“But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. ‘There are six days of the week for working,’ he said to the crowd. ‘Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.’ But the Lord replied, ‘You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?’” (Luke 13:15-16 NLT)
What is a hypocrite? It’s interesting that the word used in the verse above translated “hypocrite,” can also be translated “actor or stage player.” Isn’t that essentially what we’re doing when we are hypocritical? Aren’t we playing a part, pretending to be something or someone other than who we were designed by God to become?
Like the pharisees of Jesus’ day, we often pretend to be something we actually desire to be but haven’t yet become. We want to become like Jesus, so, in our frustration with who we are, not who we want to be, we pretend, especially when we’re with our “church friends,” to be nicer, smarter, kinder, but especially, more “Christian” than we really are. Why is that?
Part of it is simply immaturity. We haven’t read enough, lived long enough, or understood enough to realize that the Lord wants us where we are, warts and all. We fail to realize the Lord knows not only who we are, but where we are in our journey. We may be able to fool others temporarily, but we’ll never fool Jesus for one second.
He knows us best, even better than we know ourselves. He understands what we’re trying to do or accomplish by pretending to be different or more than we actually are: more mature, more spiritually minded, more caring, more insightful, more knowledgeable, and on and on it goes. But why?
Why do we feel so compelled to pretend? Why not come clean with ourselves, our friends, our family, others, but especially why not come clean with the Lord. We’re not hiding anything from Him anyway, and the irony is, there’s nothing we can do to make the Lord love us more and there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us less. He loves us – PERIOD!
He came to us when we were at our worst, lowest point in our lives, when we thought we had to look up to see the bottom. He nurtured us as spiritual infants, showered us with affection and attention, not so we could run away or pretend to have come further or matured beyond where we are. But why? My sense, it has more to do with other believers we admire, respect, or look up to.
It’s not Jesus we’re trying to impress, it’s other believers whom we’ve failed to understand are just as messed up as we are. One of the most sacred and satisfying discoveries in my walk with the Lord came in a small group meeting with other couples. We hadn’t been together very long, but one young lady was very open and candid about where she was, not only in her life, but spiritually. At first it startled me that someone could be that honest, but then I realized that it was healthy, positive, and good.
It prompted me to share things I’d concealed for years, terrified if people knew that about me they’d turn away and reject me; but I was pleasantly surprised it actually deepened our love for each other and enhanced our friendship. I learned that day that there’s no reason to pretend.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 