This Sunday,
February 17th, I will conclude my sermon series, “An Upside-Down Church.”
This series was based upon my realization last fall, that—when we look
at the ministry and teachings of Jesus from the perspective of faithful Jews in
the first century—he was someone who came in and turned everything
upside-down. Everything that they had
known and believed about God and about being a faithful Jew was turned
upside-down by Jesus.
In reflecting on this insight, I began to ask myself what
Jesus’ propensity to turn things upside-down might mean for the Christian faith
and the Church in the 21st century? That
is to say, if Jesus were to physically appear today, how might he turn his own
Church upside-down? Reflecting on this
question lead me to a slightly different perspective: Given that we are called as Christians to be
followers of Christ, perhaps Jesus expects his disciples to turn the church
upside down, all by ourselves.
I want to conclude this series by reflecting upon a
common criticism that Christians “are just a bunch of hypocrites.” To ground our reflections this week, I have
chosen selections from Matthew 23:
“Then
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and
follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They
tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others;
but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do
all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad
and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets
and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in
the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. …
“Woe to
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and
faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the
others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! “Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup
and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You
blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may
become clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are
like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they
are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also
on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy
and lawlessness.” ~
Matthew 232: 1-7, 23-28
In the
Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23 forms part of a longer unit, comprised of
chapters 23-25. These chapters form the fifth of five major discourses by
Jesus. At the beginning of chapter 23, Jesus turns to address his
disciples and other followers. His teaching provides a warning to his
followers against hypocrisy.
In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Eugene Boring explains
that for Jesus hypocrisy was more than just phoniness. In addition, hypocrisy occurs when the
individual person places excessive value on the way he or she appears to
others. This represents a form of
idolatry, in which the individual person replaces God with him- or herself—and,
begins to trust in themselves instead of God.
Prof. Boring writes, “hypocrisy is not merely a transgression, but
represents a lack of trust in God, a turning away from God toward what others
think as the point of orientation for one’s life. "[1] Jesus points to the Pharisees and scribes as
exemplars of this religious hypocrisy, which his followers must avoid.
Jesus’ critique of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees is
three-pronged:
1.
“Hypocrites do not practice what they teach.” That is, they do not
practice and exemplify their moral teachings, concerning how God intends for
the faithful to live their lives. For
instance, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees loudly proclaim the importance
of obeying God’s Law. And, in minor matters,
they do keep the Law. For instance, in
verses 23-24, Jesus notes that they keep the Law, when it comes to tithing small
items, such as the spices of mint, dill, and cumin.[2] However, they neglect the more important
commandments, such as working for justice, mercy, and being faithful to God.
2.
“Hypocrites burden others while failing to act
themselves.” In Psalm 19, the psalmist extols God’s Law as
life-giving. The psalmist says,
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving
the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing
the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;” (verses 7-8)
Yet, the hypocrite transforms God’ Law from life-giving to
life-draining. The hypocrite calls
others to keep the Law in a burdensome and life-draining manner, which the hypocrites
themselves fail to follow. That is, the
hypocrites put up obstacles, preventing others from knowing God and experiencing
God’s love.
3.
“Hypocrites seek to impress others—and, be adored by
others—rather than seeking God. On the surface, the hypocrites appear to be
very devout believers. However, in
reality, they do not strive for faithfulness to God, but rather they seek to
impress others and receive their adoration.
Later in verses 27-28, Jesus compares the hypocrites to a “whitewashed
tomb,” noting that they appear righteous on the outside, when in fact they are
full of “hypocrisy and lawlessness” on the inside.
These three critiques
illustrate Jesus’ critique of hypocrites at the time in which he lives. But, what about our own time. Are
those critics of Christians correct, when they accuse us of being hypocrites?
Perhaps so.
In my proclamation this weekend, I will point out that being a Christian
is a public role. Wherever we go, we are always modeling the teachings of
Christ. We may not always like being evaluated as a public role-model of
discipleship, but we need to accept this as part of following Christ. Hence the title of my sermon this week:
"The Burden of Discipleship."
The critique that Christians are hypocrites arises when
Christians forget that we are constantly being viewed as modelling the teachings
of Christ. On the one hand, this is not a fair standard because we
Christians are only human--we fall short and sin just like everyone else.
There are times when we slip into hypocritical behaviors. Yet, on the other hand, the most powerful
sermons are not made of words, but by our actions; by what we do. The
most powerful means of sharing the love of Christ is simply by living faithfully.
If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not
have a place to worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United
Methodist Church this Sunday, February 17th, as we explore this question of
hypocrisy.
Christ UMC is located at
4530 “A” Street. We have three worship
services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00. The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a
traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary. “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family
Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.
Come, join us. Everyone is welcome and accepted because God
loves us all.
[1]
M. Eugene Boring, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 8,
(Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.
[2]
To “tithe” means to give 10% of one’s income to God through the synagogue or Temple.
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