HYPOCRISY! Will It Ever End?

Conclusion of HOW GOD AND HIS SON VIEW HYPOCRISY

They practiced "righteousness" with showy display.  Jesus told his audience:  "Take care not to practice your righteousness in front of man to be noticed by them . . .as the hypocrites do."  He also told them to make gifts of mercy "in secret," or discreetly.  They should pray in private, not just to be seen by others.  Then their worship would be genuine and would be appreciated by his Father. -Matthew 6:1-6.  

"They were quick to criticize.  Jesus said: Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and  then you can see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5) By drawing attention to the faults of others while having greater faults himself, an individual is making himself appear to be something he is not.  For, in reality,  "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23. 

They harbor impure motives.   On one occasion, disciples of the Pharisees and party followers of Herod approached Jesus with a tax question. Using flattery, they said to Jesus:  "Teacher, we know you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth. "  Then they set a trap by asking the question:   "Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not?  Jesus replied: "Why do you put me to the test, hypocrites?"  Jesus rightly called them hypocrites because they were not really seeking an answer to their question but were trying to "trap him in his speech." -Matthew 22:15-22. 

When the Christian congregation was established at Pentecost 33 C.E., an environment was created in which truth and honesty flourished.  True Christians worked hard to eradicate hypocritical tendencies from their personality.  For example, Peter, one of the 12 apostles, encourage fellow Christians to practice "obedience to the truth with non  hypocritical brotherly affection." (1 Peter 1:22) The apostle Paul exhorted his coworkers to practice "love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience and out of faith without hypocrisy." -1 Timothy 1:5. 

Next time: HYPOCRISY!  Will It Ever End? - THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD

From the Watchtower magazine