Every religion founded by man tries to address this aspect of man’s fallen nature called hypocrisy. The church is often accused of being hypocrites. People think hypocrisy is a matter of behavior but hypocrisy has to do more with God. Every other religion is hypocritical because they do not rightly understand God. That’s what’s amazing about the Bible. Through the Bible, we can get God right.
The scribes and Pharisees were experts in the Law of Moses and dedicated their lives to studying and practicing the Law. Initially, their intentions were good but by Jesus’ day, they were corrupt, especially in their understanding of holiness and purity. The Pharisees challenged Jesus and Jesus provides solutions to escape their damning hypocrisy. It would be good for us to also pay attention because all of us also fall under hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a very serious sin and heavy crime because even though we are Christians when we are hypocritical we act like the unbeliever. Hell is full of hypocrites. Non-Christians cannot help but be hypocrites because all their attempts at being righteous fall short. All their righteousness is acting. The Christians are the only ones that can fight off hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has two meanings: acting or pretending and in Hebrew it means godlessness. The Pharisees were both acting and godless but they could not see how bad they were so Jesus exposed them.
Previously Jesus accused the Pharisees of being spiritually blind, having eyes full of darkness. A Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal to entrap Him. The Pharisee is stunned that Jesus did not wash His hands before the meal because washing hands was a significant tradition and one of the best ways to be holy. It was unthinkable for Jesus to not wash His hands. Not washing your hands was equivalent to committing adultery (Talmud). Jesus intentionally does not wash His hands to help them see their damning hypocrisy which will lead them to hell.
What is hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is a false profession with empty vanity. It can also be pretending. Hypocrisy is like counterfeit money, which is fake currency, a very serious crime in all countries. So Jesus addresses the Pharisees with intent to expose their hypocrisy which Jesus knows will be the trigger for their conspiring against Him.
Jesus says their outside is clean like a cup, but their problem is inside. Their appearance looks great but they are hypocrites where everything is a pretend show and they hide their true nature. Judas who betrayed Jesus was also a hypocrite and no one suspected him until the very end. Hypocrisy is not a statement against someone’s appearance but their inside. Heaven on the outside but hell on the inside. Jesus says they are full of robbery. It is a great and unquenchable greed that pursues everything worldly. On the outside they are praised for their piety but inside they are a black hole of wickedness. But because they wash their hands, they think they can do what they want and take what they want.
On a related note, the church has two rituals, baptism, and the Lord’s supper. Baptism is a wonderful ritual and it represents our spiritual death to sin and our new life to God. Hypocrisy would rely on the ritual of baptism vs the actual spiritual life of Jesus Christ that baptism represents. Like washing hands, the ritual of baptism does not make you holy. The same applies to the Lord’s supper. The supper is a time to repent and remember the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are to be spiritually rejuvenated through practicing the Lord’s supper. How do you treat the Lord’s supper? Is it just a superstitious religious ritual? Sunday worship can also turn into a ritual for the believer. We must come to worship God with genuine faith and love. Do we experience Jesus in our fellowship or do we treat others as Christian coworkers? Examine your life and its desires and actions. Do you seek after Jesus like the deer pants for the water and walk in the light rather than the darkness? Ask these questions to determine whether you are practicing hypocrisy.
Jesus calls hypocrites “You foolish ones!”. This does not mean they are stupid or lacking knowledge. They were experts in the Law. They are foolish because they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah despite the fact He has done everything to prove that He is. They see His miracles without seeing God and they hear His teaching without understanding. They don’t realize reality therefore they are fools. 1 Samuel 16:7 says “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” They must understand that as hypocrites they stand condemned. They take their own way to be pure and holy. Hypocrisy can only be dealt with and avoided in Jesus Christ. This is the privilege of the Christian (John 3:16). The fool is the one who doesn’t understand their standing before God and their end will be destruction (Luke 12:20).
There is hope for the hypocrite and Jesus offers a remedy. “But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.” Jesus is not merely referring to giving their money but Jesus says give that which is within. They must give from a transformed regenerated heart. Man’s sinful nature cannot change on their own just as a leopard cannot change its spots (Jeremiah 13:23). The only solution is to surrender to Jesus Christ alone. If Jesus changes your heart and dwells in you, only then can you be truly selfless and help others purely. Zaccheus used to steal but after being saved by Jesus, he desired to help the poor (Luke 19:8-9). Christians change because they have a new heart that sees the world with new eyes and a new relationship with Jesus Christ. This inner change is what is most important. God hates hypocrites and we are fools if we think we can deceive God. But in Jesus Christ, we can be changed.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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