Avoiding Hypocrisy

 

Jesus taught a lot about hypocrisy and especially about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. He warned His disciples about not being hypocrites.

 

In Matthew 16:6 Jesus tells His disciples to watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples were at first not sure what Jesus meant, but in verse 12 they understood that Jesus was talking about what the Pharisees and Sadducees taught.

 

In Matthew 5:20 Jesus tells His disciples that unless their righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

The religious leaders taught one thing but lived another.

 

Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral and spiritual standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform.

 

Matthew records Jesus’ confrontation and condemnation of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders in chapter 23. These words of Jesus should be taken seriously by us if we claim to be disciples of Jesus.

 

In Matthew 23:1-4, Jesus confronts them over putting spiritual burdens on others but not being willing to carry those same burdens. Disciples of Jesus are to share the truth of the gospel to free them, not burden them down. We as disciples of Jesus enter in with others in life’s struggles.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about freeing people, not burdening them.

 

In Matthew 23:5-7, Jesus confronts them over wanting people to honor them and exalt them. We as disciples of Jesus are to be focused on honoring Jesus, not ourselves. Any honor we receive should be given to Jesus. Jesus will exalt us when we humble ourselves under His authority.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is seeking to humble ourselves, not exalt ourselves.

 

In Matthew 23:13 Jesus confronts them about keeping others from knowing God and entering into His kingdom. We as disciples of Jesus are to help people to know Jesus and surrender their lives to Him as Savior and Lord and thus enter into the Kingdom of God. We are not to be a hinderance or an obstacle for people entering into a relationship with Jesus.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about helping others come to know and follow Jesus, not hindering them.

 

In Matthew 23:14, Jesus confronts them over putting religion over people’s needs. Traditions, rituals, and religious rules never came before people with Jesus and, as His disciples, we are to put people’s need ahead of any religious traditions or rituals or rules.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about loving people as we love ourselves and putting their needs before religion.

 

In Matthew 23:16-22, Jesus confronts them about playing religious games. Jesus wants us as His disciples to live with authenticity and love Him and others with a pure heart. He wants us to live with a real righteousness that comes from God’s own righteousness.

 

Raise the Roof and Rise the Roof is about living with authenticity and God-based righteousness.

 

In Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus confronts them because they majored on minors. The weightier things of God like justice, mercy, grace, hope, peace, love, and joy are to be what we focus on without neglecting things like tithing or appropriate dress or appropriate speech. If we focus on the first things, the other things will also be present in our lives.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about focusing our lives on Jesus and what He says is important.

 

In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus confronts them over being concerned about the outward appearance, not inward character. They did everything so that they would appear to be holy and righteous but were not concerned that inwardly they were full of greed and self-indulgence. Jesus wants our inward character to be transformed and to be conformed to what God wants. When our inward character is conformed to God’s image, then our outward appearance will manifest the presence of God.

 

In Matthew 23:29-36, Jesus confronts them over honoring God’s servants who they or their fathers had harmed or even kill. They were now building structures to honor them so they could look holy and pious. Jesus wants us to listen to God through the servants He sends us. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Our obedience to Jesus shows that we love Him.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about obeying God and not just talking spiritual talk.

 

Jesus never taught something that He did not live out. We as His disciples are to live authentically, not as hypocrites.

 

Living Authentically by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                              Joe