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March 23, 2009 - Hypocrisy

Jesus speaks strongly against hypocrisy. He challenges his followers four times in the Sermon on the Mount alone to not be like “them,” those whose motive is to be honored by men rather than God. And in Matthew 23 he blasts the Pharisees and teachers of the law for their hypocrisy with vivid pictures of their two-faced nature:

• Matt. 23:2-3: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

• Matt. 23:5: “Everything they do is done for men to see:”

• Matt. 23:23b: “You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness.”

• Matt. 23:25b: “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

• Matt. 23:27b-28: “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

… and it continues!

The word “hypocrite” means “stage-actor” and originates from the Greek; it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of their voice. Webster defines it this way:

1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings  

Whenever I read Jesus’ words about hypocrisy, I find myself cut to the heart and challenged to examine my motives. How often am I two-faced? Do my actions contradict my stated beliefs?

Friends, let’s start each day asking God to bring our life into congruence, asking for help to bring our actions and deeds into line with our confession of faith in Christ and desire to follow Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you may be putting on a false appearance of virtue or religious behavior, and thus discrediting the Lord we serve.

This story is a challenging reminder to ask God to help us “walk the talk” and be an accurate reflection of Christ today.

A woman was being tailgated by a stressed out man on a busy boulevard.

Suddenly, just in front of her the light turned yellow.
 
She did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though she could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating man hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as he missed his chance to get through the intersection. As he was still in mid-rant, he heard a tap on his window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer ordered him to exit his car with his hands up. He took him to the police station where he was searched, finger printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. He was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with his personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. I assumed you had stolen the car."

PS – Please pray with us for our friend Jim Knuppe. He was in the hospital for a kidney stone procedure and went into cardiac arrest. Please pray for him to be restored to full health and for peace for his family. Thanks.