How not to be a Hypocrite Part 1

*How not to be a Hypocrite* 

 _Part 1_ 

Jesus Christ our Lord didn't hide His disdain for hypocrisy, He publicly called hypocrites out. The gospel according to Matthew recalled 14 times when He mentioned the word 'hypocrites'. 7 of those times are in chapter 23 addressed to the scribes and the pharisees and all the seven were accompanied with the word 'woe'.

In the 6th chapter, He warned His disciples not to be like the hypocrites in giving, in praying and in fasting. Nobody, except God needs to know how much of a giver you are, how prayerful you can be or how much you fast and how painful your fasting is. These are meant to be secretive to people for God to see and to accept them. They aren't for show. 

In chapter 15:6-7, He queried how they, being hypocrites, would twist the commands of God to suit their personal indulgences and their religious advantages. He confirmed what Isaiah said about them as true, saying they only drew near to God with their mouths but their hearts were far away from Him. They really didn't intend obeying God from the get go. 

In chapter 16, He called them out for claiming to know what the weather will be like by watching the skies but won't use same mental acumen to judge the times and the seasons of God by looking at how society was changing.

In chapter 22, they came to Jesus pretending to want to know the truth about paying taxes and tributes to Ceasar, under whose domination Israel was at the time. They spent Caesar's money and knew the implications of that in taxes to him, but wanted to catch Jesus by His words, probably He, being a 'King' would make a rebellious statement against Caesar and be arrested.

Then come the 7 woes in chapter 23. 

He pointed out how the religious leaders shut the gates to God's kingdom, assuming a false position of gatekeepers, they won't enter and they won't let others who desired to enter.

He pointed out how these religious leaders would use all manners of religious and pious acts just to devour widows' houses, extorting from those who have none through pretences of religiosity and false and manipulative spiritual mysteries. 

How they'll travel the world to make a convert, only to make such twice a child of hell fire. Hypocrisy makes religion become an avenue to hell fire.

He spoke of how they would pay the tithes of the tiniest of things in religious obligations, but those weightier matters of godliness, in showing love, justice and mercy, were left untouched since they don't suit nor add to their popularity and fleshly indulgences. 

He pointed out how they will wash the outside of the cup, looking pious and sanctimonious on the outside but their inside are full of dregs. They whitewash the outside of the graves, leaving the inside with dead people's bones.

They would repair the graves of martyrs, same people they would have killed had they the opportunity, a reason why God will demand their blood even from them.

And lastly, He indicated in chapter 24:51, how hypocrites won't make it to heaven but have their places in hell.

It is clear that hypocrisy is a slippery place for the religious person and those who claim to know God. It is so easy for those who preach righteousness to slip into hypocrisy, becoming pretentious, and living double lives. The more reason we all must walk most carefully and to know for sure what we are doing and the demands of the reputations we claim...

It is the same reason the world system stereotypes us all as being hypocrites. Of course, many believe it is impossible to live godly in this world. To many, holiness is an impossibility and so when you present a holy outlook, they quickly tag you a liar without any proof.

No one enjoys being called a Hypocrite. People would rather want to have a good reputation before the public and be seen as good people deserving of recognitions, honours and appointments. The problem is that they aren't usually so passionate about maintaining same desire when not before the camera on the podiums of the world. People love the public applause while they do differently in secret when there's no one to hail and to clap for them...

So how do we navigate through this slippery place and not be caught in the web of hypocrisy and fall into the damnation of the hypocrites? We'll try to answer the question in the concluding part 2. Watch this space. 

Jesus Christ is Lord! 

To be continued...