Tempting Hypocrisy

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.

The Parable of the Two Prodigals

As we represent our Savior and his gospel in the world, our hearts must be in the right place. A healthy view of our own need of grace leads us to be humble and grateful for his mercy, eager to see others embrace the good news, and to rejoice with the angels in heaven when sinners come to Christ in repentance and faith. But if we presume a place of privilege, or view the blessings of salvation as entitlements, then we have lost sight of the grace extended to us and are quick to judge others as unworthy. Jesus knew the Pharisees were blinded by just this kind of unloving self-righteousness and offered a set of three parables to expose the hardness of their hearts (Luke 15:1-32).

The parables have a number of things in common: each includes something that is lost, each reveals that the lost item has great value for the one seeking it, each includes a celebration in response to the lost item being recovered. But it’s the last of the parables, the one known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, that most directly addresses the Pharisees’ ungraciousness. In the story, the “older brother” is the placeholder for the Pharisees. His refusal to celebrate at the return of his wastrel younger brother parallels the Pharisees lack of appreciation for what was transpiring in the ministry of Jesus. He received and ate with “tax collectors and sinners” because that is what you do when something precious that was lost is found. Like the repentant younger brother, they were being restored to the family, and Jesus rejoiced.

Let me suggest that the younger brother was not the only prodigal in the family. He may have gone off and wasted his inheritance, but the older brother wasted the opportunity afforded him by staying home and close to his father. Though he spent each day with him, he was not shaped by him. Wasn’t this the Pharisees’ problem? They were diligent to study and obey the law and prophets and yet did not know the God revealed in them. If they had, they too would be celebrating. As it was, their reluctance only demonstrated their scrupulosity was nothing but grudging obedience.

We don’t want to follow the example of either of the prodigals in this parable (unless it is to repent like the younger of the two). To hedonistically squander our possessions is to be a poor steward of God's grace. But neither do we want to squander the access afforded us to the throne of grace by not being formed more and more into the image of the One through whom grace has come. Our union with Christ can give us eyes to see the mercy of God on display when even the most debauched of people humble themselves before the living God. That is not something to protest, but to celebrate.

A Place of Rest

We’ve seen the cartoon in which a stranded man is crawling along in the desert, dying of thirst, and he looks out and, there, in the distance, water and palm trees! He charges toward the oasis and dives into the refreshing water only to find that it was a mirage, a trick of the eyes that mistook the heat shimmering off the desert floor for a pool of water. Splat! Instead of a mouthful of water, a mouthful of sand.

An oasis is a geographical phenomenon where, in the midst of barrenness, there springs up a source of water capable of sustaining life. Oases are the way stations and resting places of ancient caravan routes. In his famous invitation, Jesus puts himself forward as a kind of oasis. In a landscape made barren by sin, he offers, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). The invitation is to unite with Christ in a relationship in which he bears the burden of the law, as well as our sin and its consequences. It’s all of grace and we are blessed to be yoked to Jesus.

The church, in kind, needs to be an oasis; a place that offers Jesus’ promised rest. People weary from sin and overburdened by the world’s unrighteous expectations, need to know of the one who will take the burden from them. While this has always been an expectation for the church, in our day we need to particularly be an oasis for those struggling with same-sex attraction or who self-identify as gay. If their desire is to live in the manner that God desires, in our day they will not find the encouragement they need from those outside of the church. It is increasingly the case that they are not free to speak of their inner conflict for fear of a new form of Pharisaism, one practiced by those who embrace gay orthodoxy. Ironically, the church is the only place where they will hear that their desire to walk as God desires, while difficult, is good.

If we are to be a place of rest, however, then we need to search our hearts. Are we able to listen to the language of their struggle? Are we patient enough to bear with their habits and behaviors as they put of the old self and put on the new? To be an oasis we must reflect the love and mercy offered by the one who invites them to take his yoke upon them and learn from him. Those who come must not end up with a mouthful of sand when what they sought was water.