WATCHWORD:
11 The more lowly your service to others, the greater you are. To be the greatest, be a servant. 12 But those who think themselves great shall be disappointed and humbled; and those who humble themselves shall be exalted. 13-14 “Woe to you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders. Hypocrites! For you won’t let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and won’t go in yourselves. And you pretend to be holy, with all your long, public prayers in the streets, while you are evicting widows from their homes. Hypocrites! 15 Yes, woe upon you hypocrites. For you go to all lengths to make one convert, and then turn him into twice the son of hell you are yourselves. Matthew 23:11-15
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. Romans 7:15-20
Meditation:
Hypocrite!
I have a dear friend I have known for the better part of 20 years. She is a compassionate woman, always ready to lend a helping hand, to be part of good works, and one of those rare individuals who will go out of her way to maintain friendships over the years.
She truly is a rare individual, a good person, but she’s a hypocrite, and I can prove it! In full disclosure, I, too, am a hypocrite, and that is easily proven, as well. I will confess all, in a moment.
The word “Hypocrite” had greater power and meaning in Jesus’ day, than today. The word is derived from the ancient Greek language, which was widely spoken at the time. It comes from the Greek word hypokritēs. The word’s literal meaning was “actor”. In those ancient times, the theater was the major source of entertainment and the performers were all hypocrites, by definition.
Here is an interesting fact tidbit on this subject: One of the great theaters of the day was built in the town of Sepphoris, a short distance from both Capernaum and Nazareth. There is a good chance that carpenter, Joseph, and his young apprentice son, Jesus, would have found work in construction projects in Sepphoris. Biblical historian Josepheus made a passing reference that Jesus may have lived for a time in that village.
Back to my friend who is a hypocrite, strutting and playing many roles upon the stage, as a Director/Writer in one play, as Mother Superior in another, and many other roles. A good person who is a fine and talented “hypocrite”, an actor. As for me? I, too, am a “hypocrite”. In my younger days, I was a handsome stranger in a group at a bus stop, was one of Dolly’s boyfriends, and wore two masks in one of Shakespeare’s productions.
If we were honest with ourselves, we all wear “masks” of sorts, and to one degree or another are hypocrites, in the sense we play roles depending on the circumstances we find ourselves. Are there times when our Christian beliefs and commitments do not match our secular behavior? Sometimes our emotions crowd out our common sense and Christian behavior. That often leads to the conflict that Paul speaks about: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
Woe to us, we hypocrites, as Jesus would say, and he would not be talking about our acting! Praise the Lord, in the face of our human frailties, we are forgiven through the love that God has for us. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Hypocrites can be funny — A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, and the sudden stop caused her to drop her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday-School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, Naturally… I assumed you had stolen the car.”
Morning Prayer:
As His disciples did, we ask Lord, teach us a prayer to recite, And this is the prayer he teaches us: “Father, may your name be honored for its holiness; send your Kingdom soon. Give us our food day by day. And forgive our sins—for we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And don’t allow us to be tempted.” Amen.
