Beware of Hypocrisy

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” –Matthew 6:1-2 (ESV). “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”-Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV). “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” –Matthew 7:16-18 (ESV).

A very degrading name to be called is a hypocrite. What does the term mean? Warren McWilliams writing in The Holman Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Holman Publishers, 1991, p. 682) defines hypocrisy as “Pretense to being what one really is not, especially the pretense of being a better person than one really is.” Our English word hypocrite and hypocrisy are what we call “transliterated” from the Greek word hypokrites and hypokrisis which meant one who speaks from a stage, an actor, or, as a verb, one who is pretending.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned that we should be honest (not play-acting) in our righteous living. Don’t do what you do to be seen of men. Ostentation is completely out of place in the Christian’s life.

When we pray, we should not be conscious of those hearing us voice our prayers. It is best to pray in secret, just God and the pray-er. “But what if I am asked to lead prayer in church or in a small group?” someone asks. We discussed this very question recently in prayer meeting at our church as we are trying to become more sincere and earnest in our praying. If you pray in public, try not to be conscious of people around you and of “sounding pretty.” Be honest and sincere. Don’t seek the favor of people with your words. If you do, alas, Jesus warns: that seeking adulation will be your reward for such praying. Remember in praying, you are talking to God. It is serious business; not to be taken lightly or an action to gain applause.

The third area in which to guard against pretension is when fasting. “But my church does not fast, nor does it call us to individual fasting,” you might say. If you fast, if it be in a group or singly, don’t call attention to it. You are denying yourself from food for a purpose, and that is to draw closer to God. Some tasks you face in life, Jesus said, require “prayer and fasting.” Perhaps you have had a time in your life when you fasted for a purpose and it became a deeply spiritual experience for you. Don’t make your face to look terrible to announce the fact that you’re fasting. This is how the hypocrites fast—to be seen of men. Fasting—and its accompanying spiritual examination and prayer—is a secret pact between you and God. It is not to draw attention to your “deep spirituality.” Read Matthew 23 to learn of a series of woes Jesus declares on those who practice hypocrisy. He addresses his warnings to the multitudes in 23:1-7; to the disciples in verses 8-12, and to the scribes and Pharisees in verses 13-36. Hypocrisy is a serious sin in that it is focused on the person and his/her motives rather than on God. Sincerity is a key in overcoming hypocrisy.