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Here is a dare that, if you accept, may be hard to accomplish: Show me an online video of generosity that was truly spontaneous. Most, if not all, videos of some hero delivering relief to a needy person have been pre-coordinated, including the “camera guy” who conveniently and perfectly picks up the sights and sounds of a seemingly random act of kindness. The act may be kind (from the recipient’s standpoint) but may also be deeply self-serving for the one “caught” in the act of service.

Let me make one caveat: There are some who have YouTube channels whose sole purpose is to film and produce generous work. Their online industry is producing videos for entertainment – not necessarily as a self-congratulatory self-pat-on-the-back. Their channel is their full-time job.

Let me also make another caveat: This world needs more generosity. Whether kindness is genuine or an ego-boosting mechanism, the recipient is blessed. Even self-serving generosity is generosity to someone.

So, how does Jesus say we should go about showing  generosity? Look no further than the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:

“Beware of practicing 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. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4 ESV)

Notice that Jesus did not say -carte blanche - to never give in public. While he urges us to give in secret as a practice of our Christian faith, he concerns his address with the reward-driven motives of our heart. Here are two quick points we can glean from this passage:

  1. Do not be hypocritical with public giving.

Notice that, in context, Jesus uses the Pharisees as an example of how not to give. Jesus constantly refers to this religious faction as “hypocrites.” They already have religious status in their culture. Nonetheless, they are attempting to add the admiration of onlookers on top of their positional status. They oppress the poor behind the scenes (Mark 12:40) while trying to save their public image by making public shows of occasional benevolence.

Jesus says to not be like that. Your giving should not be an attempt to show that you are a good person when you are not a good person. Such a thing lies at the heart of hypocrisy. Jesus is interested in his disciples developing a habit of giving from a pure and humble heart. He is simply not impressed by the hero who tries to cover their inner ugliness and off-camera sin by pretending to be sympathetic as a public spectacle.

  1. Do not be ego-driven by public giving.

Jesus then turns the lesson upon the inner motivations of the giver. There is a certain euphoria we all get when we provide relief to someone in need. That euphoria can be a thrill that we seek for purposes of ego, or as a salve for parts of our lives that remain in disrepair. Either way, Jesus teaches the ultimate type of radical generosity – one that is given for absolutely no benefit: a pure altruism.

This type of giving is mind-blowing! In one sense, the saying about the right hand not knowing what the left is doing is hyperbole. It is cognitively impossible for that to happen. Jesus knows that. He made the obvious overstatement to emphasize the point abouot how giving needs to be stripped of all expectation of temporal benefit.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said the following:

“When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14 CSB)

There is a reward in eternity for our radical giving in this life. If we focus on the eternal instead of the temporal, we will find that we loosen the grip on our possessions, our time, and our ego. We find that we bring all to bear in the service of our King Jesus!