WHY DO I HAVE TO BE BAD? THE REAL PROBLEM WITH HYPOCRITES
Nobody likes the hypocrite. But who is the hypocrite? Can you claim that you are not the hypocrite? A hypocrite is someone acting like they are someone else. They are performing, pretending to be something they are not. So again, can you claim that you are not the hypocrite? Can you point at another and rebuke them for hypocrisy because you have no hypocrisy? Would that not be the epitome of hypocrisy, to point at another as being corrupted and bad while you claim to be moral and good?
Jesus rebuked men for their hypocrisy; therefore, we must deal with the problem of hypocrisy. The Pharisee who went to pray and the prodigal’s elder brother are very similar: They considered themselves morally pure and righteous. Because they made a good show in the flesh, they felt entitled. They were self-righteous and, therefore, considered themselves privileged and elite.
Jesus said the Pharisee prayed this way: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11-12).
Jesus pointed out that the Pharisee prayed with himself! Very interesting! As though he is not even talking to God. Similarly, the prodigal’s elder brother commented about himself, “… these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf” (Luke 15:29-30).
There is no way you will convince the Pharisee or the prodigal’s brother that they are bad, morally corrupt. These kinds of hypocrites have no problem condemning the guilty. They have no hesitation in pointing out how unworthy and awful other people are. They even do it perched on self-made pedestals in front of God!
The hypocrisy is damnable! You will never convince the prodigal’s elder brother that he needs to humble himself, repent, and acknowledge deep and evil corruption. No way! He is convinced he is religious, good, and faithful. This epitomizes hypocrisy; the Pharisee and the prodigal’s brother are trapped inside an act they cannot escape.
HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH
Churches today are filled with Pharisees who believe they are better than others. Multitudes of sinners are made to feel they are the true hypocrites by the thundering accusations and holy indignation of the people acting like the prodigal’s elder brother. For too long, the publicans, humbled and broken by their sin, crying out for mercy, have been made to feel like they are actually hypocrites because of their failures and unfaithfulness. But Jesus said the publican left justified with God, not the self-righteous Pharisee.
Many humble and God-fearing people admit to struggling with sin and temptation. They are made to feel like hypocrites, like unworthy sons. They live in fear of being near people, and their feeling of hypocrisy comes when they feel they must pretend to be much “holier” than they are.
True hypocrites are those who are aware of the sinners around them but unaware that they are just as evil. They do not see themselves. They are actors lost in a role. They are not spiritually alert. They are not intimate with God.
The dangerous hypocrite is the good religious person who puts others down to make himself okay. It is difficult for the good man (the Pharisee) to admit his depravity. This can be the minister, deacons, church workers, or all those considered blameless. However, God wants us to come to true brokenness and self-despair so that we might know the immediate and joyful cleansing of the Holy Blood of Jesus.
BLIND HYPOCRITES
Many don’t realize they are the Pharisee in the story. Very few see themselves as the publican or the prodigal. To examine our hearts, let us return to Jesus’ evaluation of the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee said, “I thank thee, that I am not as other men.”
How can he “thank God” that he is not like other men when God says no one is good? He is making God a liar. John said, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). Then he spouts off a list of sins to demonstrate his innocence: extortion, injustice, adultery.
This type of hypocrisy happens all the time around church people. They take pride that they have not sinned like … sinners! To this day, they make these claims like the Pharisee: “I have not committed adultery. I have not murdered anyone; therefore, I am better than others, undoubtedly better than them!” And just like the Pharisees, they quickly thank God for their self-righteous goodness by saying, “But for the grace of God, that would be me.” Wait! That is you!
The Pharisee believed his innocence and ascribed it as a unique token from God, “I thank you …” The Pharisee didn’t need mercy. He didn’t need an altar. However, he has as much hate and murder inside of him as Barabbas. But you will never see him on an altar, like the publican, honoring the God of mercy. Even though God accounts the look of lust as adultery or the anger in one’s heart as murder, these hypocrites will continue to think they are superior to the sinners.
The hypocrite honestly thinks, “These things may be true of others but not of me.” Every time one declares their own righteousness and puts others down, they are being hypocritical.
Every GOSSIPER and SLANDERER acts like the Pharisee when they point to sinners and say, “God, thank you; I am not like them.” The hypocrite rejoices that others are at the altar; they are glad that God is dealing with them and that they are finally making things right in their hearts with God—but they don’t need it. They have no desperate need for mercy. They never weep and cry before God.
Like the Pharisee, hypocrites disdain the cold, hardened condition of the times. They lament the compromise but do not see that they do little to worship God and usher in His presence, which alone can give holiness, grace, and rest. Hypocrites are not spiritually fresh but conceal their barren souls through discipline and devotion. Their hearts are far from God, but like the Pharisee, they are always in the right place.
When did you last bow to God, unable to lift your head? If you feel innocent and have no need of mercy, it is not because you are without sin but because you refuse to see yourself. You have been living in a realm of illusion about yourself.
NO MORE PRETENDING
For a moment, consider the man who has had enough of the acting. He is done with the games and is ready to be honest with God. He knows himself to be a sinner; pretending he is not would be useless. He agrees with God in act of confession and need, declaring, “I am everything God says I am; what God says about me is woefully accurate.” He is now a believer. By faith, he is coming out of his hypocrisy and into freedom. He is going to be justified by God.
In reverence and revelation, he will not even look up to God. Confident in God, he humbly approaches God’s throne of grace, smites himself in disgust and cries to God for mercy. “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Look at this sinner’s faith and reliance upon God. He admits he is a sinner and is crying for mercy. Why? Because he believed God would be merciful. The publican pointed to the sacrifice on the altar, believing that God would justify him. Whereas the Pharisee does not feel the need for mercy, the publican is crying for it!
Going to God for mercy does not disappoint Jesus; it honors Him and His atoning death.
At their worst moment, the prodigal and the publican still had hope. Perhaps you are a mess. Maybe you feel disgusted for your failures and sins. You have hit rock bottom. Then run to God for mercy. Don’t run away from Him, and don’t pretend that you do not need mercy. Take yourself to God and believe He will save you.
THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE
You might feel like you are living in hell right now and suffering from your own choices. But wherever you are – there is hope. Hope because you can go to God. You can go home. You can pour the bottle down the sink. You can get up. You can run out. The Father will receive you.
The story of God’s gospel of grace is beautiful. It is a message of good news to those who have fallen, those who cannot save themselves, and those who recognize their need for God’s mercy.
If you are going to go to heaven, then you must be bad! Bad people go to heaven. Bad people get mercy. The person who cannot be bad cannot be saved. Why must I be bad? Why do I have to acknowledge this? Why can’t I be good? Because I am bad. God says I am bad, and if I insist that I am good, then I make God a liar.
Through God’s mercy, you can be different, you can become new, you can become somebody else, and you don’t have to be this person anymore. All you must do is cry and ask for mercy. God is no respecter of persons. He will justify you. Pull the mask off and appear before God. Stop acting; come just as you are. No longer play the hypocrite and pretend to be better than you really are. Instead, let God justify you and let His grace perfect the life of Jesus in you. No more pointing the finger at those “sinners.” No more gossiping. No more slandering. Instead, compel the pretenders to be honest with God about who they are, so that they, too, can be free and justified.