Who Are the Hypocrites?

Who Are the Hypocrites?

 “He [Jesus] answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6

I’m sure most of you have heard someone say, “I won’t go to that church; they are all a bunch of hypocrites.”  What exactly do they mean?  I went to my old Webster and looked it up.  There were a couple explanations, one being; (a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that they do not actually possess, especially a person whose actions are opposite of their stated beliefs.)  That sure covers a lot of us, doesn’t it?

 

None of us are perfect all the time, but that isn’t exactly what it means.  I think most of us try to be sweet and kind in church, but outside of that some can swear like a sailor and rip others to pieces.  That, my friend is what a hypocrite is.  Have we ever behaved like that; putting on one face for spiritual times and another for the rest of the time?  Those who work with us in our jobs know us better than those we greet in church on Sunday.  I’m not saying everyone is that way, but some are and it’s those who give Christians a bad name.

Many years ago when my children were young, I caught one of them smoking and I was extremely upset.  Why I thought it was so bad, I don’t know for I was a smoker myself.  I remember setting my youngster down at the kitchen table and reading the riot act to them while I sat there smoking.  What a hypocrite I was and didn’t even know it. I’m sure my child couldn’t figure it out why she was punished for doing the same thing I did.  Jesus explained it so well in Matthew 7:3-5, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Are all Christians hypocrites? Of course not! The Bible is filled with examples of courage and selflessness. We would not be where we are today is not for these believers and mighty men and women of God whom have influenced the world. America would not be in existence if not for believers who braved the trials of the New World for freedom of religion.  No one is perfect, in fact Romans 3:23-24 says this: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  We would not need a Savior if we were perfect; we are dependent on Christ for redemption, salvation and learning to walk as Jesus walked.

 As believers in Christ, it is our challenge to always be aware of the example we set for others.  We need to be the same person at home that we are in church on Sunday.  We can deceive others, but we can’t deceive God. We need to ask ourselves this question, “Where is my heart?”  Like the scripture in Mark 7:6, “people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” 

One of my favorite scriptures is in Psalm 51:10-11 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”   My prayer would be that each of you memorize this scripture and make it your prayer each morning.  If our heart is right and we have a renewed spirit, we can be what God wants us to be; we won’t be like hypocrites setting a bad examples.  We will be drawing people to God, not pushing them away. 

If anyone says to you, “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites”, just tell them, “No, we are sinners saved by grace!  We won’t always say or do the right things, but God loves us and his grace is always sufficient.  If our hearts are set on the Lord, he will carry us through to the end.