Jesus warns against religious ostentation
1 "Be careful not to do your charitable giving before the people so as to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in the heavens.Note that the reward has more to do with the person’s motive than the charitable act itself. 2 Therefore, whenever you do charitable giving do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by the people. Assuredly I say to you, they already have their reward. 3 But when you do charitable giving do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,Since hands do not think (so far as I know), I suppose that not even the recipient should know where the gift came from, although there may be times when the recipient needs to know. 4 so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself repay you openly.This is amazing; the Father Himself will repay = a good investment! ("Himself" is omitted by 24% of the Greek manuscripts; "openly" is omitted by 6%.) 6 But you, whenever you pray, go into your room, and having shut the door pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you openly.About 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit "openly".