Hypocrisy

In the beginning, Judas didn’t intend to betray Jesus. He started as a follower of Jesus. A series of small steps in the wrong direction combined with a growing heart issue led Judas to the place of betraying Jesus. He was on a downward spiral that got worse and worse. In the end, Judas betrayed Jesus. He had outwardly pretended to be a follower of Jesus but inwardly, he was no friend of Jesus.

Judas showed that he was really a hypocrite.

But what exactly is hypocrisy? Let’s define it:

Historical Origin = the word comes from Greek. In ancient times, Greek actors use to wear masks on stage and pretend to be someone else.
Dictionary Definition (from Merriam-Webster)
-A person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
-A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

Our Projected Self vs. Our True Self

Matthew 15:1-9

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’

Why are we hypocritical?

Acceptance
Denial
Fear
Self-Centered

How do we stop being hypocritical?

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” - Matthew 15:17-20

It’s a heart issue.

Check your heart