The Father who sees all

Matthew 6:1-18 - "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men 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."

On the face of it, this section of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" is about giving, asking, and giving up (food). All good things if done according to Jesus' guidelines. But I wonder if Jesus was trying to sneak in another point here that's just as important. Did you notice the phrase he used 3 times? "Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

It's not for the reward in and of itself that we do these things -- giving to the needy, praying, fasting. That's like the icing on the cake. Actually I wonder most about that phrase in the middle -- "who sees what is done in secret." I imagine Jesus saying that each time in a tone of voice that would allow the words "mind you" to fit nicely at the end of the phrase. Maybe even holding his pointer finger in the air too, drawing special attention to it, noting that it's a two-sided coin. It's good that the Father sees the good you do in secret, but the implication is that he can see the bad too. So don't do it!