Day 24

Jesus Teaches Against Hypocrisy

from the The Life of Jesus reading plan


Matthew 23:1-39, Mark 12:38-44

BY Seana Scott

I stood in the wooden church pew, too short to see the stage, and watched my mom from the side, singing loudly, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great Thou art…”  We attended church every Sunday. The pastor mesmerized my mom and dad with his inspirational preaching, which often included the call to “sow a financial seed.” 

So, Mom and Dad donated generously toward the church and a global ministry to feed children overseas, even while chipping away at credit card debt. Then one Sunday, the pastor was gone. Grown-ups whispered. We stopped going to church. Years later I learned the elders fired the pastor due to embezzling the tithes and offerings. 

I imagine the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 23 operated similary. Jesus says of them: “Hypocrites!” “Blind guides!” (vv.23,24).

Jesus revealed what was hidden behind their religious robes, long prayer garments, and honored positions: they were nothing they claimed to be; rather, they were “like whitewashed tombs” (v.27) and cups full of sin (v.25). They taught the law, but they followed the letter of the law not the spirit—and they cared more about the gold in the temple treasury than the righteous work of the temple itself (vv.16–22). 

It’s easy to shake our heads in disgust at this pastor or the Pharisees of the world, but if I’m honest, I think we all have hypocritical tendencies. There are a myriad of ways we exalt ourselves in our mental comparison games. Maybe this is why Jesus emphasized that the greatest among us will be a servant (v.11) and warned that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (v.12). We desire greatness, but greatness in the kingdom means humility in humanity. 

This means we don’t use position and power to exalt ourselves. Even if we’re never caught, one day all things will be laid bare—and we will all give an account. And then, the humble will be exalted.

Let’s not follow the footsteps of hypocrisy. Let’s be careful to make sure the greatness we pursue is the greatness of servitude.

Post Comments (53)

53 thoughts on "Jesus Teaches Against Hypocrisy"

  1. Rebecca W says:

    I am so guilty of exalting myself in mental comparison games! Forgive me Lord, and help me to see it when I am tempted. Help me to humble myself since God knows all truth about me anyway, even when I may not recognize my sins for what they truly are. Create in me a clean heart Lord!
    Praying for all requests today. ❤️

  2. Dawn Enns says:

    Help me to be humble Jesus❤️

  3. Allison Bentley says:

    As a believer for 20+ years My continued prayer is Lord help me not be a Pharisee- it’s so easy with the “prayer request for so and so who’s cheating” or I’m better than so and so because I do ______ (I’m sure you can fill in the blank). Help me live my life so that others will wonder who Jesus is instead of confirming all the lies the world has told them about Christianity! Amen sisters! Praying for all your requests today!

  4. Traci Gendron says:

    I need to be so much better at servitude. I tend to want to sit with SRT and other studies and soak up all I can get from God. I told a friend yesterday I sometimes feel like I could be content without anyone and would be happy just sitting with my Bible and God. I crave Him. Yet, I don’t serve. I feel ill equipped. I’m 61. Will all those that remember me in my days of sinful living look at my like a “hypocrite”? Like who is she trying to fool. It’s funny because I don’t generally care too much what others think of me. I’m more concerned with what God thinks of me. I know not everyone is going to like me. But maybe just maybe, I need to change that thinking a bit and learn to serve.

  5. Mama4 K says:

    I pray for protection and guidance for all pastors and leaders that they will not be tempted by the evil one! I pray I may know how to best serve and love them so that they know they are loved by God too! It’s such a hard job to carry the weight of a congregation and trust God for all the problems they get to hear and support. I also pray for their wife’s and families. God please help us to serve one another and not just share out burdens and frustrations, let us truly care for each other and forgive each other as you have been forgiven, that we may walk more freely in your mercy Lord and share that with others. Let us understand how much we need you!!

  6. Mari V says:

    Having a servants heart, is not always easy. Our selfish desires, and gain gets in the way. I’m speaking FOR MYSELF! Being at a work place where I am one of the oldest and been there the longest it’s quite humbling to be told what to do by someone much younger and has not been there very long. While I can see that some of their actions are selfish, please pray my actions would be Christlike. And I’m being transparent when I say that sometimes that’s a very hard.
    Happy Wednesday sweet sisters!

  7. Mari V says:

    Having a servants heart, is not always easy. If it was, we all be doing it. Our selfish desires, and gain gets in the way. I’m speaking for myself! Being at a work place where I am one of the oldest and been there the longest it’s quite humbling to be told what to do by someone much younger and has not been there very long. While I can see that some of their actions are selfish, please pray my actions would be Christlike. And I’m being transparent when I say that sometimes that’s a very hard.

  8. Laura says:

    On the podcast for this week they talked about how Jesus was not afraid to speak truth, and that the truth was very harsh but it was necessary because the religious people were living a lie that they were presenting as truth. This hits my heart because we have been in a battle of speaking truth to our daughter about the lies she is believing, and sometimes I question whether we are doing the right thing because it has caused her to walk away from our family. But each time I question, the Holy Spirit reminds me that speaking Biblical truth to those who are following lies is loving, especially when it relates to our daughter, who we are commanded as her parents to train up in God’s truth. I’m grateful that Jesus did not stand down from speaking the truth, because we can learn from that truth today, as we examine our own hearts for lies (especially those that are masking our hypocrisy). It also makes me think of the question posed yesterday in the comments: why did no one tell the guest who was not dressed for the wedding that he was not dressed properly? I want to always be on the side of truth, no matter how hard it might be to swim against the tide.

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