When We Just Don’t Get It

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.”

Matthew 15:7-9

THE ENGLISH WORD HYPOCRITE HAS its origins in the world of ancient Greek theater. On the stage, an actor lays aside his true identity and assumes a false one. He is no longer himself but is someone in disguise, impersonating someone else. In the theater, no harm or deceit comes from actors playing their parts. The audience, having come to watch the drama, is not taken in by it.

The religious hypocrite, on the other hand, deliberately sets out to deceive people and is often deceived himself. He is like an actor in that he’s pretending, yet he is quite unlike an actor in that he takes a real religious practice and turns it into what it was never meant to be. He does his good deeds, his religious activities, to be seen by people in order to win their applause.

Jesus often accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy. He loved them, but He detested their practices. They disgraced the Temple, the Scriptures, and the Jewish faith—all in the name of God.

Hypocrisy strikes a raw nerve because it is antithetical to what Jesus professed. True Christianity is about authenticity—a genuine relationship with God, loving relationships within the faith community, and sincere actions by Christ followers.

Hypocrisy is offensive because it pretends to be authentic, but isn’t. Consequently, it damages Christianity like nothing else.

BOTTOM LINE

Jesus wants His followers to focus on internal reality over external appearances, on attitudes above actions, and on grace over works.

Moment of Strength: Psalm 26:4