Am I a Hypocrite?

Am I a hypocrite? That’s not a bad question to ask yourself with some regularity.

Jesus had a lot to say about those who show a good face to the world but are different when others aren’t looking. All of us struggle with this so perhaps the question might be changed to: “How much of a hypocrite am I?”

And while that’s an important aspect of hypocrisy, there’s a deeper question that Jesus wants us to ask. It’s about how we value things. Do we place a greater value on the small things or the big things? For Jesus, that made a big difference.

It’s not like he was against the small moral acts (except when they were leveraged in the first type of hypocrisy mentioned above). But to lay claim to following God meant to put the first things first - and that means that sometimes the other things get pushed down the priority list. He put it this way:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. - Matthew 23:23

The hypocrisy Jesus exposes here is the deepest kind. It’s as if he’s saying, “Sure, it’s fine and even good to donate to God’s work a portion of the food from your vegetable garden, but it’s a whole lot better to commit deeply to racial equity. Sure, you can wear a t-shirt with a thoughtful slogan on it, but it’s a whole lot better to forgive your enemies. Sure, it’s good to show up at church on Sunday, but it’s a lot better to live through the week with a deep connection with God.”

The real question of hypocrisy concerns how we center justice, mercy, and faith in our life. Take a moment and talk with Jesus about those three things and what he’s bringing to mind about your priorities.