Be careful not to do your acts of mercy before people in order to be seen by them, otherwise you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
In these words Jesus gives a warning: mercy must flow from a pure heart and be done not to receive people’s praise, but to find God’s favor. When a person does good only to be seen by others, his deed loses its spiritual value, because the aim becomes self-glory rather than love. Jesus teaches that true mercy is done quietly and humbly before God’s eyes. It is to such souls that the true reward is promised: God’s heavenly blessing, not human glory.