352: Peter Davis - Exhortation: Hypocrisy

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Welcome to good Chris Delphian talks. I’m Levi. I’m Chris. I’m Jason. And I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our Daily News feed. Each week we post a talk that we previewed from suggestions sent in by listeners from around the world.

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   Then we record a short intro beforehand as a personalized recommendation to you on why we are sharing the talk. And now let’s talk more about this week. ‘S talk. Welcome to the good Chris Adelphian Talks podcast. This is brother Brian. This week’s talk is a recommended exhortation by Brother Peter Davis called Hypocrisy.

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   Or As I Hope it Catches On, Woe to you scribes and Pharisees. Hypocrites. Brother Peter takes a look at why such a rebuke was often hurled at the religious leaders of Jesus Day and the very interesting difference in what the word meant back then versus how we use it now. And this central point is incredibly interesting and gives us a really good chance to look at our own actions and motivations and to check ourselves.

4. 1:38

   One of my favorite points was about how all the things that the leaders were accused of doing hypocritically were good and respected. Things such as taking care of the needy and fasting and praying. Things that would certainly fall under the scope of letting our light shine before others so that they may see our good works. But where is the fine line in why we want others to see us doing these good things?

5. 2:26

   I find that this talk makes for a good conversation starter and I certainly appreciated the brothers candid comments. I think some honest self reflection is necessary for all of us on our walk. So as always, we hope that this strengthens your faith and brightens your day. Brother Peter Davis. Hypocrisy.

6. 2:55

   So for the three years that make up the majority of what we read in the Gospels, right, Jesus’s ministry for those three years, Jesus faced a lot of obstacles. Now, of course, there was his internal battle, right, with temptation, which is, you know, the same struggle all of us face today. You know, then he had one of his closest friends betray him and hand him over to be crucified. Right?

7. 3:25

   There was his struggle in Gethsemane. There was the mocking of his accusers. And ultimately, there was his death on the cross. But what’s especially interesting to me is that the gospel writers, they don’t spend nearly as much time detailing Jesus facing these obstacles as they do describing a different challenge, a challenge that on the surface is really quite surprising. So throughout the Gospels, we read constantly of Jesus interacting with a certain group of people who were well respected in their day.

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   They were in good standing in their religious communities, They were people who looked to be doing all the right things. And yet Jesus frequently is warning his disciples about them. So who the gospel writers chose to highlight as Jesus’s most, most frequent antagonists were the Pharisees. So the Pharisees, they were the, the religious leaders of the day.

9. 4:47

   They were viewed as as like the authority when it came to interpreting the Torah, which is is what the the Jewish people of the day would have looked to, you know, whatever they had to say about the Scriptures, people listened and and they took their interpretation as law. And they also would, you know, would help to lead the people in prayer and lead the people in general worship and the Jewish people in the 1st century Israel, they looked up to them. However, Jesus goes so far as to call them hypocrites. Let’s turn to Matthew chapter 23. This is a chapter where where Jesus will see what is Jesus is harshest condemnation that he gives and it’s given to the scribes and the Pharisees.

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    These are the the seven woes and so starting at verse one. This is Matthew 23 verse one. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat. So do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but they don’t practice.

11. 6:20

    And skipping down to verse 25 of the same chapter, Jesus goes on to say, woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and and self indulgence. You blind Pharisee first clean the inside of the cup in the plate, so that the outside also may be clean.

12. 6:52

    Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. And so you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. You know, when we look at these verses, it seems like a really clear take away is exactly what Jesus said in verse three.

13. 7:33

    They preach, but they don’t practice. And when we think about how we use the word hypocrite today, that is exactly what it is, right? You know, you think about a, a parent of a 16 year old who just got their license and going on and on and on about safety when when you’re driving, you know, go to the speed limit full stop at stop signs, buckle your seatbelts.

14. 8:00

    But then maybe the very next day, maybe you get up a little late for work and then you’re flying down the highway 20 miles over the speed limit right now. This is like a textbook definition of being hypocritical. You know you aren’t living up to the the same standard that you’re setting. You’re preaching, but you aren’t practicing. However, when Jesus would have used this phrase in the 1st century, the word actually had a different meaning than we know of it today.

15. 8:36

    You know, today we think of that, right? You’re not living up to that standard. You’re setting, you’re, you’re preaching, but you’re not doing what you’re saying. However, in the 1st century, the word hypocrite, it meant a stage actor. And I think that the connection with the word would have less to do with that idea of playing a part, but it was more to do with playing a part for the audience. And this is what Jesus goes on to explain in Matthew 23 and verse 5.

16. 9:13

    Jesus says they do all their deeds to be seen by others, that that’s the hypocrisy that Jesus is is calling out in the Pharisees. It’s not that they were doing things that were inherently wrong, but rather it was their attitude and, and, and their motivation behind their actions that that was the problem. And if we turn now to Matthew 6, we’ll see this idea expanded on quite a bit.

17. 9:53

    So looking at Matthew 6, we’re we’re this is right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-6 and seven. We’re right in the middle of it. And it’s in this chapter that Jesus presents to the crowd three, I guess we could call them case studies where he describes very specific religious behaviors. So first he’s going to talk about generosity, giving to the poor.

18. 10:26

    Then he’ll go on to talk about prayer and you’ll have a bit to say about public prayer. And then finally he’ll talk about fasting, right, Refraining from food and drink as a way of of showing your devotion to God. And so starting in verse one, we read this. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. The the NASB translation says they have received their reward in full.

19. 11:24

    So starting with generosity, Jesus will continue in this chapter to warn the crowds against what he says in verse one, practicing their righteousness or, or performing, you know, their religious service, whatever that may be specifically in order to be seen by others. This is what Jesus says the hypocrites do. It’s not that they’re telling people to give to the needy and then they don’t. It’s actually the opposite of that, right? In this example, the hypocrites, they are giving to the needy and they’re making a show of it.

20. 12:08

    You know, now, I think when Jesus says that they were sort of sounding the trumpet before them every time they were giving to the poor, I think that that’s for sure hyperbole, right? Jesus is exaggerating there. But the reason that Jesus exaggerates this point is to get across what they really intend, what they really intend with their show of generosity.

21. 12:34

    Jesus calls out their true intention when he says so that they may be praised by others. You know, to take this idea and kind of put it in a, a very modern example. I, I kind of think about that website, GoFundMe. If you’re not familiar with it, GoFundMe. This is a site that people can use to set up donations for a cause, you know, for example, a family can request donations for, you know, expensive medical bills.

22. 13:11

    And this site has been used by many members of our community. And, you know, it’s a wonderful testament, I think, to the to the care and the generosity we show one another as brothers and sisters. But now when you make donation on GoFundMe, there’s an option where you can mark or not mark your contribution as anonymous, right?

23. 13:35

    And so if you do or if you don’t, it really doesn’t matter. But, you know, let’s say I make a big donation and I leave my name down with the intention of other people seeing oh, wow, do you see? Peter gave a ton of money. Oh, he’s so generous. Wow, good for him.

24. 13:56

    I he how great is he? I wish I was more like Peter, you know, if that’s my motivation in my giving. And that is the point that Jesus is drawing out, right? That’s the point Jesus is making. And So what his counterpoints to this sort of behavior and this sort of intention? Well, it’s read in the next couple of verses, he says, But when you give to the needy, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your, your giving may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. You know, in other words, it, it shouldn’t matter to you whether anyone sees you or not.

25. 14:49

    You know what, whatever religious service you’re, you’re, you’re doing it. It’s between you and God. It isn’t between you and other people that they see you. And so Jesus goes on to elaborate on this idea a little bit more with prayer. He says in verse 5, And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others, right?

26. 15:25

    And again, we see this key phrase come up right so that they may be seen by others. In 1st century Judaism, there was a practice known as fixed our prayer. This is something which is still done in certain traditions. And essentially what it was is everybody would offer a prayer at a specific time of day, typically multiple times throughout the day. And for example, whenever the the bells in a clock tower might ring, right?

27. 16:01

    And So what this would have meant is that Jesus’s audience here in the Sermon on the Mount, they would have been familiar with this practice, you know? And so whether you were, you know, if you were walking down the street, right, and it came time to pray, you would simply step to the side and offer a prayer and then continue with what you were doing.

28. 16:22

    However, the issue that Jesus is presenting is that for some people, you know, maybe, maybe you mapped out your route a little bit, you know, so that when that bell rang, you know, maybe you were right in the middle of a crowd downtown Jerusalem. You know, that way they would see you standing there and notice that you were praying.

29. 16:48

    But not only that, maybe you’d offer an an extra long prayer. Maybe you would keep up empty phrases and vain repetitions and think you’ll be heard for your many, many words, right? The issue wasn’t praying. That is a good thing to do. The issue, however, was praying specifically so that you may be seen by others, so that you may be praised by others.

30. 17:16

    That’s the problem that Jesus is presenting here. And then finally, you know, Jesus will conclude these three case studies with a short passage on fasting, you know, presenting the same idea again, that key phrase will come up. You know, they, they make their faces gloomy and they look like they’ve been fasting a long time.

31. 17:38

    So that they’re fasting, it’s going to be noticed. They’ll see it. Other people will look at them and, and think more highly of them.

32. 17:49

    And now it’s really important here, I think, to note that in this section of Matthew 6, in this section of the Sermon on the Mount, none of the behaviors that Jesus is describing are bad. Giving to the needy, praying, fasting, you know, these, these were key characteristics. They were they were the core aspects of a godly life.

33. 18:20

    The behaviors weren’t bad, but their motivation, their motivation was. And so This is why Jesus will bring the Pharisees to Hosea later on when he says, you know, learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you know, because the Pharisees, they were doing the right things, but they were doing it for the wrong reasons.

34. 18:53

    So the behaviors weren’t bad. And in fact, having people see you do these things wasn’t even bad because in the chapter right before this, Jesus tells the crowd, he says you were the light of the world, right? He says, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who’s in heaven.

35. 19:20

    The difference, however, was that the Pharisees, they weren’t doing these things for God to give glory to our Father who’s in heaven. The difference was that they were hypocrites. They were stage actors. They were doing these things for the crowd.

36. 19:43

    You know, when it’s easy for us to read a passage like this, it’s easy for me to read a passage like this and to think about those Pharisees in the same way we can often think about the Israelites in the wilderness. You know, I would never act like that. How how could they do that? Or seriously, they, they were standing in the presence of the Lord Jesus.

37. 20:10

    How, oh, how messed up were those Pharisees? Thank goodness I’m nothing like them, right? And when I think like that, you know, I may as well be thinking, you know, I thank you, Lord, that I’m not like other men, you know, especially not this tax collector, not this Pharisee, not those Israelites in the wilderness.

38. 20:36

    You know, when I look back to my life, let’s say 10 years ago, you know, the things that I struggled with the most in my discipleship, they were very external things. You know, I, I, I struggled with lust and, and with, with alcohol use and with swearing and things that someone could see me doing.

39. 21:00

    And it would kind of give an objective look at where I am spiritually, very external struggles. And if you Fast forward to today, you know, it’s not like I’m, I’m totally over any of those previous struggles. But but now what I find is that I struggle with more the things I struggle with more now they’re more internal, you know, pride and bitterness, acting for the crowd.

40. 21:39

    You know, when I read the beginning of Matthew 6, I very much see myself in the text. You know, it may as well say, Peter, beware of practicing your righteousness in front of others in order to be seen by them. You know, and I think if we, if we really looked at ourselves, there’d be times where I think we can all see ourselves here. You know, when I’m preparing for an exhortation, right? Is my focus on how I can encourage and, and, and help my brothers and sisters on your walk to the Kingdom? Or am I trying to impress all of you with my knowledge of the scripture, with my ability to make all these cool points? You know, not that it’s a bad thing to, to, for someone to be a good speaker, but you have to be careful that that does not become our motivation.

41. 22:43

    You know, when this can happen with anything, you know, it can be doing our Bible readings, it can be praying before meals. It, it can be coming to meeting or Bible class or going to CYC. These things are all good. They’re good and they’re important to do. But what Jesus is saying is that whatever our religious service might look like, we have to be careful because it is so easy to do the right things for the wrong reasons. So then what’s the right reason?

42. 23:23

    You know, I think Paul explains it really clearly in Titus. This is Titus 2. I really, I really like how the NIV puts it in it says this. This is Titus 2 verse 11 to 14 says for the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people and it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled and upright and godly lives in this present age. While we wait for the blessed hope with the appearing of the glory of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own are eager to do what’s good.

43. 24:25

    It is because of God’s abundance of grace and his love that he shows to us, you know, in sending his Son for us, in working intimately in each and every one of our lives, in giving us a hope. Paul says if we don’t have hope, we’re of all people to be most pitied.

44. 24:54

    God’s love for us, it should spur us on to give back to him. Paul calls this our reasonable service in Romans. It’s reasonable. It is. It’s the least we can do. We love God because he first loved us. And so we should want to show God just how much we love him. You know, Jesus tells this one parable about a, a man who’s going on a journey and he leaves his servants in charge of his house while he’s away and gives them each a job to do. And it reminded me of when I was in high school. My parents began going to the Palm Springs Bible School out here, which is in February.

45. 25:54

    And by this point, you know, my brothers and I, we were all older and a bit more responsible. And so my parents would would leave us home alone for the week, sort of in charge of their house while they were away. And I’m sure that we can all think of a time when we were all kids and we were home alone, right?

46. 26:19

    And like me, I’m also sure you can remember that mad dash to clean the whole house like an hour before mom and dad get home right now to clean the house for your parents. That’s a good thing to do. You know, that’s a good thing to do. But why did we do it?

47. 26:42

    You know, it wasn’t just show off to my siblings. I was like, oh, Dan, John, Paul, see how much better I am at cleaning the house than all you guys? Wasn’t that, you know, And it wasn’t out of fear about what my dad would say when he got home and he saw the house was still a mess. It wasn’t that, but it’s because we love them. You know, when asked which of the commandments is the greatest, Jesus says two of them are one commandment. 2 of them are first love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and also love your neighbor as yourself. And then Jesus goes on to say, he says all the law in the prophets, they depend on these two commandments, all of it. It hangs on these two commandments on loving God and loving our neighbor.

48. 27:56

    And so as Jesus said in the beginning of Matthew 6, we do need so beware of practicing our righteousness in front of others in order to be seen by them. You know, rather, when we do practice our righteousness, you know, whether that’s giving to the needy or or praying before a meal or or fasting, or if it’s coming to meeting, or if it’s doing our Bible readings, or if it’s giving an exhortation. Whatever it may be, be sure that we’re doing it out of genuine love for God and a genuine love for one another. Because God so loved us that he sent his only begotten Son, that we shouldn’t perish, but that we should have everlasting life. You know, it’s much easier, much easier to fix a behaviour than it is to fix our motivation.

49. 29:06

    It is hard to do. And so I’m asking for your help, and I’m offering you mine, right, so that we can all help one another to do the right thing and to do it for the right reasons. Thank you for listening to the good Christadelphian Talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk and brightened your day. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes.

50. 29:55

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51. 30:38

    God bless and talk to you next week.