Articles
What Is a Hypocrite ... and Am I One?
God has always taken a dim view of hypocrisy. Jesus reserved His most scathing denunciations for the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:13-15, 23, et. al.). Paul publicly rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy and faulted Barnabas for being swept up in it (Gal 2:13). So, what is a hypocrite? And what is not hypocrisy?
Vine says hupocrites “primarily denotes ‘one who answers;’ then, ‘a stage-actor,’ it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice … the word became used metaphorically of ‘a dissembler, a hypocrite’” (via Blue Letter Bible). The key element of hypocrisy is insincerity, pretending to be spiritual when one is actually motivated by carnal desires. It is displaying a pious demeanor, going through the motions of worship, showing interest in others when one is spiritually indifferent.
Here are some things Jesus noted about hypocrites, Pharisees in particular:
1. They gave alms, prayed and fasted “before men, to be seen by them” (Mt 6:1-5, 16).
2. They nit-picked the faults of others and tried to correct them while guilty of more flagrant violations (Mt 7:3-5).
3. They honored God with their words but circumvented laws they deemed inconvenient or burdensome (Mt 15:1-9).
4. They falsely praised Jesus in order to set Him up for a potentially incriminating question (Mt 22:15-18).
5. They were the religious elite but actually blocked others from entering the kingdom (Mt 23:13).
6. They defrauded widows but theatrically and publicly prayed (Mt 23:14).
7. They meticulously emphasized the smallest matters of duty but ignored basic principles of justice, mercy and faith (Mt 23:23).
8. They were outwardly pious but “inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence” (Mt 23:25); “You are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Mt 23:27).
9. They decried the treatment of the ancient prophets, declaring that they would have behaved much differently if they had lived in the days of Isaiah, Jeremiah, et. al. But at the same time they are adorning the monuments of the prophets, they are plotting to kill the Son of God. How blind!
10. To the ruler of the synagogue who resented His healing of a woman on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?” (Lk 13:14-16). Again, hypocrisy justifies in oneself what it condemns in others, even if the object of criticism works a genuine miracle.
This is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but it should give us some insight on hypocritical attitudes and behavior. Hypocrisy is not merely failing to live up to standards of righteousness. That is simple weakness, human fallibility. A hypocrite misses the mark but he compounds the problem by hiding behind denial and self-righteousness. He pretends to be something he has no intention of honestly becoming.
Hypocrites, as Jesus identifies them, are rebels against God, abusive of the helpless, shameless manipulators who crave the adulation of their peers. They are inwardly corrupt, self-deceived, contradictory and hostile toward God. They make no progress in their spirituality. Why should they? In their own minds, they have already arrived. Hypocrisy is not merely a fault. It is a fundamental flaw of character that puts us in direct enmity with God. Be sincere. Be genuine. Be honest. If you are, there is no need for hypocrisy.
