The Nature of Hypocrisy - Matthew 23:23-28

©Copyright October 29, 2017 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We have been looking at the devastating diagnosis Jesus gave to the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law. These men were viewed as stalwarts of religious devotion. Jesus shows them to be superficial, shallow and not what they appear to be. Repeatedly Jesus called them hypocrites.

One commentator gives a helpful definition of hypocrisy:

The hasty definition says a hypocrite is someone who says one thing but does another. But that is inconsistency, not hypocrisy. We are inconsistent for many reasons—forgetfulness, weakness, fear—some of them innocent (some kinds of forgetting are innocent).

A better definition says a hypocrite puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. But there are two ways to put on appearances. We usually think of deliberate deceit, of the malicious hypocrite who pretends to be what he or she is not. This hypocrite aims to deceive, to make a false impression, to attain a nefarious goal.

But there is a second kind of hypocrite, whose position may be more perilous. This hypocrite fools himself first, then fools others as a result. We could call this person the sincere hypocrite—that is, he thinks he is sincere. If anyone fit this category, it was the Pharisees.[1]

The convicting part of this is the realization that we can be a hypocrite and think we are not. We study these “woes” because we want to use them to evaluate, measure, and reflect our own lives. There are seeds of these problems in every one of us. The goal is to see them now so we can address them. We pick up today in Matthew 23:23. We are going to see three characteristics of hypocrisy.

They Majored on Minors and Minored on Majors

23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

The Pharisees loved the details of the Law. They loved to debate how far you could walk on the Sabbath, what constituted work, how you should fasten tassels to your garment and all kinds of other silly things. However, in all this discussion and concern for the law they missed the point of all these laws . . . they were meant to draw us to Him and teach how to honor and respect each other.

The Pharisees were scrupulous tithers. If they found a dime on the street they would put a penny in the offering. If they had ten tomatoes on the vine they would bring one to the temple. They should be commended for their devotion in this manner (Luke 11:38 says, “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect…”). The problem however, was their heart. They did what God commanded but lacked the heart He desired. They majored on the minor things and minored on the major things.

Isaiah condemned this kind of behavior in the Israelites,

14I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.

They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

15When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

16Wash yourselves and be clean!

Get your sins out of my sight.

Give up your evil ways.

17Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans.

Fight for the rights of widows. (Isaiah 1:11-17)

Sadly, this is a common problem among Christians. We will endlessly debate

End times signs

The amount of water for baptism

The frequency of the Lord’s supper

The structure of Church government

Political affiliations for Christians

Which gifts of the Holy Spirit are the most significant?

The most worshipful form of Music

We may be unwavering in our church attendance and in our devotional times yet come away with a smugness that believes we have done what God required us to do yet not have any real change of heart. We may be satisfied (and perhaps even proud) of our devotion yet leave major things unaddressed. Things such as,

Justice – upholding the law fairly for all; rallying behind those who are victims, and standing with the victimized.

Mercy – Compassion, patience, discretion, and he willingness to get involved with others.

Faith – remaining true to our calling and following through on our commitment to the Lord.

Holiness – measuring and adjusting our lives so that we are living by God’s standards rather than those of the wider society.

Forgiveness and Grace toward others – recognizing that just like us, other people will fall. And just like us, they wish to be loved and forgiven as they get back up, rather than be ridiculed, marginalized, and excluded.

Sharing our faith with family, friends, and co-workers.

We were in downtown Chicago a few months ago on a busy Saturday. As we walked down Michigan Avenue I cringed when I walked past a sidewalk preacher. He was pacing back and forth speaking loudly into his amplifier about the sin and rebellion of the infidels. He sounded angry. He didn’t look anyone in the eye and I felt he misrepresented the Lord.

I suspect that man went home feeling self-righteous. He had served and testified to the Lord in a hostile environment and felt good about it. The question that needed to be asked was this: “What message did the people on the street hear?” Was his street preaching accomplishing anything positive? If I had been an unbeliever I would have walked away saying, “This is why I am not a follower of Jesus.” Even as a believer I preferred listening to the guy who was a one-man band than listen to the screaming preacher.

It is possible to feel quite smug in our perceived goodness while at the same time completely missing the point.

They Focused on Externals Rather than the Heart

25“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

The image here is a good one. Why would we carefully clean the outside of a cup and do nothing about cleaning the inside? Imagine drinking out of a cup that had chunks or a film from previous food or beverages. You would find it disgusting. Yet Jesus says this is what these teachers were doing. They were concerned for appearance but gave little to no thought about their heart and their character. In Luke, Jesus told them the way to clean the inside was to “give gifts to the poor.” William Barclay writes

There is many a man who wears the right clothes to church, carefully hands in his offering to the Church, adopts the right attitude at prayer, is never absent from the celebration of the sacrament, and who is not doing an honest day’s work and is irritable and bad-tempered and mean with his money. There are women who are full of good works and who serve on all kinds of committees, and whose children are lonely for them at night. There is nothing easier than to observe all the outward actions of religion and yet be completely irreligious.

Think about a typical Sunday morning. People sometimes come into the church and appear to have it all together. We “praise the Lord,” greet each other warmly, and say the things “good Christians” say: “I’m praying for you,” “God is good,” and “He is working all things for good.” These are great things to say - if we believe them. However, sometimes we say these things because we believe it is what “good Christians” say.

While we are “playing the church game” the truth is we are struggling inside. We may be hiding sin. We might even be barely hanging on emotionally. We may be so engulfed in bitterness, anger, or anxiety that we can’t concentrate. We appear to be honoring God but our heart is far away.

I remember vividly a film called Charlie Churchman and the teenage Masquerade. The main character was a Charlie Chaplin looking fellow. He took the job as a youth minister and then was introduced to the “routine” by the Pastor. The first thing everyone did was put on a mask. They conducted the meeting in their masks and then went home.

Charlie made it a point to go and observe the true lives of his teens. He discovered they were all hurting in different ways. The next week they all got back to church. Charlie and the youth put on their masks. The difference was that Charlie now knew what was behind the masks. After looking at his youth he took off his mask and encouraged them to do the same. This is when real ministry begins.

Why do we pretend to have it all together? I think it is because we are afraid to admit our weakness and failures. We are afraid because we see that the people of the church often shoot their wounded rather than care for them. This is not the way of Christ! We must encourage honesty.

The more we pretend, the more we seem to say to the world that Christianity is a game, rather than a relationship. The world desperately needs to know that Christians do not have it all together. We struggle, we fall, we get up. We may need to pretend in other parts of our lives but with the Lord we can be honest, real, and deep.

They Used Religion as a Cover for Spiritual Deadness

27“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Once again Jesus addressed the superficial inconsistency of their lives. They looked good on the outside, but like a grave, they were dead on the inside.

They were like . . .

A great looking car that contained a blown engine

A beautiful cake that was infected by salmonella

A person who was a great physical specimen but is filled with cancer.

A beautiful home that has a cracked foundation and is infested with termites

Jewish Law stated that if people come into contact with a grave (death) they were unclean. This meant they would be unable to participate in worship for several days (see Numbers 19:11-16) while they went through a series of cleansing rituals. Around the time of Passover, when pilgrims were coming to Jerusalem for the celebration, tombs and burial sites would be painted white so people would not inadvertently become unclean and thereby miss this holy celebration.

Jesus used this as His illustration. Just because the graves are dressed up doesn’t change what they are: the resting place of decaying bodies. Likewise, these leaders wore their fancy robes, titles, and “power” while they are spiritually dead on the inside.

This is a penetrating diagnosis that comes from Jesus. The Pharisees were quite proud of their spirituality. Everyone looked to them as the spiritually astute. However, Jesus reiterates once again that it is all a façade. It is a lie. It is pretend.

When I was young our family went to California and we toured Universal Studios. As we toured the backstage lots I was surprised to learn that Beaver Cleaver and Herman Munster were neighbors (I know I am dating myself here). Their homes were on the same street! However, I remember being severely disappointed to discover that these houses looked nice from the front but there was nothing behind the front. It was just a big picture painted to look like a house. It advertised something it was not.

There are too many professing believers who are only skin deep. They look good on the outside but it is just a covering for their sinful hearts!

This is the question we need to ask ourselves: Does my faith have substance? Am I putting on a show or is Christ the Lord and companion of my life?

Combating Hypocrisy

There are a few tests to test if you are living a life of hypocrisy

Are you the same at home as in public? Do you act one way in the church and a completely different way when you are at work or out with your friends?

Are you playing to the divine audience or the human audience? Where do you look for approval? You can do lots of “spiritual” things but do you do them because you want to be accepted and admired by others. Who has the most influence in your life: the Word of God? or your friends and the media?

Would people who know you be surprised that you are a Christian? Or, would those who know you well be surprised to see you in Heaven?

How do we combat the tendency to play the “church game” in our lives? Here are some suggestions: First, regularly remind yourself and others that you are saved by grace alone. When we forget that we are sinners who have been rescued by God’s mercy and grace, we can begin to feel smug; as if we have earned our position in God’s Kingdom. As soon as we begin to feel that way, we think we must hide any struggles and present ourselves in a way that shows people just how “holy” we are. I think it is a good idea to audibly say the words: “I am only a sinner who is saved by grace.” We must remember who we were (and in some sense, still are). This will keep us grounded and humble.

Second, look for ways to serve in simple ways. One of the best inoculations against hypocrisy is a mixture of gratitude and service. Serving in little ways is important (when we serve in big ways we often get “credit”). Pick up the paper in the street, empty the garbage, hold a door, let someone else go ahead of you in line, assist someone with their groceries. These regular acts of simple service remind us that we are not above such things.

Third, talk to everyone and anyone. Be kind. Try to be especially alert for those people who are regularly overlooked by others. You often find them in the servant industry and we make the mistake of thinking of them as servants themselves. They are people. They have lives, families, hopes and dreams. The more we overlook people, the more elite we feel.

Fourth, if you are honored give the praise to Jesus. It is a reminder to us that all that we have and ever hope to be comes from Him. Strive to honor Him sincerely.

The Pharisees made the mistake of believing their own publicity. They started to believe they were better than others because of their religious expertise. Sadly, we have all met Pastors and teachers who are very much the same.

The charge of hypocrisy is one of the most popular (and often accurate) criticisms of the church. The only way to combat this charge is by an honest self-assessment followed by a pursuit of sincere genuineness. The authentic person in a world of pretenders is a welcome and powerful thing. If we remember that we are sinners saved by grace and empowered mercifully by His Spirit; if we are soft rather than hard, humble rather than arrogant, the world will be drawn toward us rather than being repelled by us. Then and only then will we begin to see the kind revival we long for.

[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 335.