“I Just Wear the Clothes”

Mike Johnson

Many years ago, I was in a part of Tennessee with a rather sizable Amish population, which had resulted in a lot of tourism in the area.  While there, I went into a store and noticed all the workers were wearing traditional Amish clothing.  At some point, I had a friendly conservation with the owner of the business,  who wore the same type of attire as the others.  I do not remember what prompted this admission, but I will never forget what he revealed as we talked.  He said, “I’m not really Amish; I just wear the clothing —  it’s good for business.”  I can understand why he wore what he did but was still taken back upon learning that his garb was just a costume!

Thinking about this story over the years, I have concluded that some Christians are like this business owner as they only play a role. The Bible describes such people as hypocrites, who Jesus extensively condemned during his earthly ministry.  The Greek word translated “hypocrisy” originally referred to playing a character in a Greek drama.  The actor, usually wearing a mask,  would pretend to be someone other than himself.  The Biblical use of the term also involves the idea of people pretending to be someone they are not.  They wear the right “clothing,” i.e., they give the appearance of being faithful, devoted Christians. Outwardly, they are religious but inwardly insincere and unrighteous.  Consider some ways people can be hypocritical today.

Good Acts for the Wrong Reason

 Obedience to God for the wrong reason is unacceptable.  Consider three areas in which this can happen.

1. Charitable Deeds — Matthew 6:1-4 says, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”  He says to not “sound a trumpet” when you do a charitable deed, i.e., do not draw attention to yourself.  If we do that, we have already received our reward, which is the applause of others, and we will not receive a reward from God.  When we perform a charitable deed, our left hand should not know what our right hand is doing.  This expression is not to be taken literally, as our hands do not know anything.  With this expression, Jesus continues to show that helping others is not to be done for show.  If we do this, we have no reward” from God. Doing good deeds is proper; doing them to be seen by others makes us hypocrites.
2. Prayer — Hypocrisy can also happen with prayer. In Matthew 6:5-6, Jesus stated, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”  From what is understood, many Jews prayed just when there was a large crowd, such as at a busy intersection or another public place.  Prayer is great, and Jesus is not condemning it.  Instead, He criticizes praying for the wrong motives, i.e., praying to be seen by men. But, again, those who pray with this motive have already received their reward. The reward of these hypocrites would only be the praises of others.
3. Fasting — In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus taught, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,   so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”  It seems that people wanted to look like they had been fasting and doing so for a long time.  They wanted to look disheveled and might even put ashes on their face for effect.  Then when asked what was wrong, they could tell others about having fasted.  Jesus said this was not the way to do things as the only person that mattered knowing what they had been doing was God.

Today, when we obey God, we must make sure our motives are right.  Obedience to God is not for show.  Following God for the wrong reasons makes us hypocrites. Others may find out about the good we have done, but that is not why we are doing these things.  It only matters that God knows about it.

Judging Others With a Different Standard

Matthew 7:1-5 is a very well-known passage.  Here Jesus taught, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

To begin with, consider what this passage is not saying.  Some feel it means that one person should never tell another they are guilty of sin, i.e., any kind of rebuke or reproof is wrong.  According to some, if we tell people they are wrong, we are guilty of judging, which Jesus here condemns.  However, many passages elsewhere tell us that Christians are to go and correct the erring so they can be saved (Gal. 6:1; James 5:18-19; 2 Tim. 4:1-4, etc.).  Judging would also be required to obey what verse 6 says about not giving what is holy to “dogs” or “pearls” to swine.  Also, judging would be necessary for determining who is a false prophet, as we are told to do in verse 15.  Jesus said later  (Jn. 7:24), “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” This verse shows us there is an incorrect way and a correct way to judge.

What kind of judgment is under consideration here?  He is speaking of hypocritical judging.  A person may have a “plank” in his eye, a great fault, i.e., something easy to see.  Another may have a “speck,” which would involve something small and very difficult to see.  The verses picture the person with the plank trying to remove a speck from the other person’s eye.  A person, for example, rebukes someone for a sin he is practicing himself, even to a greater degree.  Or, it could involve a person being guilty of a sin, which has a smaller impact on others than the one he is practicing.    Both sins are serious — both the plank and the speck need to be removed (7:5).

Pretending Outward Purity

While denouncing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day, Jesus used two metaphors in Matthew 23:25-28. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Imagine getting a bowl out of the cabinet and quickly putting food into it without looking close.  When you are almost finished, you notice that the bowl is filthy. Also, tombs might be beautiful on the outside, but in reality, they are places where human remains lie.  These Pharisees were like the outside of the dish and tomb.  Outwardly, they exuded purity — inwardly, they were full of corruption and sin.  They pretended to be righteous, but they were hypocrites.

Outward appearance needs to match our actual character.  We should not praise God on Sunday but curse man on Monday.  We should not sing, “Have Thy Own Way Lord,” on Sunday morning, but then let the world have its way throughout the week.  We should not sing “I Want to Be a Soul Winner for Jesus Everyday” at the assembly and never mention Him to others outside the meeting house.

This following riddle, in one form or another, is generally attributed to Abraham Lincoln.  “How many legs does a dog have if you call its tail a leg?  Four.  Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”  Similarly, calling people Christians does not make them one.

Conclusion

Other forms of hypocrisy might be cited (Mt. 15:6-9).  However, hypocrisy, regardless of what form it takes, must be avoided.  Sadly, many people practice what is sometimes identified as a “church building religion,” which is a religion only practiced within the four walls of the building.  Christians assemble to receive encouragement and teaching (Heb. 10:24-25).  However, it is necessary to go out and practice what is learned (James 1:21-22).  It might be stated, “The person who is not a Christian everywhere is not a Christian anywhere.”

Jesus frequently condemned hypocrites.  We should make sure that we do not fall into that category.  We must not simply put on the “clothes” of Christianity or merely wear a “mask” of righteousness.

Many years ago, there was a sign on a wall in the barbershop where I got my hair cut.  It said, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  How would you answer this question?