Leadership: Without Hypocrisy

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23:23-28 (NKJV)

Matthew 23 is a wake-up call. Every time I read it, I’m reimpressed at Christ’s fervent and lengthy indictment of Jerusalem’s religious leaders.

Only twice did our Captain come down hard on a world so obviously sinning. The first was two chapters earlier, when temple merchants were swindling pilgrims:

‘Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” ‘ (Matthew 21:12-13)

In both, people seeking God were misled by people who claimed to represent Him!

Please note: The King of kings did NOT condemn…

  • An adulteress caught in open sin,

  • A naked, demon-possessed lunatic,

  • Peter, who abandoned and denied him,

  • A mob that tried to throw Him off a cliff,

  • Ungodly cultures and/or religions,

  • The witnesses who lied at His trial,

  • Rome or the soldiers who crucified Him,

  • You and I, who without Him, are GUILTY!

In 38 long and painful verses, Jesus strongly condemns hypocrisy– pointedly among religious leaders, who publicly claim to represent God.* 

  • Saying one thing, while doing another.

  • Quoting the Word, while secretly sinning

  • Praising in churches, while hating the world.

  • Proclaiming Christ, while not obeying Him.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

I believe you, too, hate hypocrisy, because you’ve witnessed the harm it can do to the lost sheep you’re commissioned to seek. Therefore, walk in truth, as you walk in love… And when you mess up (like everyone does), confess it, repent, and try, try again.

To lost sheep, gentleness, kindness, and love are supernaturally compelling.

Leadership: Without Hypocrisy (Part 23)

* Matthew 23 NKJV - Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees - Then - Bible Gateway

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban