A Prayer About Hypocrisy

When I see the Pharisee in me

JESUS,

You blasted the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees for being hypocrites because they made a great show of piety while being corrupt and sinful in their hearts. These men had reached a spiritual pinnacle, but it was one of their own making, not one that brought them closer to you. In reality, they were phonies, professing to be holy and devoted but using their religion as a weapon and as a way to gain status. I read the stories of your confrontations with these men in their flowing robes and wonder how they could be so blind to those inconsistencies. Yet I see the same tendencies in me. I can easily compare myself favorably with people who seem less devoted to the church and ministry. And as I scurry around doing spiritual activities, I can begin to believe that I really am “holier than thou.” I repent, Lord. I don’t want to be like a whitewashed tomb—“beautiful on the outside” but dead on the inside. I want to be your person through and through. Keep my heart pure, my priorities straight, and my eyes off others and on you.

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28