Jesus' Surprising Warning About Religious Practices

Sermon on the Mount E18 – In Matthew 6, Jesus turns his attention to religious practices of his day, specifically generosity to the poor, prayer, and fasting. But Jesus gives a surprising warning about these practices: if you do religious practices to get praise from people, then you're missing the point. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss these three religious practices and reflect on the pitfalls of making religious devotion about yourself.

Show Music:
Original Sermon on the Mount music by Richie Kohen
BibleProject theme song by TENTS
“Descend” by dryhope
“Polaroid” by Ward Wills

Show Credits:
Jon Collins is the creative producer for today’s show, and Tim Mackie is the lead scholar. Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer; Cooper Peltz, managing producer; Colin Wilson, producer; and Stephanie Tam, consultant and editor. Tyler Bailey is our audio engineer and editor, and he also provided our sound design and mix. Frank Garza and Aaron Olsen edited today's episode. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Today’s hosts are Jon Collins and Michelle Jones.

Timestamps:
Intro (0:00-1:29)
Chapter 1: Honor in Jesus’ Day (1:29-6:32)
Chapter 2: Giving to the Poor (6:32-26:00)
Chapter 3: Prayer (26:00-34:15)
Chapter 4: Fasting (34:15-51:59)
Show Credits (51:59-54:14)