Camel-Sized Hypocrisy

By Deb Marsalisi

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! 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. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”—Matthew 23:23–24 (NIV)

In a world increasingly filled with deception, it’s an understatement to say people are genuinely hungry for truth and authenticity. Nonbelievers, especially, are looking to the church and expect people to practice what they preach—and when they don’t, it’s downright disturbing. There were seven “woes” (or judgments) pronounced upon the religious leaders in today’s passage. These woes address the sin of hypocrisy.

What does it mean to be a hypocrite? The origins of this word mean we get “to play a part or to pretend.” The American Heritage Dictionary defines hypocrisy as “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.” I love William Shakespeare's quote on hypocrisy: “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another”.

Hypocrisy is the vehicle that drives the nonbeliever far from God. It’s what kept me away from God as long as it did. When nonbelievers tell me they don’t go to church because church people are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites, I typically respond with compassion and understanding. I empathize with the distrust, but I remind them they’re in good company as Jesus was also angered by hypocrisy. I ask them to look to Christ and see there’s no hypocrisy in Him. When Jesus says to His disciples (and to us), “Follow Me,” He never says, “Follow people who say they follow Me.”

Jesus addresses the religious leaders' hearts of hypocrisy head-on when He says, “But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” He’s reminding them of the words of the prophet Micah: “He [The Lord] has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” Micah (6:8 NIV).

They have the outer appearance of good, but the hidden inner heart is judgmental and callous. Jesus calls them “blind guides” because their actions were leading others into destruction! We’re all held responsible for how we lead and guide others in the faith.

Christ’s statement, “You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel,” is a spiritual spanking. The Pharisees were so meticulous about removing the littlest of creatures like gnats from their offering because, under Levitical law, they were ceremonially unclean. But Jesus warns them they’re neglecting the more weighty points of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness, which was like swallowing a larger unclean animal: the camel. Sadly, they believed that outward obedience to the law was enough without acknowledging the evil in their hearts as a camel-sized problem.

If we’re not spiritually sober, we are capable of doing the same thing. To be spiritually sober means we take an honest look at our actions, thoughts, and motives daily and repent when using a spiritual checklist of small actions in an effort not to miss the bigger picture of love, mercy, grace, justice, and faithfulness God wants us to walk in.

Pause: Is there hypocrisy in your life? Are you acting holy but inwardly your heart is hard towards others, or maybe even towards God? If there was a hidden camera recording your every thought and action would someone call you a hypocrite?

Practice: Sit down today and take an honest look at your thoughts, actions, and motives throughout the week. If there’s a need to repent, pray and ask for forgiveness from God and others.

Pray: Dear Lord, I take this time to pray Psalm 19:14 (NIV): “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Please forgive me when I get caught up in my little spiritual checklist and don’t consider the deep issues of the heart. Amen.