Hypocrites
Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:1-13 (KJV)
In this passage, Jesus deals with some of the Pharisees and scribes- religious people. They asked Him why His disciples didn’t wash before they ate. And they asked Him why the disciples didn’t walk according to the tradition of the elders.
Jesus replied to them using the Word of God- the book of Isaiah…. and He called them hypocrites. The word hypocrite refers to one who plays a part on a stage, wearing a mask, a play actor. A hypocrite pretends to be something they are not. Jesus said “The people honoureth Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” The religious leaders were just playing a part. They pretended to love God, but they didn’t. Hypocrites honor God with lip service but their heart does not belong to the Lord. These men were playing like they were lovers of God, but they were really lovers of self.
Jesus went on to say they participated in vain worship, which was just an outward manifestation of their hypocrisy- more play acting. What a strong statement for Jesus to make, saying their worship was in vain, meaning it had no value- it was worthless. He then added that they taught their own commands and tried to peddle them as God’s doctrines. They had laid aside God’s commands, the real ones, and replaced them with their worthless traditions. Thus, they rejected God’s command so they could promote their own tradition. That is what a religious hypocrite does. They put their own desires above God’s desires.
Jesus used the example of the command to honor our parents to show that their empty traditions actually violated God’s Word. In addition, when we choose our own tradition over God’s Word and over a relationship with Him, it causes harm to other relationships, such as that with our parents.
He then explained that God’s Word does not work for some people because their manmade tradition works against it. Hypocrites are those who follow their own ideas but try to look like they are following God. This does not allow the Word to work because they are not really employing the Word in their lives.
Check yourself. Does any aspect of Jesus’ description of a hypocrite fit you? We can turn from hypocrisy and choose God’s Word over the traditions, theories, and belief systems of man. We can repent of putting more value on manmade rules than on the commandments of the Lord. Hypocrisy ultimately leads to spiritual death, but it doesn’t have to. Repent, choose Gods’ way over your own, and become a genuine follower of Christ.
