Hypocrites! Nobody likes to be around people who pretend to be someone they are not, or who say one thing and then do the opposite. We find them at work, with family and friends, and also in our churches. Hypocrisy is one major reason people give for not wanting to attend church. Jesus had some strong words to say about religious hypocrites in today’s passage. Let’s take a look at these Scripture verses.
To the Pharisees in Jesus’s day human rules, religious traditions, and practices had become more important than God’s actual laws. Often the religious leaders told the people to obey their human rules and traditions, but they, themselves, didn’t follow them (vs. 2-4). One of their problems was that the Pharisees added human traditions to God’s Word, making man-made religious laws more important than the Bible. They would put heavy religious burdens on others that were only man-made religious traditions, but they would only follow these outwardly, in order to make themselves look good.
One thing about religious or moral hypocrites is that they try to look good in the eyes of others, when in reality they aren’t that good. They want to be seen by others. Jesus pointed this out in verses 5 and 6. The phylacteries that Jesus spoke of in verse 5 are small leather boxes, worn on the forehead and arm, containing parchments with Scriptures from Exodus and Deuteronomy that were worn by men during prayers. Many Orthodox Jewish men today will still put on phylacteries when they pray morning prayers. Those who were hypocrites in Jesus’s day would make the phylactery as prominent as they could, and broaden the leather straps which bound them to the arms and head, in order to appear more holy. They would do the same with the tassels on their prayer shawls, making them longer. They didn’t care for the spiritual significance anymore. They just wanted the status they got.
How do we see this kind of hypocrisy today? How about the person who comes to church carrying the biggest possible Bible they can find, one that almost needs a wagon to carry it? Perhaps it also has the flashiest Bible cover, as well. But the rest of the week, does that person live like an unbeliever? What about the person who finds the biggest possible cross to wear around their neck, but lives in such a way as to only bring dishonor to that cross? They only want to appear “holy” to others. As Jesus indicated, God sees through all of this. Huge Bibles, giant golden crosses around the neck, extra-large phylacteries and tassels mean nothing to God. It’s our behavior and heart that Jesus sees, and which matters. He isn’t interested in religious rituals, but in the condition of our heart and soul.
Jesus also condemned the pride and pretense of some who used religious titles (vs. 8-10). Many religious leaders, both back then and today, use grandiose titles to make themselves seem more important, or to seem to the people as the source of all religious truth, rather than God. Again, God sees into the heart and can see the pride and hypocrisy. Rather than trying to appear great and sanctified in other’s eyes, Jesus says our focus should be the humble task of serving others (vs. 11-12). We are greatest when we’re serving others, and when we are aware of other people’s needs, not focusing only on ourselves, which is a byproduct of hypocrisy.
There is nothing wrong with carrying a Bible to church, or wearing a nice cross around one’s neck. It is also a good thing to do good, especially to others. But it is not good to do it just to be seen, which is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy turns people away from God. People see hypocrisy when they see a church where having the best worship band that is top-notch, entertainment-style quality is more important than how they treat individuals needs, and see pastors dressed in designer suits driving luxury cars. Rather than just flash religiosity around in order to seem holy, let’s truly follow in Jesus’s footsteps, letting His light shine through us to draw others to Him.
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