Rachel Workman: 14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father
will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not
forgive your sins. This is one of the hardest verses in the bible. Forgive
so that you can be forgiven. I am one of the least forgiving people I know. So
I had better work on being better than I am with this.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
What I keep seeing in these verses is that
what God does not want from us is a false reason for doing anything that
pertains to him. If we pray, if we fast if we do anything we are to do it with
the right heart and right reasons. NEVER are we to do anything in order to try
and receive praise from man.
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John
Burnett: 14 For if you forgive [a]others for their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But
if you do not forgive [b]others, then your Father
will not forgive your transgressions. No one has
more right to not forgive than God himself because each and every one of us
rebel against him and were responsible for putting His son on the cross.
When we repent he is faithful to forgive us of our sins.
Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth
(Mammon)
16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a
gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they [c]neglect their appearance so
that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you,
they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting
will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your
Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. I have never fasted before in a Biblical sense but I have
thought of doing it on more than one occasion. The dependence on God to
give your body the strength it needs without eating takes a special kind of
humility that I haven’t reached yet.
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Allen Michaels: 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But
if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins. If we refuse to forgive others, God will
also refuse to forgive us. Why? Because when we don’t forgive others, we are
denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. God’s
forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but it is
based on our realizing what forgiveness means (see Ephesians 4:32). It is very
easy to ask God for forgiveness, but very difficult to grant it to others.
Whenever we ask God to forgive us for sin, we should ask ourselves, “Have I
forgiven the people who have wronged me?”
Fasting
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites
do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I
tell you, they have received their reward in full. Fasting—going without food in order to spend time in
prayer—is noble and difficult. It gives us time to pray, teaches
self-discipline, reminds us that we can live with a lot less and helps us
appreciate God’s gifts. Jesus was not condemning fasting, but hypocrisy—fasting
in order to gain approval. Jesus commended acts of self-sacrifice done quietly
and sincerely. He wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for the right
reasons, not from selfish desire for praise. 17 But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, Olive oil was used as a common cosmetic like a lotion.
Jesus was saying, “Go about your normal daily routine when you fast. Don’t make
a show out of it. 18 so
that it will not be obvious to others 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.
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