Hypocrisy is a common theme in the Bible. Jesus makes several statements about hypocrisy against the Pharisees. But one of the most well-known statements He gives is from the Sermon on the Mount. And it is for all of us:
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
We are operating out of hypocritical judgment when we condemn others who make the same mistake that we struggle with. And this is what Jesus is calling us to avoid. It is not a new struggle. We find hypocrisy readily available in the first book of the Bible.
I’m always amazed at the hypocrisy in the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38. In that passage we are clearly shown how easily we can become unrighteously angry over another person’s sin even though we are in the midst of our own similar sin. Judah is incredulous over the sin of Tamar when he finds out that she has slept with someone to whom she is not married. He is infuriated at her unfaithfulness.
But just like Judah, we can become so good at judging others for their sin, while finding plenty of reasons to justify our own. Instead of having compassion for another person who has fallen into the trap of sin, we cover up our own sin and bluster on about how bad theirs is.
We also see king David do this when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the story of the man whose precious lamb was killed unfairly. David was outraged that a person in his kingdom would treat another person so terribly to gain something that wasn’t his. And yet David had just done the very thing by taking the life of Uriah to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. Hypocrisy.
Now back to Judah. Judah was infuriated to hear that his widowed daughter-in-law Tamar had become pregnant. Little did he know that he was the one that had gotten her pregnant. While on a business trip, he had met and slept with a woman he thought was a prostitute. But it was actually Tamar in disguise. When he got ready to have her killed for her unfaithfulness, she showed him the articles that he had left with her, thus pointing out to him his own unfaithfulness. His outrage turned to shame. Due to his own hypocrisy.
Before we get too incredulous at these extreme examples, let’s realize that we also struggle with engaging in hypocrisy. We do this when we struggle with our own impure thoughts, but condemn others for their sexual sin when their sin is made public. We do this when we struggle with our own covetousness and greed, but condemn others when their sin of greed is made public. We so often complain loudly about the splinter in others’ eyes when we have a log in ours.
Certainly we who follow Christ have the right and a responsibility to hold each other accountable for sin, but let’s be sure that we are also examining ourselves and that we are avoiding harsh judgment toward others. We are called to be compassionate in our accountability, realizing that we are all sinners saved by grace.
Do you need to remove any judgmental thoughts or any unrighteous condemnation from your life? We all still struggle with sin. Instead of condemning each other for it, let’s work to lovingly help each other out of it.
I’ll help you. I hope you will also help me.
Father God,
Thank you for Christian brothers and sisters who love one another so much that instead of condemning each other for sin, we are trying to find ways to help each other out. When the battle gets too strong for each of us on our own, give us hearts of compassion to run to the aid of each other without judgment and condemnation.
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