A hypocrite is:
· a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or
religion
· a person who acts in contradiction to his or her
stated beliefs or feelings
Merriam-Webster dictionary
provides the origination of the word “hypocrite.”
“A number of different things might pop to mind when we
hear the word hypocrite. Maybe it’s a
politician caught in a scandal; maybe it’s a religious leader doing something
counter to their creed; maybe it’s a scheming and conniving character featured
in soap operas. But it’s likely that the one thing that doesn’t come to mind is
the theater.
The word hypocrite
ultimately came into English from the Greek word hypokrites, which means “an actor” or “a stage player.” The
Greek word itself is a compound noun: it’s made up of two Greek words that
literally translate as “an interpreter from underneath.” That bizarre compound
makes more sense when you know that the actors in ancient Greek theater wore
large masks to mark which character they were playing, and so they interpreted
the story from underneath their masks.
The Greek word took on an extended meaning to refer to
any person who was wearing a figurative mask and pretending to be someone or
something they were not. This sense was taken into medieval French and then
into English, where it showed up with its earlier spelling, ypocrite, in 13th-century religious
texts to refer to someone who pretends to be morally good or pious in order to
deceive others. (Hypocrite
gained its initial h- by the
16th century.)
It took a surprisingly long time for hypocrite to gain its more general
meaning that we use today: “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her
stated beliefs or feelings.” Our first citations for this use are from the
early 1700s, nearly 500 years after hypocrite
first stepped onto English’s stage.” (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
Also, several words come to mind which are synonymous
with “hypocrite.” Check these out; charlatan,
fraud, phony, dissembler, double-dealer, pretender, whited sepulcher, deceiver, liar, sanctimonious
person, plaster
saint, sham
and fake. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gets the point across.
Probably the worse scathing verbal assault the Lord
Jesus gave the scribes and Pharisees is found in Matthew chapter 23. He
identified them before one and all as hypocrites, and then had this to say in
chapter 24.
“The master of that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to
pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:50-51)
Then Mark records for us what Jesus had to say to the
scribes and Pharisees on another occasion.
“He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied
about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and
are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of
setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
(Mark 7:6-9)
Then in a letter written to Timothy, Paul is moved by
the Holy Spirit to say the following:
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will
abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been
seared as with a hot iron.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2)
If we take an honest look at ourselves, using the Bible
as our mirror, can we without hesitation say, “I am not a hypocrite?” On the
back of the magazine The Voice of the Martyrs for September 2017 are the words,
“A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he
is willing to die for.”
Many Christians in other parts of the world are being persecuted
and even dying for Jesus Christ because they are not hypocrites. They actually
believe God’s Word and are willing to put everything they have, including their
life, on the line for Jesus.
I am not saying that all Christians in America are
hypocrites, but I am saying that many of us are. My saying that is not meant to
be malicious, but to encourage us to honestly examine our Christian stance. Do
we really mean what we say when we say, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ?”
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;
test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of
course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are already
being tested (by Satan) in this country.
Satan is unleashing groups like the ACLU and the LBGT, etc. upon them simply
because they love Jesus and will not turn their back upon Him.
Who among us would have ever thought that this once
Christian nation would turn against the very God that made it the greatest
nation that has ever existed? We have many hypocrites among us. Most of them do
not know Jesus, but yet claim to be a Christian … on their terms. On the other
side of the coin, many who actually are Christians have gotten spiritually fat
and lazy. We are a spoiled people and the day is coming when the hypocrites may
be revealed.
If Jesus continues to delay His coming for His bride,
satanic groups will continue to bring down the heavy hand of government upon
the true Church. We may not be raptured out of this fallen world before we all
have to take a stand for Christ. Most of us have never undergone any type of
persecution for our Lord, but let us not get too comfortable in the belief that
it will never happen here. It could, and if Jesus delays His coming, it will.
“So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I
will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6
“So do not fear, for I am
with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help
you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your
right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10, 13)
Judas was a hypocrite. He
pretended to be something he wasn’t.
As Jesus pointed out, the
scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites. Oh, they were very religious, but their
father was Satan, not God. (John 8:44)
Many today claim to have the
love of God within them which can only come by true faith in His Son Jesus, but
they too are hypocrites. They pretend to possess something they do not have.
When our faith is tested, do
we follow the example of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, or do we reply, “I don’t know the man?” (see Matthew 26:72, 74) –
[Side note: Peter was forgiven and from then on served the Lord faithfully. See
Acts 4:18-19. Also, read his messages beginning at Acts 2:14.]
Jesus provides comfort for us
with these words He spoke through Paul.
“For everything that was
written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance
taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of
mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one
voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans
15:4-6)
“These things happened to
them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination
of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that
you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:11-13)
With all this said, we’ve
considered our reaction to extreme situations, but what about our day-to-day
living? Are we wearing a mask and just pretending, or are we letting our light
to shine in the workplace, at home and in our neighborhoods? We don’t have to
be “pushy” toward others, but are we taking advantage of the opportunities that
come our way to speak up for Christ? Let me give just three examples.
Workplace
Do we loaf on the job,
thereby stealing time from our employers, or do we work diligently throughout
the day to accomplish what we were hired to do?
Home
What kind of example are we
giving to other members of the family with what we watch on television? Are we
grateful enough to thank God for the meals He provides us, or do we just dig
right in?
Neighborhood
Do we partake in neighborhood
gossip, whether it’s true or false, or do we not participate?
Let’s face it, all through
most of our days, we have opportunities to stand up for Jesus Christ by letting
our light shine for Him and refusing to be numbered with the world.
As women love to look in the
mirror (now don’t argue, you know you do), let us continue to use our Bible as
our mirror and look in it each day and ask, “Who stands before me today, a follower
of Jesus Christ, or a hypocrite?”
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
