Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

To Hell With Hypocrisy

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

Jesus loves a lot of things. He loves His Heavenly Father. He loves people. He loves seeing those who used to be far from God draw near to God. He loves truth, beauty, goodness, justice, mercy, and so much more.

But what does Jesus hate?

Jesus hates sin, the disease of selfishness that separates people from God and drives us to ignore the needs of others. Jesus hates lies and deception, especially when they are used to harm the people He loves so much. Jesus hates when we use our power to disadvantage others instead of helping them. And, as we’ll discover in this chapter, in no uncertain terms, Jesus makes it clear that He hates hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is when you say one thing but do another. It’s pretending to be someone you aren’t or claiming to believe something you don’t.

And in Jesus’ day, the religious leadership group was full of hypocrisy.

Just after Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees that we read yesterday, Matthew tells us:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Matthew 23:1–4 NIV

To the crowd that has gathered and the disciples who have followed, Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. He instructs His audience to do what they say but not what they do. Why? Because “they do not practice what they preach.” Apparently, what they were teaching was good and true. That’s why Jesus affirms their authority. But true teaching is only a part of the equation. Even more important than the words we say is the life we live. And a close examination of the lives of these authority figures would reveal a complete lack of integrity.

Jesus goes on to say:

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.” Matthew 23:5–7 NIV

The Pharisees and teachers of the law are actors on a stage trying to gain the applause of people. Their faith only goes skin deep. They dress themselves up with clothes and fancy speech to display their holiness. But when you peel back the layers, you see just how self-centered they really are.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” Matthew 23:8–10 NIV

Jesus teaches the crowd and His disciples not to let people adorn them with fancy titles because of their dangerous tendency to breed entitlement. If we—like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law—let the praise of people go to our heads, then it will poison our souls.

Then, Jesus reminds us how the ethics of the kingdom are upside down compared to the practices of this world.

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11–12 NIV

If you want to be truly great in the eyes of God, then take on the role and posture of a servant. Make serving others and sacrificing for their benefit your mission. When you do, you will be honored and celebrated by your Heavenly Father. Because He exalts those who humble themselves.

If you want to be not great in the eyes of God, then take on the role and posture of a celebrity. Make serving yourself and sacrificing others for your benefit your goal. When you do, you will be humbled and disciplined by your Heavenly Father. Because He humbles those who exalt themselves.

The rest of this chapter contains the “seven woes” Jesus speaks to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Matthew 23:13 NIV

Jesus doesn’t mince words or cover His statements with fluff to soften the blow. He takes the gloves off. He speaks plainly, clearly, directly, and sharply to these religious leaders, calling out the error of their ways and spelling out how God feels about what they’ve been doing.

Some of Jesus’ statements can be tough to read, because some of them seem like they might go too far to be considered loving.

But, think about Jesus. He is love personified. In John’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus didn’t come with some grace and some truth. He didn’t come with grace sometimes and truth other times. He came full of grace and truth. Love isn’t love without grace. Because without grace, everything is earned and nothing is given. Love isn’t love without truth. Because without truth, good and evil are defined by what feels good and not what is good.

Only love is big enough to hold grace and truth together in perfect tension.

These words of Jesus are painfully true and they are dripping with grace. Each rebuke begins with, “Woe to you …” The word “woe” means great sorrow or distress. Jesus isn’t saying these words with a maniacal grin on His face, as if He enjoys inflicting pain on these people. He is saying it with a broken heart because even now, after three years of His preaching, teaching, proclaiming, and modeling what the kingdom of God is all about, the religious leaders and spiritual authorities still haven’t listened. Instead of returning to God, they’ve dug in their heels, planted their flag, and chosen their side.

Jesus’ condemnation of their practice is born out of His compassion for them as people.

Grace is so beautiful because sin is so ugly. And while it may be tempting to downplay the ugliness of sin, when we do, we are unintentionally downplaying the beauty of grace. Because if sin isn’t really all that bad, then grace isn’t really all that big of a deal.

In the kingdom of God, sin is taken seriously and grace is given relentlessly.

Application: Hypocrisy is what you call it when you pretend to be someone you aren’t or claim to believe something you don’t. Integrity is what you call it when your entire life—what you believe, say, think, and do—are unified and in alignment. How do we reject hypocrisy and become people of integrity? Through the practices of confession and repentance. Confession is agreeing with God. It’s being honest about what’s on the inside. Repentance is aiming your life toward God. It’s changing what’s on the outside. Through confession, we take off the mask and shut down the performance. Through repentance, we start to become the person we wish we were. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where there is a gap between what you say you believe and how you really live. Then, confess that to God and to some trusted friends. In addition, ask God to give you the wisdom to repent, to change your ways, and to aim your life toward Him.