Hypocrisy

There is an old story about a beautiful peasant girl named Layla, who was passing through a farmland while going to another village. There was a man offering his prayers out in the open. The custom was that no one should cross in front of the place where anyone was praying. When the girl returned from the village, this man was still sitting there.

He voiced, “O girl, what terrible sin have you committed earlier!”

“What did I do?” she asked, puzzled.

“I was offering prayers here, and you passed over this place.”

“What do you mean by offering prayers?”

“Thinking of God,” he replied.

“Really?  Were you thinking of God?  I was thinking of my young man whom I was going to meet, and I did not see you.  So how did you see me while you were thinking of God?”

...

This thinking of oneself while purporting to be thinking about God is exactly why Jesus was so directly accusatory towards the Pharisee's.  He charged them as hypocrites in their tithing, being so concerned to get their tithe perfectly correct but unable to manifest grace and mercy.  He charged them as hypocrites in that they were actors and pretenders; they cleaned the outside of the cup and the platter but the inside was dirty; they were as clean white graves (sepulchres) but were full of dead men's bones. He charged them as hypocrites who make long loud prayers to be seen by others as holy.  He pointed out that they enlarged the borders on their garments, the tassels, so people could see they were holy men and they would write the phylacteries (Scripture which is customarily bound to their forehead) large so they could be seen by others.  Most of these are recorded in Matthew 23. 

Jesus presents seven "woes" to these people.  He charges them boldly at least seven times as "hypocrites".  He also uses the phrases "blind guides", "blind fools", "blind men", and finally as "snakes", "a brood of vipers".  I find those terms and Jesus' language frightening.  I certainly do not want to be as one of those and under the woe of God.  His final accusation and reference of comparison to snakes is most definitely a reference to satan.  He is declaring that their hearts are from hell itself. 

Hypocrisy is an obvious big deal to Jesus.  It refers to a heart not centered on God, but insists that it is centered on God.  This heart serves itself and doesn't serve those whom God loves.  The greatest hypocrisy is serving oneself under the disguise of serving God.  In "serving the people" they had found ways to manipulate circumstances and the interpretation of God's Word so that they were exalted in indirect ways.  They fed their egos and pride by enjoying their standing in society, by having people see how holy they were, by being seen as better than the "sinners", and by being lifted up as if they were closer to God.   

Jesus pauses in verses 11-12 to say, "The greatest among you will be your servant.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." 

I find that sometimes this happens almost unawares.  It seems to creep in and I don't even realize it.  It is very important for us to be on the constant lookout for this snake in our life.  There are other times when I see this in other people.  My experience is that it is very difficult to make someone aware of this who isn't looking for it.  They simply are aghast at the thought and cannot see what you are saying.  It is beyond their understanding in their state of mind.  The Pharisees responded in this way.

I pray that we are always receptive to our Christian brothers and sisters who are willing to point this out in our lives.  I pray that I will resist all hypocrisy.  I pray that I would be humble and seek to serve others, even those who are promoting themselves.  I pray that I will not be subject to one of the "woes" of Jesus.   I pray that I will always be covered by His love and His blessing.