hypocrisy

No one likes being accused of hypocrisy – of saying one thing but doing another. And most people feel chagrined when they come to terms with their own insincerity. It’s embarrassing! In fact, we fear it.

And with good reason. After all, Jesus had little patience with hypocrites. Four times in the Sermon on the Mount He warned His disciples to match their outer behavior with inner holiness. And in His diatribe against the Jewish religious leaders, He excoriated their phoniness seven times. Christ favored authenticity over pretense.

So how should we respond to the fear of hypocrisy?

We can cooperate with it.

The story is told of a woman who implored Mahatma Gandhi for help. Distraught, she recounted how her child ate too much sugar and though she strove to keep sweets out of his reach, the kid still found a way to sneak them past her.

Gandhi listened quietly and then instructed, “Come back in two weeks and bring your son.” Surprised by the lack of deep insight or eye-opening wisdom from the great Indian leader, the mother nevertheless obeyed. In two weeks time, she and her boy returned.

Gandhi looked at the child and told him, “Don’t eat too much sugar.” “Yes, sir,” he replied. Conversation over!

The mom couldn’t keep still. “Is that all you have to say? Why did you make me wait so long?”

“Because,” Gandhi explained, “two weeks ago, I ate too much sugar.”

I’m not sure if the story is historically accurate but it illustrates a simple point: practice what you preach! We can let the fear of hypocrisy work for us rather than against us. If it inspires us to address a flaw or make something right in our lives, then that fear has done us some good. Sometimes, the fear of being exposed as a hypocrite can lead to positive changes.

But what if we have trouble changing ourselves?  Let’s be real here – most of us know more than we practice!

And it’s not just us as individuals. For example, look at our schools. Our educational system seems designed to churn out graduates who know how to takes tests and write essays but possess little functional wisdom to tackle the issues of the real world.

And consider the church. How easily can a minister preach about a topic that he himself struggles with! A Sunday School teacher might cringe at the curriculum because it exposes a weak point in her life, but she swallows hard and presents the lesson. Are they hypocrites because their lifestyles don’t align with their rhetoric? Should they discuss only those biblical insights which they’ve mastered? Is everything else off-limits?

As a preacher and teacher, I’ve had to address subjects and issues with which I struggle. I’m no hypocrite provided I offer what they call in journalism, law, and real estate, “full disclosure.” All I have to do is tell people that I’m having a hard time with this topic or that Scripture passage. Why not be up front? What have I got to lose?

My mask!

The Greek term “hypocrite” originally referred to an actor. In ancient Greece, a single actor would play several roles, so he used a collection of masks to convey his various characters. The audience could see the masks but not the hidden face of the actor.

Jesus railed against hypocrisy because He wants us to be honest with God, others, and ourselves. The fear of hypocrisy can motivate us to change our habits. But it can also encourage us to drop our masks. And be candid about our fears and failures.

Our openness helps people to lower their guard and trust us. They discern that we’re capable of understanding their issues because we’re up-front about our own.

So let’s make the fear of hypocrisy an ally of our spiritual growth rather than an adversary. If it drives us to modify our diets, good. If it makes us approachable, accessible, even vulnerable, great. And if it cultivates in our hearts an ever-deepening appreciation of God’s grace in Jesus, perfect!

Don’t flee hypocrisy; make it your friend. Even if you’re afraid.