Practice What You Preach! - Matthew 23

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

The animosity between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders is growing.  Not only are the leaders getting jealous and paranoid about the following that Jesus is getting, but today Jesus calls them on the carpet. He calls the Pharisees and teachers "hypocrites".  One of the things most people hate about religion is hypocrisy.  Usually it starts at the top with the leaders.  They are given authority to lead and instruct the people, but when they don't live out what they preach it causes an incongruity.  It drives people away.  The word "integrity" comes from the word "integrated".  In this case what you teach is integrated in what you practice, otherwise you have a lack of integrity.    

It is interesting what Jesus says today, "So be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do for they do not practice what they preach." Why is this important?  First, Jesus says it is not what they are teaching what is wrong, but how they are living it out.  They were teaching the Law, basically the Ten Commandments, which was from God.  God's law is holy and pure and unchangeable.  But Jesus is quick to say make sure that you don't imitate their behavior. 

One of my favorite Christian bands D.C. Talk has these lyrics in one of their songs, "The greatest cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but don't acknowledge him with their lifestyle.  This is what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable."  

But someone might say isn't anyone who sins a hypocrite if they call themselves a Christian. None of us is perfect right.  The difference with the Pharisees was that they were so busy pointing out other's sins that they completely failed to look at themselves in the mirror.  Jesus says, "Do not judge lest you be judged.  The measure you use will be used for you."  The only one who can judge is God and long, but that doesn't mean we can't judge what is right and wrong.  We know what is right and wrong from God's perfect law which judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  It is the Law that leads us to Christ.  

As Christians we should be the least hypocritical people around. Why?  Because we admit we are powerless without Christ's help.  We have not right to brag because there is nothing to brag about.  All we can brag about is what Christ has done for us.  Rather than repelling people away from the church because of our self righteousness, we should be attracting people to Christ by our humility as one has said, "One beggar sharing a piece of bread with another beggar."  

Let's not be like the Pharisees who tie heavy burdens on people's backs.  Let's point people to the One who said, "Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened (by sin) and I will give you rest. Rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."