TEN YEARS GONE: Gotta Problem (Revised)

 When Secret Charity Leaves You With Nothing to Say

First published Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Revised Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

So whenever you give alms, 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 others.... But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret.

— Matthew 6

There is an interesting problem created by this teaching of Jesus, especially for Christians who find themselves arguing about taxes, government programs, and care for the poor.

The accusation is familiar. Christians who oppose a particular tax increase or government program are sometimes accused of hypocrisy. How can people talk about Christian values, the argument goes, while opposing policies intended to feed children, house the homeless, care for immigrants, or provide assistance to people in need?

That is a fair question to ask. Christians should be concerned about hungry children and homeless people. Scripture does not leave much room for indifference toward the poor.

But there is another question worth asking.

What if the person being accused of not caring is quietly doing far more than anyone knows?

Jesus gives some remarkably strong instructions about charitable giving. He tells His followers not to make a performance of it. Do not announce it. Do not give in order to be admired. Do not turn generosity into a public relations campaign designed to establish your own righteousness.

Give quietly.

That creates an interesting dilemma.

Suppose someone says, “You oppose this government program because you don't care about poor people.” Perhaps the Christian knows that this is not true. Perhaps he gives generously, helps relatives who are struggling, pays someone's utility bill, buys groceries for a single mother, supports a food bank, or quietly helps someone through a crisis.

What is he supposed to say?

“Well, actually, let me tell you about all the wonderful things I do”?

There goes the trumpet.

The same problem arises when we defend someone else. Perhaps a wealthy neighbor is publicly condemned as greedy, while we happen to know that the person quietly gives enormous sums of money away. Are we entitled to reveal that? Perhaps the giver deliberately kept it private. In trying to defend our friend, we may violate a confidence and turn someone else's private generosity into a political argument.

We gotta problem.

I don't think this settles the political debate over taxes or the proper role of government. Those questions are complicated, and reasonable people will reach different conclusions. Nor does secret giving excuse Christians from examining whether we really are doing enough. Jesus' command is not a convenient way to claim invisible generosity that does not actually exist.

But it does mean that we should be cautious about judging another person's compassion solely from his or her political opinions. We simply may not know what that person is doing when nobody is watching.

And perhaps there is a larger lesson here for all of us. Our age encourages us to advertise every good deed, display every approved opinion, and make sure everyone knows which side of every moral question we occupy. Jesus seems remarkably uninterested in that kind of performance.

Help people.

Give generously.

Do it because someone needs you, not because you need an audience.

And when somebody misunderstands you?

Sometimes, perhaps, the most faithful answer really is no answer at all.