Jesus leveled some of his most severe criticism against hypocrites. The Pharisees, who presented themselves as guardians of the law of God, had actually supplanted the law by layering on top of it their own interpretation, which, though at times incredibly rigorous, resulted in the real law being obscured. Ironically, their scrupulosity allowed them to neglect the demands of the actual law, which is to love God with all of one’s being and the neighbor as oneself. It’s much easier to spend time assiduously setting aside tithes of all of one’s herbs than to take seriously the divine command to love. In truth, their purported piety was nothing more than hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy was not just a problem for the Pharisees. It also threatened Jesus’ disciples. He told them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 21:1). This suggests that hypocrisy can stealthily permeate a people as leaven permeates dough. Jesus understood how tempting it is to settle into hypocrisy. The pride, self-righteousness, feeling of superiority, and freedom to judge others crouches at the door as sin did for Cain. But the community of Jesus was not to let it in. They were to diligently pursue true righteousness, righteousness defined by the true law of God.
The church needs to remain aware of the threat of hypocrisy. As people who have been given a high moral standard by which to live, it is tempting to put on a good show rather than trying to actually fulfill the moral demands (it's interesting to note that the origin of the word hypocrisy comes from the ancient Greek theater; it's the term used for an actor, one who plays a part). Is this because the church is not a safe environment in which people can mess up? It might be - but it shouldn’t be. The church should be the one place in which people recognize that believers are learning what it means to put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). We should encourage authenticity and honesty about our struggle with sin. And in relation to our neighbors, we should not preach moral demands at them that we are not willing to pursue ourselves. There is nothing more embarrassing to Christians, or more dishonoring to Christ, than to have someone publicly inveighing against immorality who is then discovered to have been doing the very things he has condemned. The damage to the reputation of the church can feel irreparable.
So how can we guard against hypocrisy? We make a commitment to honesty, humility, repentance when convicted, and thankfulness when pardoned. We covenant with one another to live with these commitments so that we do not become a people in which hypocrisy, leaven-like, corrupts the community. With God’s help, we can be who we are supposed to be.
