Hypocrisy involves deception of a person’s character; he or she projects a false image. When a person is a hypocrite, their actions do not line up with what they profess to believe. There is a measure of dishonestly involved. A hypocrite pretends by going through the motions, but they are hiding something in order to appear virtuous. Hypocrisy cannot remain hidden for long; it is ultimately exposed by the Truth which in turn breaks trust.
During our Bible study Wednesday evening, we read an almost verbatim passage as our lesson from Luke, today (Matthew 21:23-27). The religious leaders question Jesus’ authority, but they are looking for outward qualifications rather than acknowledging the true authority of God when they hear it. The Pharisees set themselves up as spiritual authority figures, but the power flowing through Jesus to do miracle after miracle is diminishing the people’s perception of these leaders’ power. Can’t have that happen. So, instead of being excited about Jesus and his power to grow the Kingdom of God, they resent him and think of ways to “get rid” of Jesus—the Truth.
Hypocrites can be found in every environment: Government, church, work, social circles, relationships, etc.The Bible calls hypocrisy a sin; it damages a person’s spiritual life with God. Believers are to be authentic. One of the saddest parts of hypocrisy is it causes people to neglect what matters most in life—living the Truth. Yet, some people only want the Truth if it supports their own views and causes.
Luke 20:1-8 NLT The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power of your Word and for sharing your authority with believers. May we be willing to stand for the Truth even when encountering hypocrites. In Jesus’ name. Amen.