A Post or A Plank

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Matthew 23 : 23 (NIV)

Scripture reading: Matthew 23

Post by: Matt G

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word hypocrisy as “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not, behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel, especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion”. As a Christian, the latter part of the definition should certainly hit home. In an age where morality seems to be espoused through every form of medium, or a lack thereof denounced in the same, it is easy to see the cracks in some of the new age philosophies about morality. Without going down the rabbit hole of examining some of these moral codes, I think it is important that we first examine our adherence to our own.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that outward actions were in no way more meaningful than personal motives and inner desires. Matthew 7:3-5 is an oft quoted yet oft forgotten verse, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Jesus’s words reveal the simplicity of this matter. Before we try to fix others or our society, we must first examine the condition of our own hearts. At that time will we have the wisdom and clarity to help those around us.

The Pharisees mentioned in Matthew 23 were experts at teaching and religious ceremony, but when it came to their motives and the desires of their hearts, they were no different than the stereotypical, modern-day, silver-tongued politician. They were more concerned about how the world saw their actions than how God saw their hearts.

With the advent of social media, the world is constantly on the hunt for “posers”. One contradictory act or statement can derail an entire cause. This has often been cited by many people as their reason for staying away from Christianity. To some extent, I don’t blame these people just by looking at the simple case study of myself. I have lied, I have spoken poorly about others, I have withheld love and mercy. These are all things which we are commanded to do and command of others as Christians. Though God provides forgiveness for these missteps through Jesus’s sacrifice, we must always be conscious of how we represent our Savior each day, not for our own benefit but for His glory. Though God does not demand from us perfection, He does demand our whole hearts. This requires a regular self-assessment to ensure that we are in alignment. We must ask ourselves: Do we desire after sincerity or notoriety? Do we desire to gain selfishly or give abundantly? Do we desire to live for this life or the next? Do we put others before ourselves? Do we love indiscriminately? Do we love our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?

Photo by dole777 on Unsplash