Jesus told them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in Scripture: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” [Mark 7:6 (GW)]
I’ve been reading a book about discovering one’s “authentic” self; among other things, the author concluded that her authentic self wears make-up. I admit to wearing make-up, coloring my hair, wearing a padded bra and using Spanx, but I’d never call that my authentic self! Without a doubt, that’s my more attractive self, but hardly the authentic one! While I don’t consider it “authentic,” trying to appear as attractive as possible isn’t hypocritical. Pretending to be one person in public and actually being another one in private is!
Jesus spent a great deal of time condemning the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Like the Greek thespians who wore masks while acting in the theater, they presented one face to the world while their real one was hidden behind their masks. In fact the word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word “hypokrites” which means actor. The Christian church has taken a lot of flak for being filled with hypocrites and, unfortunately, some of it is justified. I’m the first to admit that my actions often don’t match my words and there frequently is a shortage of spiritual fruit in my orchard.
Fortunately, the validity of Christianity depends on the truth of Jesus Christ—his death, resurrection and ascension—rather than the behavior of His followers. We’re all sinners and even the most devout among us misses the mark on occasion (or frequently, in my case). Being a Christian doesn’t mean we don’t struggle with sin—Jesus set a high standard and we all fall short of it. Nevertheless, we can do our best to live as we profess to believe by relying on the Holy Spirit to convict, empower and change us. Being a sinner isn’t hypocrisy—it’s just part of being human. Christian sinners know what they are and admit it; they recognize, acknowledge and repent of their sins. On the other hand, hypocrites recognize their sin but neither acknowledge nor repent of it. Clearly, not all sin is hypocrisy; all hypocrisy, however, is a sin!
Why is it that a community that talks so much about supernatural transformation shows so little of that transformation? We will have to be men and women who embody the message that we are preaching, whose lives are faithful to the claims we are making. [Ravi Zacharias]
Returning from our walk at the park, we saw people at the RecPlex Center setting up for an event with a dais, tables and chairs. A woman was placing a sign that pictured a dog and the words “BARK-A-CUE” in bold red letters. My husband lightheartedly asked, “Are you going to grill some dogs?” In a snarl worthy of a Doberman, she replied, “No dogs!” and sped away faster than a Greyhound! As we walked to our car, we looked more closely at another sign; in small print were the words “Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs,” a worthy cause indeed.
As for the “House of Lost Dreams,” about which I wrote yesterday—almost overnight, where once a dilapidated ruin stood, a beautiful house now stands. The roof tiles are repaired and clean, the house is freshly painted, the overgrown yard tamed, and a “For Sale” sign stands in the yard.
For the last several years, we’ve frequently driven by a house we called the “House of Lost Dreams.” Apparently forsaken by both bank and borrower, we watched as tarps blew off windows, roof tiles grew black with mold, and ivy and kudzu grew on the walls. Eventually, plants nearly obscured the deteriorating house from view as Mother Nature took back ownership of the land.
While in my early thirties, in an attempt to straighten my teeth and correct an overbite, I wore braces for four years—and even had to wear the dreaded head-gear at night! For some reason, as the years dragged on, I seemed to think that everything I didn’t like about myself and my body would be miraculously corrected once the braces were removed. I imagined that, with straight teeth, I could possibly bear some resemblance to Cheryl Tiegs, a super-model of the era. Needless to say, I was disappointed when the braces were finally removed and I still looked just like me—only with nicer teeth. Not that looking like me was so bad, but I certainly wasn’t going to be asked to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue! The fact that I didn’t want to do so made no difference; I just wanted everything I didn’t like about myself to miraculously change. It took some much needed maturing, both spiritually and emotionally, to understand that my discontent had nothing to do with my appearance and that real change doesn’t come from the outside; it comes from within.
