Monday, October 31, 2016
In our last Monday’s Spanish bible class in church, our topic was hypocrisy. As I have stated in the past, I believe there is a little bit of it in all of us. I suppose some of you may not agree and some may not want to hear that, but can we deny the fact that our old sin nature is still within us? What is hypocrisy in the first place? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that hypocrisy is “the behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do: behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel.” In the account in 2 Samuel, Chapter 12, we saw the prophet Nathan being sent of God to rebuke David for his sin concerning Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah. The prophet told David a parable about a rich man who had stolen his neighbor’s only little lamb, killed it, and offered it as part of a feast he made for a rich guest. When Nathan asked David what he thought should be done to such a man, he answered: “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!” (vs 5) Nathan replied “You are that man!” (vs 7) Was David not being hypocritical on that occasion by passing judgment on that man in the story since what he did was just as bad, if not worse? Who would not like to be a hero of the faith like David? Yet, he was being hypocritical on that day, and if David did it, so can we.
We covered the 23rd Chapter of Matthew where Christ came down hard on the scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. In the only two occasions in scripture where I remember Jesus not being his quiet, loving, and usual soft spoken self, the scribes and Pharisees were involved. Jesus publicly called them hypocrites because He knew what was in their heart and because He Himself was blameless. With us, it is not advisable to call someone else a hypocrite because we don’t know their heart and because we ourselves are not without sin. In fact, the biggest hypocrites around are those who dare to call someone else a hypocrite. In His letter to the Romans, Paul wrote: “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1)
As children of God, we must make a sincere effort to be as honest and up front as we can be. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect; He just wants us to be honest and to own up to our misdeeds and mistakes when necessary. If we let the Holy Spirit guide our words and actions, we will avoid the sin of hypocrisy and will bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Father in the process.
God’s promise for today: (Psalm 37:37) “Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.”
