Read Mark 12:38-40
I’m Warning You!
As Jesus taught, he said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.”
However: they devour widows’ homes. Instead of taking care of widows, they would exploit them in order to get fatter financially off of their estate. Oftentimes, a husband would put a teacher of the law in their will as the executor of his widow’s estate. The teachers of the law, then would use this, not as an opportunity to take care of the widow, but instead, trick the widow out of her home and other property.
Basically, one day they exploit a widow out of their home and the next day they’re making lengthy prayers to be perceived as righteous and holy. When in fact, they were hypocrites to the core of their hearts. Jesus said they would be punished most severely. I’m sure Jesus’statement ticked off the teachers of the law.
I feel like we have to ask ourselves these questions: “How do we want people to perceive us spiritually?” “How does God actually perceive us?”
Do we come across as being pious, friendly, kind-hearted, loving, complementary? Do we come across (or try to come across) as being godly and well-versed to the Bible? Who are we trying to impress? Other people or God? Is it all about capturing the attention of others so we look good and enjoy compliments from others because it builds us up? Yet, in our homes we lack spiritual application. Those closes to us see our hypocrisy. They see the “real me.” God sees the “real me.”
When we enter into church, people see our beautiful smiles and kind hearts, yet when around our non-Christian friends, we blend right in with them. It’s no longer God’s ways that we strive for, it’s the flesh desires we fulfill. We have “fun” all the while we are hypocrites.
Jesus is warning us. Unless we allow the Holy Spirit to help us get control over these hypocritical ways, we are at high risk of being punished most severely.
God, show me my hypocritical ways. Forgive me of my hypocritical ways. Help me repent of these hypocritical ways.
Don’t be fooled by the devil. We all have some form of hypocrisy!
