non-Jewish peoples. He not only wanted the disciples to know that the news of the kingdom of God is for all people, but also wanted them to understand they weren’t sufficient in number to do the work by themselves.

Even seventy would not be enough. The first task for the disciples was to pray for colleagues: “The harvest is plentiful,” Jesus said, “but the labourers are few; pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). Prayer is essential if we want to play our part in fulfilling Jesus’s mandate to make disciples of all nations.

In this third in the series, ‘God’s Great Passion’, let’s focus on prayer, especially as it relates to gospel mission.

In Luke chapter 11, verses 2 through 13 we read memorable and significant words from Jesus on the subject of prayer. He not only teaches the disciples a ‘model’ prayer which we call, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’, but he also makes three very specific promises found in verses 9 and 10: “Ask, and it will be given you; Seek, and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Furthermore, on either side of these promises he uses two parables or metaphors to answer two questions we sometimes ask: ‘Can God be trusted to hear our prayers?’ (verses 5-8); and second, ‘Can I trust God to have my best interests at heart?’ (verses 11-13).

In verses 5-8 Luke records Jesus’s parable, often known as ‘The Friend at Midnight’. The parable falls into the category of sayings that have an underlying, unspoken question: ‘Can you imagine…?’ ‘Can you imagine a man talking like this to a friend in need?’ Jesus asks.

The key to understanding the parable is found in the word in verse 8 usually translated: impudence’ or boldness. Let me suggest this is one place where our English translations are unhelpful.

The late Dr. Kenneth Bailey brought new and helpful insights to the parables from his work in the Middle-East. He pointed out that the word translated boldness or persistence in verse 8, is a composite. In its basic form the noun has a negative meaning: shame. However, when a prefix is added, as here, there is an important shift to a positive meaning: avoidance of shame.

A careful reading of verses 7 and 8 reveals that the pronouns me and my in verse 7 refer to the householder who is in bed, not the man knocking at the door. Furthermore, the flow of verse 7 into verse 8 and the pronouns he and his, also refer to the householder.

The syntax and the narrative impact of the story has the sleeper in bed as the focus – not the man who is knocking on the door. If the sleeper, the householder, refused to get up and act, he would bring shame to his name.

The unwritten laws of mid-eastern hospitality, which are an important sub-text of the parable, required a man to get up and help a neighbour in need. If he didn’t, not only would he be shamed, he would also bring dishonor to the whole village community.

‘Can you imagine,’ Jesus is asking, ‘anyone saying to a neighbour in need, even at midnight, ‘Get lost. Don’t disturb me’?

In this parable Jesus illustrates an important line in his model prayer: Father, hallowed or honored be your name … In the parable Jesus tells us that it is God’s very nature to hear and respond to our prayers. If he didn’t, he would bring shame to his name.

God’s honour, God’s integrity, God’s name is at the heart of the way he will not only hear but he will also act. Central to the prayers of Moses and Daniel is the humble but bold request that God will act for the sake of the honor of his name (Numbers 14:13-19; Daniel 9:3-19).

When we begin a prayer relationship with God the Father we open the door to untold blessings. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened for you,” Jesus promises (verses 9-10).

‘Can we trust God to give us good things, or is he fickle?’ we might ask. Jesus anticipated our question and assures us that God not only listens, but always has our best interests at heart. Two metaphors illustrate this.

In verse 11 Jesus says: ‘The most violent thief can be kind to his son and the most mercenary-minded father can be generous to his daughter. Is God any less open-handed?’ Jesus asks.

And in verse 12 he addresses our concern about God’s goodness with an illustration from good parenting. Parents don’t give their children things that are bad for them. We need to trust that God is good and wise in the way he responds to our prayers. He is neither capricious nor malicious and will not spoil us with over-indulgence. Just as a loving father will give good gifts wisely to his children, God uses his discretion as to how and when he will act in answering our prayers.

Prayer is a precious privilege. It brings us into the presence of the God who is at the heart of the universe. CS Lewis observed, ‘God has so ordered the governance of the universe to include our prayers’.

God is a father who loves to give. “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Jesus concluded (11:13).

Why did Jesus raise the subject of the Holy Spirit here? In the sweep of Luke’s narrative, we see Jesus was anticipating the great gift of his Spirit following his resurrection and ascension.

His Spirit opens our minds to hear God’s voice through his Word; his Spirit opens our hearts to God and enables us to call him ‘Father’; his Spirit opens our lives to God and empowers us to trust him and to follow him.

To return to Jesus’s words in Luke chapter 10, why don’t we pray more consistently for the promotion of the gospel, for the raising up of colleagues? The fields are ready for harvest. Ask, seek, knock.

In Luke chapter 19, verse 10 Jesus says that he came to seek and to save the lost. Think of God’s passion for the lost and the cost it was for him to pardon and deliver us from our self-centered lives.

Let me encourage you to pray for five people you would like to see come to know the Lord. If you will allow me a personal note, the task is simple: you can pass on a copy of The Jesus Story: Seven Signs. The link is in the banner below.

Prayer. Let your merciful ears, Lord God, be open to the prayers of your people; and so that we may obtain our petitions, teach and direct us to ask such things as will please you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

© John G. Mason

Today’s ‘Word on Wednesday’ is adapted from my book, Luke: An Unexpected God, 2nd Edition (Aquila: 2019)

In the light of Dr. George Barna’s Reports in February and March this year, I am touching on Bible references that have been foundational and inspirational for me.

The Barna Report in February revealed, “that while 71% of adults” (in America) “believe in the existence of one or more gods or spiritual authorities, far fewer said they believe in the existence and influence of Jesus Christ (59%) or the God of the Bible (40%). Barely half of all adults (54%) said they worship or follow Jesus Christ with only one-third (34%) saying they worship or follow the God of the Bible”.

In this second week in the series, ‘God’s Great Passion’, let me take up another reference that is significant in my ministry: Matthew chapter 28, verses 18-20. In verse 18 we read that the resurrected Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”.

Jesus’s words reveal the supreme power and authority over the universe, the whole created order, that has been given to him. He is far superior to all earthly human authority and power that has existed or will exist – be it a president or prime minister, monarch or governor. He is, as we read twice in the Book of Revelation, King of kings and Lord of lords (17:14, 19:16).

On the day of which Matthew speaks, the disciples stood before the High King of the universe. In his words that follow, Jesus set out what we might call his royal mandate: his disciples were to go and as they did, they were to make disciples …

The form of the verb go in the original language is significant: it is an imperative, present participle. It implies that the disciples are to go out, not simply stand still or sit around discussing recent events. They were to go and make disciples of all nations, …

From its outset, Christianity is missional and international. Its message is not just for the Jewish people. All peoples can be beneficiaries of the ministry of the apostles, that is the disciples who were now sent (hence apostles, from the original Greek). We may be Jewish or African, Asian, or European. Jesus offers to all people throughout the world, throughout time, the full and free benefits of his work.

But to be beneficiaries we need to learn of his goodness and beauty, his greatness and his selfless love. We need to be introduced to him and discover just who he is and what he has so wonderfully done for us.

Furthermore, his people are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In using the singular word name, Jesus is telling us that three persons constitute the one God. Everyone who is baptized is to be instructed, not only in God’s existence, but also his triune nature.

Baptism is the outward mark of a changed attitude towards Jesus Christ and our relationship with God. It signifies our identity with Jesus, in dying to sin and rising to new life with him – as we read in Romans chapter 6, verses 3 and 4.

Furthermore, there is another element to Jesus’s royal mandate: disciples are not only to be baptized, but also instructed in the faith. They are to be taught about Jesus: who he is and what he has done and in turn, the new lifestyle he expects of his people.

The central theme of Jesus’ teaching is that God’s king has come into the world in person. In this age of mercy, he calls on all men and women everywhere to turn to him, the true king, in repentance and in faith, asking forgiveness for the past, and responding to him with love and loyalty.

Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 is Jesus’s very clear commission for the disciples to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing and teaching them. To follow the logic of this, because the apostles would die, the expectation would be that those whom they had discipled, would in turn disciple others in accordance with the apostles’ teaching. Here is the biblical meaning of apostolic succession: ministry that passes on the gospel that Jesus’s apostles proclaimed together with their teaching. It is not the ‘succession of bishops’.

Three themes become evident in the closing scene of Matthew’s Gospel: the King, the Royal Mandate, and thirdly, our task. Every generation is called upon not only to respond to the apostolic gospel and teaching, but also to continue the work of making disciples, who in turn make disciples.

Because the Lord Jesus has all authority, his mandate to make disciples guarantees his own involvement and success in rescuing the lost sheep of the world. His power through the Holy Spirit assures us of this. And so he calls on us to pray and to work as he catches us up in God’s great story.

On this point Jesus’s concluding promise here is so encouraging: “Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (28:20). Our English translation always masks a Greek expression that we find only here. It means the whole of every day. Jesus promises to be with us as we make disciples, the whole of every day to the very end of the age. We are not alone.

Making disciples who become disciple-makers is central to our work. Disciple-making ministries build God’s new society. God’s people who are progressing in the faith will increasingly want to know and honor the Lord in their lives, serving him in serving others – in their needs and with the gospel.

In today’s world this is challenging, but we don’t need to be fearful. First Peter chapter 3, verse 15 says: … always be prepared to give an answer for the hope (or the faith) that you have in Jesus Christ. And Colossians 4:6 says, Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Let me encourage you to pray for three to five people you would love to see come to know the Lord Jesus. And as you do, let me suggest that you will find, sometimes unexpectedly, an opportunity to open up a conversation about the faith. You don’t need to say much. Indeed, if you will pardon a personal note, you may find it helpful to pass on to them a copy of The Jesus Story: Seven Signs. It takes about an hour to read. You can purchase copies through the link in the banner below.

Prayer. Lord Christ, eternal Word and Light of the Father’s glory: send your light and your truth so that we may both know and proclaim your word of life, to the glory of God the Father; for you now live and reign, God for all eternity. Amen.

© John G. Mason

In a report released this week, Dr George Barna wrote that ‘Americans are increasingly minimizing the role and influence of God in their lives—with a minority of only 40% who believe He exists or influences human lives.

‘As a result, fewer American adults put God at the center of their lives, view their relationship with Him as important, or rely on Him for daily guidance.

‘This shift removing God from the center of American life is being seen inside the church, with the role of God becoming less important to people of faith. But the findings also indicate this shift is bringing a dramatic loss of reliance on God among Americans generally’ (Dr. George Barna, Director of Research, Cultural Research Center, Arizona: March 12, 2025).

Given that authentic ministry is grounded in the ministry of God’s Word, during this season of Lent let me identify some texts that have been foundational and inspirational.

Today, let me focus on Exodus chapter 24 – The God Who Rescues.

Background. We learn from Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, that God created men and women in his image: we are the glory of his creating work. However, tragedy entered in chapter 3, for Adam and Eve wilfully chose to ignore God’s specific command and attempted to usurp his place in creation. From that moment humanity became the shame of God’s creation.

God could have decided to destroy humanity and start again. But that would have been an admission of failure. Rather, he chose to follow a rescue plan, at great cost to himself, that was part of his creation plan.

We get a preview of this in the heavenly conversation that took place on Day 6 of creation. In the opening words of Genesis chapter 1, verse 26 we read: Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness…”

At this point in the creation narrative the style of the language changes and we sense a break between the creation of the animals and the creation of men and women. It is as though there was a pre-cosmic pause while a conversation took place within the Godhead where a question was discussed: ‘Will we do it?’ The language, ‘Let us…’, implies the question, ‘Will we go ahead with this next and final part of creation? The cost will be great.’

In the New Testament, in his Letter to the Philippians, chapter 2 verse 6, Paul the Apostle opens another window on this pre-cosmic conversation. He tells us that the Second Person of the Godhead made a personal choice to follow through the plan that had been set before creation. Jesus’s coming amongst us as one of us, his crucifixion and resurrection, were not God’s Plan B but key elements in God’s Plan A!

To return to Exodus chapter 24. In verses 1, 9 and 11, we learn that such is God’s nature, it is his delight to rescue us from our guilt and shame and open the way for us to share in his glory, as we read in verses 16 and 17. In Exodus chapter 24 there are echoes of Genesis chapter 3 where Adam is described as walking in the garden with God.

And there are further developments in Exodus chapter 24 that we overlook; the chapter speaks of our not just being with God, but feasting with him and enjoying his presence.

Too often our thinking about our relationship with God is limited to forgiveness and salvation. Exodus chapters 24 through 39 reverberate with the language of ‘glory’ and God being with his people. It is an anticipation of the parable of the wedding banquet that we find in Luke chapter 14, but more specifically and grandly, the scene in Revelation chapter 21.

Furthermore, Exodus chapter 24 verses 3 and 12 spell out what our relationship with God should come to look like; Moses is called upon to write up and declare the ordinances and commandments of the Lord.

With this, another important theme opens up. The Bible is not just a record of God’s redemption: it is the instrument of his rescue. It is not enough to read the Bible. We need to understand that God speaks to us personally through his written, self-revelation. His Word opens the window for us as to what it will be like to know him and to be with him. We ignore God or treat him casually at our peril.

Exodus chapter 24 reveals another great theme: How God Rescues. We can only enjoy God’s promises when the consequences of our transgression have been removed. So in terms of the old covenant, Moses was told to splash in two directions, the blood of perfect animals that had been sacrificed – against the altar, symbolizing the satisfying of God’s justice (24:6) and over the people (24:8) symbolizing the covering of their sin.

Some twelve hundred years later at the Passover meal on the night of his arrest, Jesus said, “This is my blood of the new covenant that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 22:19-20).

God’s mercy and forgiveness are not cheap. Christ the righteous suffered for the unrighteous so that God might see us as having the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The gospel of the New Testament is foreshadowed in Exodus chapter 24: it is the good news of God’s redemption.

It is essential that we keep God’s gospel front and center in Christian ministry today. Let me say, it is being forgotten or seriously challenged in many churches. If we lose the gospel as God has revealed it in his Word, we have no grounds for hope.

If we turn to God in the way he has designed and implemented, we will discover freedom, joy and the hope of glory.

If you will allow me a personal note, let me mention my newly released book, The Jesus Story: Seven Signs.

Given the interest in the stories of people’s lives today, I have sought to tell Jesus’s story with a focus on his works – signs as John the Gospel writer calls them. Following the order of the seven signs in the Gospel, I endeavor to retell each story in a way that sets out the scene and interacts with questions people might have today.

Copies can be purchased from Amazon using the link in the banner below. Proceeds from sales in 2025 are being used for the Anglican Connection ministry.

My prayer is that as you pray for family and friends you might find it helpful to purchase 3-5 copies of The Jesus Story: Seven Signs, to pass on to others who don’t know what to believe, at an appropriate moment. You may want to start by purchasing one copy to read yourself.

Prayer. Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of your holy word. May it be a lantern to our feet, a light to our paths, and strength to our lives. Take us and use us to love and serve all people in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

© John G. Mason

It’s often said, we have only one life to live! We need to live it well.’

How many people really believe this? Most people have a sneaking suspicion that there is more to life – that death is not the end of our existence.

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity commented, If I find in myself desires which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

Come with me to a significant question that Jesus put to his close followers. We read it in Mark 8:28: “Who do people say that I am?” he asked.

Up to this point, Mark tells us, Jesus’ followers seemed dull and obtuse in their understanding of him. They had seen first-hand his power and authority when he had healed the sick, commanded the powers of evil, and even raised the dead to life.

On one occasion they had been in a boat with him when a sudden storm threatened their very lives. When they cried out in fear, he calmed the tempest at a word. “Have you no faith?” he’d asked them. They saw his many miracles and they heard his teaching, yet they still didn’t understand.

Let’s think about this. Most of us have seen pictures that have two perspectives. We look at the drawing one way and we see a vase. We look at it another way and we see a face.

Sometimes we can look at a picture like this for hours and only see one thing. The second perspective remains hidden. Then we blink our eyes or turn our head and look back, and there the second perspective is. We wonder why we didn’t see it before. Psychologists call this a Gestalt phenomenon. It comes from the German word meaning shape or pattern.

The phenomenon can’t be broken up into logical stages. We can’t get half-way. It’s all or nothing. We either see the second perspective or we don’t.

Opinions about Jesus are a little like this. There have been times when I have talked with people for hours about him – answering questions, making points, developing the case that Jesus is who he claimed to be. Yet often they don’t see what is so obvious to me.

The ability to recognize the uniqueness of Jesus is an insight. We can’t organise it. It’s a perception we must have. It comes, not as a conclusion to a logical argument, but as a gift.

In the same way that people can be perplexed by picture puzzles, the disciples couldn’t make proper sense of Jesus.

Then came a critical moment. Jesus had taken them away to Caesarea Philippi. “Who do people say that I am?” he asked. Mark tells us they cited the popular perceptions: some say you’re Elijah, others, John the Baptist, and others, one of prophets.

It was obvious to everyone that Jesus was someone very impressive, but there had been impressive people before. The general consensus seems to have been that Jesus belonged to the group of great ones in Israel’s history.

But Jesus was not content with this, “What about you?”. He pressed them: “Who do you say that I am?”

Suddenly, Peter seems to have got it. He’d probably thought about it before, but it was too crazy for words. But now the penny had dropped and his blurred vision cleared. Jesus wasn’t just a prophet. He was the One the prophets had foreshadowed.

We can almost hear a click as Peter saw this new perspective. “You are the Christ”, he said.

How did Peter work this out? Was it the outcome of reasoned research? No. The moment of insight came, as it does for every true believer – out of the blue. It wasn’t a deduction or a discovery. It was revelation!

And there was something else: inspiration! The ministry of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 16:17 we read Jesus’ words: “… Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”

It is here that we find the key to the meaning of life. To see that Jesus is no mere man but God in the flesh, is to see that there is much more to life than what we experience now. For to understand that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Messiah, God’s eternal Son who has set aside his true glory and become one of us, opens our minds and hearts to a hope and a joy that satisfies our deepest longings.

As we reflect on these deep matters of life we see that there is something mysterious in the way God opens our eyes. As we come to know the Jesus of the Gospel records, we come to realize that there are critical moments when we are conscious that Jesus is personally asking us: “Who do you say that I am?”

How do we experience this? We don’t have the advantage of having Jesus with us in the flesh. But we do have the reliable accounts from those who did meet him or had verified their record with eyewitnesses (Luke) – the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And we note that the account about Jesus is not written up by only one man, but four!

Many people are aware that there is more to life than our material existence. Without that hope, life offers little purpose for most people.

We often forget that God’s Spirit uses his Word to touch and transform lives – opening their eyes to who Jesus really is, convicting them of going their own way rather than God’s way, and bringing them to a ‘Gestalt moment’. However God doesn’t act in a vacuum. He gives us the privilege of working with him in his ministry of mercy to which he is passionately committed.

Will you join with me in praying that the Lord will be pleased to renew his people with the vision of reaching the lost, so that many others might come to know and love Jesus Christ as their Lord and their God – through experiencing a life-changing Gestalt moment?

Prayer. Lord Christ, eternal Word and Light of the Father’s glory: send your light and your truth so that we may both know and proclaim your word of life, to the glory of God the Father; for you now live and reign, God for all eternity. Amen.

© John G. Mason

No-one likes a hypocrite – someone who says one thing and does another. I’m not talking about times when we fall short of the Lord’s expectations of us. I’m referring to the general disposition of someone whose professed faith is hollow.

A hypocrite – an English word derived from the Greek, hypokrisis – means actor.

In Matthew 6:1 Jesus warns: “Beware of practising your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

Earlier in his Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven…” Now he is saying, “Beware of practising your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them,..”

In both places he is talking about being seen by others. At first glance his words seem to be contradictory. Is he inconsistent? No.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus begins his sermon on the Mount with what we call the Beatitudes – qualities of lives blessed by God. Jesus also says that his followers are to be salt and light in the world and he goes on to exemplify what this looks like in areas of anger and lust, truth-speaking, retaliation, and prayer for enemies.

Now in Matthew chapter 6 he is saying that our faith doesn’t entitle us to promote ourselves. There’s all the difference in the world between honoring God in our lives and wanting to make a name for ourselves.

These days we may not win popularity for our faith in the wider community. However, it can be a different story within the church. Preachers and church leaders, musicians and generous givers can generate acclaim if they work at it. And social media networks can promote it.

But with three examples in his Sermon, Jesus warns against a faith that has no substance. John Stott commented, ‘Our good works must be public so that our light shines; our religious devotions must be secret lest we boast about them.’

Giving. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others,” Jesus says (6:2).

Giving to the ministry of God’s Word and providing assistance for those in need is biblical. Writing on Godly and responsible giving in 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul the Apostle says: For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might be rich.

However, when we give so that others know what we are doing, whether in the street or in the synagogue, whether in church or at a charity function, we are being hypocritical. It’s not the kind of giving that honors God, because it is motivated by self-interest. This is a reason why for decades the names of living benefactors were not on plaques in church buildings.

Jesus is saying that hypocrites give in order to be honored by those around them. ‘And’, he says, “I tell you they have their reward” (6:2).

Jesus uses a telling metaphor that the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing. No one, apart from God, should know about our giving. He will see our true motives: our real concern to support gospel ministry and to care for the needy. Such giving will be rewarded by our heavenly Father, Jesus says.

Prayer. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward…” (6:5).

To be invited to lead the prayers in the synagogue was a mark of distinction, especially as the leader prayed in front of everyone. Jesus knows how easy it is for anyone leading prayer in church to focus on themselves, their presence, the theological and literary quality of their prayer – even the tone of their voice, rather than truly addressing God.

Now Jesus isn’t saying that prayer must always be in secret. He and his disciples attended services in the Temple and synagogue. Prayer in public is not the issue: it is our attitude. However, there is something special about prayer in private. It reveals who we really are – including the fact that we pray! Prayer in the privacy of our room will be more honest and genuine. We are less likely to focus on self. It’s the kind of prayer God hears and blesses.

Fasting. “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show to others that they are fasting… (6:16).  Fasting was one of the characteristics of Jewish devotional life and was particularly observed on special days, such as the Day of Atonement.

With his words, “whenever you fast …” Jesus assumes there will be times when his followers will fast – as we read in Acts 13:2-3. Fasting was typically associated with a time for reflection with a Bible open and repentant prayer. Fasting can be a helpful self-discipline, prompting us to focus on God without distraction.

But once again Jesus warns: “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show to others that they are fasting…” There is to be no ostentation, perhaps through whitewashing the face or using ashes or earth on the face. Rather, Jesus says, use oil to brighten the face – again not ostentatiously. We are not to show or tell others what we are doing: it is between us and God.

In verse 1 Jesus warns: “Beware of practising your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven,” And with each of the warnings against hypocrisy he contrasts two types of reward: the applause of others or the reward from your Father who is in heaven.

In verse 9, the first words of the prayer he teaches his followers to pray are: “Our Father …”

All God’s people throughout time, no matter their race or their status in life, are invited to call the creator of the vast and complex universe, “Father”.  It’s an extraordinary privilege, far, far greater than we ever imagined or dreamed.

Jesus’ words about giving, prayer and fasting are humbling. Doing the right thing before God, living with integrity before the Lord, must never become confused with play-acting spirituality, pious ostentation. Jesus challenges us to ask, ‘Who am I trying to please?’

Honest answers to this question can produce the most disquieting results. How many of us would want to hear God’s chilling verdict: “Hypocrite!”

The story is told of an occasion when the esteemed philosopher CEM Joad of London University was asked by a visitor at a College high table, ‘Tell me, Dr Joad, what do you think of God?’ To which he replied, ‘My greater concern is what God thinks of me’.

What reward are you looking for in life – approval of people you know or the secret blessing of the Lord that will one day be shouted from the rooftops?

Prayer. Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts, so that we, lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  (BCP, Ash Wednesday)

© John G. Mason