“Hypocrisy” is a dirty, repulsive, distasteful word. There isn’t anything about a hypocrite that is appealing. The word means “play acting, to play a part as an actor on a stage.” To do this, especially with great skill and feeling, is admirable. But to a play a role when only pretending to be a Christian is despicable. II Timothy 3:5 describes such a person as “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
A hypocrite is a person who wears a mask to hide his true identity, a person who preaches by the yard and practices by the inch, a person who p-r-a-y-s on his knees on Sunday and p-r-e-y-s on his neighbors the rest of the week. In other words, he never intends to be what he pretends to be. It goes without saying that Jesus, during His earthly ministry, had an intense dislike for hypocrites.
Jesus showed compassion and forgiveness to the Samaritan woman at the well. He forgave the woman caught in the act of adultery. He ate in the homes of despised tax collectors. He healed and associated with lepers and the lame. But whenever He came into the presence of hypocrites, He saw red, and His blood pressure would go sky high. He called them “whited sepulchers” which appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they were full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27).
Hypocrisy generally demonstrates itself in the following ways:
Giving to be seen by others. Jesus said that giving should have as its object the meeting of a need, not to gain the recognition of other people. Trumpets were often sounded in the Temple before large gifts were thrown into the treasury. Such giving has as its motive the desire to impress others, not the meeting of needs. It is not given out of concern, but giving to be seen. Such giving provides no joy and receives no reward.
Praying to be heard by others. The Pharisees prayed on street corners and in the synagogue – in other words, in public places for the purpose of being seen and heard by others. They were not interested in talking to God; they only wanted the reputation of being praying persons. Such praying isn’t genuine prayer.
Fasting to be noticed by others. Jesus condemned such fasting, for it had no spiritual motive. He saw people who fasted with disfigured faces, who put on a peculiar kind of mourning garb, and who paraded before the public, striving desperately to impress others with their piety. The motivation behind such fasting was to try to appear more spiritual than they actually were. It is hypocrisy wearing a spiritual mask.
Faultfinding. Hypocrites tend to look for splinters in other people’s eyes even when they have a log sticking out of their own eye. Have you known any splinter hunters? Do you have any self-appointed faultfinders in your church? They perceive themselves to be experts at recognizing the faults of others, but they are unable to see their own. Jesus said that those who entertain themselves by finding fault in the lives of others perceive themselves to be spiritual surgeons, but they are practicing without a license.
Are you a splinter hunter or a faultfinder – if so, you are a sanctimonious “Pecksniffian.” I encourage you to go to the Great Physician and schedule a major operation upon your heart. Enroll in His School of Christian graces and take courses in sympathy, understanding, empathy, brotherly love, and Christian concern. If you will do that, you will be on the road to becoming more like Jesus Christ.
The Paper Pulpit 
Leave a Reply