Religious Play-Acting

“Religious Play-Acting”

,.

Tess loves to go to musicals, I have been to a lot of musicals with her in our 35 years of marriage.

I enjoyed every one of them… but not as much as she did. Because when I get home from the musicals, I’m not going around the house singing the songs, but she is; for weeks, and weeks! You can ask our kids, when they were small she would wake them up to go to school by singing songs from musicals, you can imagine how much a teenage boy enjoyed that!

When you are sitting there watching the musical, the actors play their part with such passion and skill, they act and you believe they really are the person they are portraying. But then when the musical is over, they then they disappear offstage. And you come out of the theater and you see them in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and the Converses. And they look different and talk different. What has happened to them? They were just playing a part on the stage, that was not really who they were. They are actors, playing a part, pretending to be something they were not.

Jesus calls the Pharisees and scribes, hypocrites in V:44-Read.

The word hypocrite, means to play a part; it was a word used to describe actors in those days.

A hypocrite was a person playing a part; a person pretending to be something that he was not!

Jesus said that the Pharisees were hypocrites, they were pretending to be righteous and holy, when that was not really what they were. They were Religious phony’s, playing a part.

Hypocrisy is the topic of conversation over lunch between Jesus and this Pharisee. V:37-Read.

This Pharisee had invited Jesus to have lunch with him and Jesus accepted the invitation and went to his house for lunch. During lunch Jesus takes over the conversation, and gives some of the strongest, stinging, cutting, convicting words about hypocrisy anywhere in the Bible.

You can imagine how tense and awkward it must’ve been around the table that day. As we listen to what Jesus said, we learn what he thinks about hypocrisy.

The Pharisee, where the most religious people of that day, the word Pharisee means separate one.

To be a Pharisee you must know the law, keep the law, go to worship, tithe, and go through a stringent probation. The problem was their religion was not from the heart! They were just going putting on a show, play-acting.

Before anyone takes their first bite, Jesus has offended his host V:38-Read.

This Pharisee was shocked, shocked! That Jesus would sit down to eat without washing his hands. Now the issue here is not personal hygiene, but ceremonial purity. The Pharisees had a long list of man-made rules for acceptable religious conduct.

In their rulebook the Mishnah, there was a prescribed way to make your hands ceremonial clean before you set down to eat.

Jesus did not follow there prescribed religious ceremonial cleansing. Over and over Jesus didn’t follow their man-made rules, they had thousands of these extra-biblical rules.

Jesus just sits down, grabs a piece of pita bread, and spread some hummus on it and eats it. The Pharisees mouth flies open. Jesus did nothing wrong, the law of God said nothing about washing up before dinner, this was just a man-made rule.

Jesus knew the Pharisee was upset, because he didn’t wash his hands according to their ceremony. That is the background of the conversation that takes place around the table that day. As we listen in on this conversation about hypocrisy, my prayer is that God will reveal the sin of hypocrisy in my life, and in your life, and bring us to repentance.

There’s nothing more damaging to your spiritual life that hypocrisy. There’s nothing that Jesus was harder on than hypocrisy!

Why was Jesus so hard hypocrisy?

· Because it dishonors God.

· Because it keeps you from experiencing true spiritual transformation.

· Because it robs the church of the life-giving power of God.

· Because it keeps others from being saved.

The reason Jesus preaches this message is to cause us to examine our lives and make sure we are not hypocrites. How do I know when I’m living like a hypocrite? In these verses Jesus gives us seven characteristics of a hypocrite.

I am a hypocrite:

1. When I clean up the outside, but not the inside!

V:39-40-Read.

Jesus knows what the Pharisee is thinking. While the water is still dripping of the Pharisees hands, Jesus makes a comparison between the Pharisees outward ritual of washing his hands, and the inward condition of his heart.

Pointing to the cup and platter on the table Jesus says, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the platter, you wash your hands ceremonially, but your inward man is full of greed and wickedness. Imagine how disgusting it would be if someone cleaned only the outside of a cup or bowl, without cleaning the inside.

I remember one time Tess and I returned home from a revival meeting. We opened the door of our house and there was a terrible odor, and we began to search where this odor was coming from.

We finally found it in the oven, it was a bowl of black-eyed peas that we had put in there before we had left. It was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t just clean up the outside of the bowl, I cleaned up the inside also.

Jesus says, you make a big deal about your outward ceremonies. You think the most important thing is the outside, keeping your man-made rules that make you feel godly.

· You practice ceremonial washing.

· You always go to public worship.

· You make a big show when you pray.

· You let other people know how much you give.

But performing all of these external rituals, was just a way of cleaning up the outside of the cup and dish.

Jesus looked in this man’s heart and said; but the truth about you is you’re filthy on the inside!

You’re like my coffee cup I left on the table for two weeks, it looks great on the outside, till I looked down and saw what was inside; and there was stuff growing in there.

Jesus said to this man your heart is full of greed and wickedness. They looked clean on the outside, but there inside was unclean.

-“This people draw near me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”.

The Pharisees were hypocrites because they were keeping up a religious front, when their hearts were desperately wicked. They may have had clean hands, but they had unclean hearts.

Jesus said you are foolish, V:40-“did not he who made the outside make the inside also”?

Don’t you realize that God sees the inside, not just the outside! God is more concerned about the inside than he is the outside.

-“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart,"

True religion is a thing of the heart first and foremost! Purity starts in the heart, the focus of my concern must be the condition of my heart!

Don’t just clean up the outside, make sure that Jesus cleans up the inside. Don’t settle for an outward performance, without an inward reality!

What is inside of you this morning?

· Do you speak nice to people, while inside you criticize them?

· Do you resist having sex outside of marriage, but secretly feed on forbidden lust.

· Do you spend time talking about prayer request, but never pray?

· Do you say you trust God, while inside you full of anger and resentment?

When our hearts is filled with greed and wickedness, and we pretend to be something were not we are hypocrites.

I am a hypocrite:

2. When I focus on the Small things, and Neglect the Big things.

V:42-Read.

This is the first of six woes that Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and scribes. Sometimes the word “woe” is used to pronounce a coming judgment, like in the book of Revelation.

But in this case the word “woe” is a word of sadness, Jesus feel sorry for the spiritual condition of the Pharisees. They were majoring on the miners, while completely omitting the important things. The Pharisees were very concerned about tithing.

The Pharisees were faithful to give 10% of their gross income to support the worship and work of God’s house. The Pharisees even went beyond the command to give; and gave from the leaves on their herb plants. They felt so proud of themselves for being so precise in their tithing and giving.

But Jesus says you are neglecting the bigger issue, you don’t love God and others! Yes you are tithing, and that’s a good thing; but what about loving God, and doing justice for your neighbor. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God… And your neighbor as yourself.

You’re down on your knees counting leaves on your herb plants; yet you’re not treating other people right, and you’re not loving God.

Are you giving 10% of what your income to God?

I hope so, because by grace we should give at least as much as God’s people gave under the law.

Jesus says, you should tithe, but also practice justice and love God at the same time. Don’t neglect the big picture of loving God and loving others.

To open your wallet without opening your heart is hypocrisy!

I know that I love myself more than God, but I go to Sunday school.

I know that I exaggerate and tell lies, but I serve in the church.

I know that I don’t treat my spouse right, but I tithe. That is the heart of a hypocrite! Jesus tells us that tithing is no substitute for lack of mercy, kindness, justice, faithfulness, loyalty and love for him!

Don’t let the things you do right, keep you from dealing with the truly important matters that you need to get right!

I am a hypocrite:

3. When I Live for the Praise of Men, Instead of the Glory of God.

V:43-Read.

The best seats in the synagogue, where the seats in the front, facing the congregation. The better a man’s reputation was, the closer he set to the front. And the Pharisees loved to be recognized, thought well-off, praised by people; they wanted to sit in the seats up front. They wanted to see the people; but more importantly they wanted the people to see them. They also loved to be greeted in public, and recognized for their status, education, and position as Pharisees.

The more elaborate the greeting, the better. Hello, Mr. Pharisee, son of Abraham, son of David, scholar, hand-washing, tithing-giving, glorious doctor of sacred theology, defender of righteousness, high and holy one, blah blah blah!

They love that stuff! Their number one desire was to be recognized and praised by people.

Jesus said in the book of Matthew that they prayed to be seen of men, they fasted to be seen of men, they wore their long robes and garb to be seen and praised by men. The hypocrite is worried about everybody thinking he is something that he is not. These guys worked real hard at making themselves look good.

Here is the problem with a hypocrite they are focused on making people think they are spiritual and they forget that God knows there NOT! And He is the one that should matter most!

Are you living for the applause of men, or the approval of God?

We should settle for nothing less than the approval of God! I am hypocrite if I live for the praise of men, instead of the glory of God. Are we more concerned that people notice what we’re doing for the Lord, then we are that God is pleased with our service? Are we secretly more concerned that people think we’re great, then that people think Jesus is great.

When people don’t give us the credit we think we deserve, do we grow resentful? Jesus teaches us a different way to live. He teaches us to be faithful in service, to be a servant, to give other people credit, to make our sacrifices in secret, to wait patiently for him to put us in the position He wants us to be in.

We cannot seek God’s glory and our own glory at the same time!

I am a hypocrite:

4. When I Cover up my Spiritual Deadness, and Corrupt Others.

V:44-Read.

In this woe Jesus says that a hypocrite has a corrupting effect on others. Jesus says despite their outward show of holiness they were like concealed tombs, people walk over them and don’t know their full of death. For the Israelites touching an unmarked grave rendered them ceremonially unclean for a full week. ()

A Jew would avoid touching a grave, that’s why every year at the Passover, the Jews would whitewash the grave so they were clearly seen, and they could avoid them.

Jesus said the Pharisees were like unmarked graves, you didn’t know it, you couldn’t see, but they were full of death and rotting remains.

To pretend to be alive spiritually, and yet your spiritually dead, has a corrupting effect on other people. The Pharisees were like unmarked graves, defiling the souls of those who came into contact with them.

How sad to be spiritually dead on the inside, your soul is an unmarked grave.

Even if nobody knows it, the spiritual corpse inside will corrupt your family, your friends and your church.

Ken Hughes said “All of us inevitably communicate what we are, we can externally do all the right religious things, but we will ultimately impart what is inside. The people around us will see the artificiality, the anger, the hatred, sourness, the greed, the lies, and the lust. We leave our fingerprints on each other’s souls, for Christ or for unbelief”

I am a hypocrite:

5. When I Expect others to do, what I don’t do.

V:46-Read.

Jesus rebukes the scribes, and says to them; you lay heavy burdens, literally a ship’s cargo of religious duties, and burdens on people. You have so many man-made rules, religious ceremonies that nobody can remember all of them, must less keep them all. They were legalist to the 9th°. Their teaching did not strengthen, build up, grow, or encourage the people; their teaching crush them under the law. (6,000, additions to the Law)

They had added hundreds of laws to each one of the 10 Commandments. And they enforced these laws; but didn’t keep them. They did not practice what they preached.

Jesus said about them; “they say… And do not”.

You are being a hypocrite when you don’t practice what you preach!

A hypocrite knows what is right and can tell you what is right, but they don’t do right themselves!

Now if we're honest we don't always practice all that we preach. The question is; when we don’t practice what we have preached do we admit it and repent, and turn to God and ask Him to help us to live what we say we believe?

The hypocrite can tell everyone else what they should be doing, but they never admit their not obeying God’s word themselves.

Hypocrites loaded people down with a heavy burden of religious legalism. To them, ministry meant handing down laws to the people and adding to their burdens. In other words, the Pharisees were harder on others than they were on themselves.

What about you, is there consistence between what you say and how you live- as a parent, on you job, at school, in your marriage, with your friends?

We are hypocrites if we hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.

I’m a hypocrite when I condemn in others, what I excuse in myself!

I’m a hypocrite when I ask others to forgive me, but I won’t forgive them.

A hypocrites can tell everybody else what to do, and put burdens on others, but they don’t obey God’s word and they don’t help others who are carrying burdens.

Dead religion will wear you out!! Empty religion will burden you down with all kinds of things you should be doing, and many of them are right, but you do it because of law, not love. And it is a duty not a joy and you will wear out. Religion is a burden; but know and following Jesus is a JOY! Does you religion bring you joy are bring you depression?

Jesus came to lift burdens, Jesus is a burden lifter. Jesus said, -"Come unto me all ye that are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus lifted the burden of sin; put His Spirit in me and the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Let me say a word to those of us who teach God’s word to others, what a privilege, what a great responsibility. Those of us who teach must be obedient, and do what we tell others to do. We should teach tithing- and we should tithe; we should teach witnessing- and we should witness!

I am a hypocrite:

6. When I Profess to Love the Bible, but Don’t Obey it.

V:47-Read.

Jesus said you’re no different than your father’s, because you’re plotting to kill me, and Jesus was the greatest of all the prophets. The real issue is not building tombs for the dead prophets, the real issue was the rebellion in their heart to God’s word spoken by the prophets. In building the tombs for the prophets, they profess to love the preaching of the prophets, but they did not obey it.

It was much easier for them to live in the past by admiring some dead prophet, than to live for God in the present by doing what the prophet said.

They were living the same ungodly lifestyle the prophets had criticized throughout the Old Testament. They were guilty of pride, hypocrisy, and injustice.

They tried to honor the prophets by building them tombs, and yet they dishonored them with their lives. The proof came in what these men did with the greatest prophet of all! These same men would become guilty of the death of Jesus, and would have his blood on their hands. They had the same attitude and heart as their fathers who killed the Old Testament prophets.

V:51-Read.

Everyone who persecutes Jesus and his church will be held accountable, God will not forget the sufferings of his people, and justice will be served.

Woe to those of us who profess to love the Bible, but don’t obey it. Do we honor the prophets, and writers of the Bible; yet we rebel against the words they spoke?

We truly honor the prophets, apostles and Jesus not by saying how much we love the Bible; but by obeying the Bible.

The way to honor Hosea, is to worship God with our love rather than with burnt offerings.

The way to honor Amos is to give to the needy.

The way to honor Micah is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.

The way to honor Habakkuk is to live by faith.

The way to honor God’s messengers and God’s word is not by building monuments to them, but by living the way they taught us in the word of God.

What is the best way for us to honor Jesus Christ the greatest prophet of all?

We honor him by bowing before him in repentance of our sin and placing our faith in him as our Savior! We honor him by living what he teaches us in the word of God!

I am a hypocrite:

7. When I Hinder People from being Saved, instead of Helping Them.

V:52-Read.

The Pharisees and scribes were to lead people to salvation; they were to teach the Scriptures, and give people the key to saving knowledge. Jesus said they had taken the key away! They were not going to heaven themselves, and they were hindering other people from going to heaven. Their most important duty was to teach the truth of salvation but they failed to do that.

The very men who were supposed to lead people to God were standing in the way! They spent all their time reading the law, debating the prophets, arguing over there interpretations of the law, yet they did not make the message of redemption through Jesus Christ plain and clear!

So what is the key of knowledge that unlocks the door of salvation? Jesus Christ is the key to the Scriptures, and the key to salvation! When you take away the key, you cannot understand the Bible! The Bible is about Jesus! Jesus Christ is the key, just as he is the way, the truth, and the life. The key of salvation that God offers to guilty sinners is the Lord Jesus Christ!

The way to be saved, and to have eternal life; is not by works of our own righteousness. Rather, it is by confessing our sins and putting our trust in Jesus Christ! Because the Pharisees and scribes did not trust in Jesus Christ themselves, they did not lead others to trust in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the key to the Scriptures!

Jesus Christ is the key to eternal life!

Only through Jesus Christ can you be saved! Once we understand this, we must do everything we can to help other people understand that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone!

This world is locked out, in the spiritual dark, in the coldness of sin and death. And we have the key!! Let’s offer Jesus, the Key to as many people as possible!

Jesus warns us not to take the key of salvation away from people. We take away the key of salvation when:

· We talk about the church, but don’t share the gospel.

· We add works to faith as a basis for our standing before God.

· We focus on our religious activity rather than the inward transformation of the Holy Spirit.

· When we treat the Bible as a textbook rather than the word from God to believe and obey.

· We get caught up in complex theological arguments, instead of lifting up Jesus.

Can you imagine the tension, anger around the table as this lunch comes to an end?

Jesus had offended everyone at the table, exposing each person’s hypocrisy. And what do the Pharisees and scribe do? They got angry and began to plot to murder Jesus.

What should they have done? When Jesus offended them they could have responded by saying you’re right, we’re wrong, we want to repent trust in you and be transformed; so we can live genuine Christian lives.

Jesus had pronounced six woes against the Pharisees and scribes. He called them hypocrites, and gave us the seven characteristics of a hypocrite.

Jesus pronounced these woes on these hypocrites, to awaken them to their spiritual condition; that they might repent and trust in him.

What will we do with these woes spoken against our hypocrisy?

In , God, through his prophet Isaiah pronounces six woes on the people of Israel because of their wickedness and hypocrisy.

But in , the prophet says “woe is me, I’m an unclean man, living among this son clean people”.

Isaiah knew he was guilty, but instead of being offended by what God said about his sin, he said woe is me, and he repented of his sin, and was made clean!

Today we have a choice; we can be offended by the words of Jesus; and seek to justify ourselves like the Pharisees did. Are we can say like Isaiah, woe is me, I’m unclean, I’ve got hypocrisy in my life, please forgive me and cleanse me Lord Jesus, and help me keep my heart clean and righteous before you!

On the cross the Lord Jesus Christ took the woe of your sin upon himself, and by the blood of the cross you can be saved from your self-righteous and sin.