Growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I’m either at the end of Generation X or part of a supposed micro-generation between X and the Millennials. I’m not sure it really matters. But what does stand out is a lecture I heard in college on reaching Generation X. Among many helpful things, it said that generation craves authenticity. And I can definitely say that’s true for me. Whether it’s exposed politicians, discovering shallow ministry leaders, or experiencing disappointing friends, I hate people who lack authenticity. Or, we could say those that are hypocrites.
During the New Testament times, this was a defining characteristic of the Pharisees. And in his ministry, Jesus went out of his way to warn his disciples of such behavior. He said: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:1–3).
So, what about us? Are we living authentically before the world and our God? Or are we tempted toward hypocrisy? Are we trying to impress the world while disappointing God? Do we see the dangers of hypocrisy or are we blinded to its dangers?
The Risk of Hypocrisy
In verse 2, Jesus has gathered his disciples together and he says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (12:1). It looks like that this happens very soon chapter 11, which means that they have just seen him demolish the religious leaders for this very sin. And he’s looking at the disciples now, saying, ‘This isn’t a problem that’s limited to them.’
What is hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is the disconnect between what I say I believe and how I live. It’s having a veneer of faith and godliness but lacking any real substance beneath. Jesus said it was a like a gleaming, whitewashed building that hid the decaying corpses of a crypt behind its walls.
Notice that he calls hypocrisy the “leaven of the Pharisees.” Leaven is yeast, and if you’ve ever made bread, you know exactly what he’s talking about. If you don’t have yeast—if you have unleavened bread—then the bread doesn’t rise. It stays flat. But if you put yeast in your bread, it works its way all throughout the bread and causes it to rise. And you don’t need much. Today, they sell it in these tiny packets. You just need a sprinkle.
Jesus is saying that if you only need a little hypocrisy before it spread through everyone. Maybe it’s a parent in a family, or worse a pastor in a church, but once you get hypocrisy among the people of God, it spreads; especially if it’s in the leadership. It doesn’t stay in one or two people. This is why it’s so risky. This is why Jesus warns us about it.
The Ruin of Hypocrisy
But worse is the results of hypocrisy—it brings us to ruin. This ruin in seen in two ways. To begin with, it ruins you because it will eventually be found out. Jesus says,“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (12:2). If you try to hide your sin, if you try to cover it up with religious camouflage so the real you won’t be seen, be careful. Be careful because eventually you’ll be found out. Eventually, the real you will be revealed; the mask will slip. It might be in this life, or it might be on the last day before God the judge, who see all. But one day, hypocrisy will be the ruin of you.
But more than that, hypocrisy ruins you because it doesn’t work for salvation. Jesus says, “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (12:3). This was the folly of the Pharisees: they trusted more in what people thought of them than what God thought of them. And it failed to produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Once I heard a pastor talk about a friend he had who was the president of a prominent evangelical institution. And this friend said that one year they announced that because they were committed to absolute purity, they were paying to have sophisticated filtering software put on their internet systems. It would not only work to filter out pornography but track when someone tried to access it. In six months a vice president of the institution was found visiting sites that featured children. Why would he do that? He knew he would get caught! But the desire for sin was so strong, just having the filters wasn’t enough. Likewise, the hypocrisy of living to be well-thought of by others isn’t powerful enough to make us holy. We need something else.
The Removal of Hypocrisy
The solution to removing hypocrisy and the cultivation of authenticity comes in what Thomas Chalmers called a “new affection.” We need a stronger, more powerful desire that pushes out and overcomes our desire for sin. In other words, we need a love for God that runs deeper than our love for sin. And that only comes through the gospel of Christ. There we hear the good news of grace shown to us as God forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
So, saturate your life with the gospel—in your Bible reading, prayer, and conversations with others. Remember and rejoice in the saving grace of God through Christ! Delight in the gift of his Spirit which empowers us for godliness. Embrace our freedom in Christ, laying aide the need for pretense in our spirituality. This is how we come to live the kind of consistent life that Jesus calls us to live.
Note: a version of this article also appeared on the Providence Bible Fellowship Blog.
MAGNIFY CHRIST 