Hypocrisy
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead 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.
Matthew 23:25-27
It’s not surprising that down through the years, religious hypocrisy has been one of the greatest barriers to faith. Why become a Christian when the church is filled with so many hypocrites who act as living contradictions to their confession?
This issue has grown dramatically in our day. The recently published book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity, described a survey that indicated 85% of unchurched young adults believe Christians to be hypocritical. Even more disconcerting, 47% of young adults inside the church said that same thing!
Of course, the presence of hypocrites within a movement does not prove the movement itself is in error. Every belief system will attract people who won’t live up to it.
The presence of hypocrites within a movement does not prove the movement itself is in error. Every belief system will attract people who won’t live up to it.
A Little Background
Interestingly, the word “hypocrite” is not rooted in negativity. The term comes from a Greek word commonly associated with the theater.
Hypocrites were actors on a stage. They would commonly wear a mask to show which character they were playing so that, during the play, they could play multiple roles.
By extension, the word came to refer to someone who assumed a pose or played a part. Thus it was that in classical Greek, the word hypocrite didn’t have the sting that it has for us today.
It was Jesus who used the word to describe religious pretense. In fact, the word is used 17 times in the New Testament. And every time it is used, it’s used by the Savior.
His teaching about this chronic condition of the human heart was so compelling that it entered into the moral vocabulary of the human race. Ironically, He used it to describe those who, in His day, were considered the most religious – a group of scholars known as the Pharisees.
The Ugly Root
In our day the word Pharisee has become a caricature. But in the 1st century, these individuals were held in high esteem. Thus, His words as recorded in Matthew 23 would have been shocking.
According to Jesus, hypocrisy is not just the failure to live up to what we aspire to. Everybody struggles with that. The core of hypocrisy is a selfish pretense for the purpose of personal gain.
According to Jesus, hypocrisy is not just the failure to live up to what we aspire to. Everybody struggles with that. The core of hypocrisy is a selfish pretense for the purpose of personal gain.
The filthy inside of the cup is simply human fallenness; it’s the washed up outside that seeks to communicate purity where there is none. And why would someone whitewash a tomb? To make people think there’s life in it, not death.
Hypocrisy is rooted in deception. I deceive you to get you to think I’m better than I am so I can leverage that for my benefit. I pretend to be for you when in reality I hope you fail. I portray myself as gracious and kind when in reality I am intolerant and mean-spirited.
Hypocrisy is rooted in deception. I deceive you to get you to think I’m better than I am so I can leverage that for my benefit.
The Simple Yet Challenging Solution
So, granting the ugliness of it, how does one go about addressing it?
It would be nice if hypocrisy was like a virus and you could go to the doctor and say, “I have a bad case of hypocrisy,” and he could write a prescription and say, “Here you go. This pill should take care of it.”
But hypocrisy is a lot more complex than that. Jesus said that if you want to deal with hypocrisy, you can’t simply focus on externals. You need to go deep inside.
Jesus said that if you want to deal with hypocrisy, you can’t simply focus on externals. You need to go deep inside.
“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart; and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart – for out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
On the one hand, His solution is simple: “Get to the heart of the matter. Start with a ruthlessly honest evaluation of your heart.”
On the other hand, His solution is challenging. We are not immune from our own deceptive nature. Masters at lying to ourselves, we need His help if we’re to get to the root of our problem.
King David was fully aware of this. And this prayer he offered for his hypocrisy has served me well down through the years:
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24
Start by honestly asking the Lord to search your heart. Be open to any whisper from Him regarding your true self in all of its humanness.
Then confess the “offensive way” God reveals as sin. Admit that they are wrong and that you desire to repent – to change your attitude and actions.
Then ask Him to heal your heart. Ask Him to do a work of renewal from the inside out.
Finally, monitor your heart ongoingly. Our flesh will still be vulnerable to deception. That’s why we must regularly invite the Spirit to search our hearts and then respond to His conviction.
While this “monitoring” is important for each of us to do individually, it’s even more effective when it’s done within the context of community.
We have a great capacity for blind spots as it relates to our character flaws – especially hypocrisy. By allowing trusted spiritual friends into our wrestle with authenticity, giving them permission to “hold up the mirror” for us, we will find greater levels of freedom and breakthrough.
We have a great capacity for blind spots about our character flaws. By allowing trusted spiritual friends into our wrestle with authenticity, allowing them to “hold up the mirror” for us, we will find greater levels of freedom and breakthrough.
Sadly, perhaps no religion has produced more hypocrites than Christianity. Even more sadly, it’s painful to admit that there’s no small amount of hypocrisy in me.
Yet it’s both convicting and comforting that while no one has ever diagnosed and denounced hypocrisy with more zeal than Jesus, no one has ever offered hypocrites more hope. For He specialized in spiritual heart surgery.
While no one has ever diagnosed and denounced hypocrisy with more zeal than Jesus, no one has ever offered hypocrites more hope. For He specialized in spiritual heart surgery.
PRAYER
Lord, while I can easily shake my head in dismay at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, I have to admit that, all too often, I am not unlike them. I seek to portray myself as better than I am. I look to deceive others in order to take advantage of them. Like David, I need you to search my heart, see if there may be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Devotionals for Every Day Disciples is brought to you by our partners.
To support Dave DeSelm Ministries by becoming a partner, CLICK HERE.