Are Christians Hypocrites?
5 min read
I promise I’m not humble bragging with the forthcoming few lines -- I’m setting the tone for quite the opposite of bragging. Hang in there…
I met a sweet girl I’m mentoring at a local coffee shop this morning. We prayed together, talked about the Lord, cited Scripture, discussed hard things, prayed again. Smiled, laughed, hugged.
When she left, I ordered another cup of coffee to sit down and work for the day.
I also ordered a ham and cheese croissant because it looked amazing, and when it was ready, I grabbed it from the bar, said thank you to the barista and was about to sit down, when I realized I forgot a napkin.
I looked around, couldn’t find one, then saw a stack right by the register.
There was a woman paying for her coffee at the register, so I walked behind her, and I reached just to her left to grab a few napkins.
As I was walking back to my seat, the barista said, “Mam, please ask me next time you need something. Out of precaution.”
My jaw nearly dropped behind my mask, and while I heard her perfectly, I feigned miscommunication asking, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Again, she replies, “Please ask me to get you something you might need. You know, out of precaution.”
It’s a blessing she couldn’t see my whole face behind my mask because I cannot poker face beyond exactly what I’m feeling in any given moment, but I’m fairly certain the tone of my dramatic pause followed by “Huh. Yeah. Ok.” with daggers shooting out of my eyes delivered the message.
BUT JUST IN CASE IT DIDN’T
When I sat back down, I took off my mask and glared over my shoulder until she made eye contact with me.
Mmmkay.
So.
In a matter of moments, I had my Jesus hat ON: praying and laughing with my mentee.
Cue temptation, frustration, and my own sin all wrapped up in 1 little exchange, and I ripped that Jesus hat OFF so quickly it’s like it wasn’t even there.
Sidestepping my deeeep desire to commiserate and hear, “You were right! What a joke!” The real issue is this: After the barista likely saw me playing Lead Church Mouse, what case does my Dr. Jeckyl/Mr. Hyde switch make for Christ?
It makes a pretty poor one for Him, and I unabashedly fed the narrative loud and clear that Christians are hypocrites, didn’t I?
UGHH whyyyy do I have to be such an a-hole sometimes?! Well, because I’m a broken, lowdown sinner, and I need God’s grace every second of the dang day.
We had a sermon a couple years ago titled, Are All Christians Hypocrites?
I recommend listening, but spoiler alert: the answer is yes.
We are all broken do-dos who sin without even trying to sin, and we also sin when we’re physically and mentally trying not to do it. Thank goodness Jesus died for all this and loves us right where we are because you know who isn’t, wasn’t, and will never be a hypocrite?
Jesus.
He’s the only man to perfectly walk this earth “being tempted in every way” and never, ever once succumbing to sin.
Storytime: I used to get super confused when someone said Jesus was perfect. Didn’t people argue with Him? Didn’t people plot left and right to trip Him up and try to kill Him? Didn’t His own disciple betray Him to His death? People hated Him!
All true.
My confusion was this: I completely crossed the wires of WORLDLY APPROVAL with GODLY PERFECTION.
Y’all, when/if we’re walking with Christ, we ain’t gonna be making friends all the time. If our sole focus is pleasing others… we cannot possibly please Christ. BUT if our focus is pleasing Christ, we will ipso facto bless others - it just might not be in the way the world tells us we need to do it.
Bringing this full circle back to my time with my mentee, though she’s 15 years younger than me, she spoke a lotta wisdom this week saying, “We can’t be surrounded by people who agree with us all the time.”
But like. I want to be. I want to be around people who rah-rah me for stank-eyeing the barista. I want to be around people who I can safely gossip with. I want to be around people who let me speak my soapbox rants without judgement.
But what if we channelled all that energy into making the case for Christ? Making HIM look good. I can assure you I’d have a lot less barista side-eye moments if this was really my focus, but yoosh, that sounds hard -- and if I’m being honest, kinda lame. I’ve got Netflix shows to talk about, people! I’ve got masks to complain about for crying outloud!
In this same way we feel temptation to do anything but point our lives to Christ, HE was tempted to turn from the Father. And what did He do? He stayed the course. Every dang time.
Let’s look at some of the ways Jesus was blatantly tempted.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were constantly trying to trip Him up:
Matthew 15:1-2 “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.’”
Matthew 16:1 “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.”
Matthew 19:3, 7, 10
3) “And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?’”
7) “They said to him, ‘Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?’”
10) “The disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’”
Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert in Matthew 4:1-11. I don’t know about you, but if I’m even remotely tempted when I’m hungry, it’s game over. And look at Jesus!!!!
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”
Think of the temptation he suffered to lash out at sleeping disciples in Matthew 26! Jesus is about to die for them, and all He asks is that they keep watch… and they fall asleep not one, not two, but three times. I would want to punch somebody. I would scream. I would throw a pity party, and I would be DANG SURE these friends knew just how much I was about to do for them and just how much they were letting me down.
And last but certainly not least, the betrayal of Judas from His inner circle to lead to Christ’s death.
In sum, He suffered intellectuals and religious experts naysaying Him and incessantly trying to trap Him, He suffered Satan himself laying snare after snare on a very empty stomach, He suffered His closest friends letting him down on the eve of His death, AND He suffered knowing one of them would lead Him to death... and He still never sinned. He never threw in the towel. He never succumbed to hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another.
And this isn’t even the half of it! In John 12:25 we learn “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
This verse about makes my heart leap out of my chest with WORSHIP, and with it, one might deduce that if the Bible isn’t recording all the miracles, it’s probably not including how many more times He was tempted too!
Y’all. He suffered temptation like you and me and then some. While we cannot and never will be Christ, HE is our example. Fellow hypocritical Christians are not. If you’re obsessing over a pastor or an instagram personality, check yo’self. Only Christ upholds the standard our hearts long to follow.
We can’t be perfect, but He was, is, and always will be! Eyes up.
In case you’re curious, I wrote the barista a note apologizing because I was too chicken to say it outloud, buuuut she left before I could give it to her. So. I’m fully planning on going back there next week at the same time, so maybe pray for me to have the courage to apologize? Or you can also pray she moved locations. Indefinitely. Up to you.
Since I can’t resist a list, here are some practical Biblical tips to help us sin less, and in turn, be less hypocritical:
Spend time in the word. You knew this was coming. It’s our SWORD guys. The only offensive weapon in the armor of God.
Speaking of, put the armor of God on. Daily. Hourly. Suit up, buttercup.
Understand temptation is promised and Christ even calls it necessary -- but we do not have to succumb. Get out of the dang lion’s den - you don’t have to muscle through life. If you’re struggling with a particular sin, remove the easy slip-ups!!!
Don’t do it all for show. Don’t just sit in the coffee shop and mentor with your Jesus hat on. Do it in the quiet, alone. This will trickle out into your life!
Share your burdens and your sin struggles. Confess them to Christ, and share them with Godly community so they can hold you accountable.
Father God, you are so very good. Your love for us is incomprehensible, and we fall so short! How can it be?! Thank you for your forgiveness, and for the promise you see our hearts and you know our thoughts. Nothing scares you. Nothing! Thank you for your Son Jesus and the immense sacrifice to accompany His perfect life. Because of Him, we can be with you forever. Because of Jesus, we can pray this prayer right now! Thank you! Father as we step into a new week, we know temptation will come. We ask you to help us carve out time for you simply because we love you. Equip us to turn even 1 degree closer to you and away from our flesh. Yours is the victory no matter what, and we rest in this! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Verses to apply this week:
Sunday/Monday: Ephesians 6:10-18
Tuesday: Matthew 18:7-9
Wednesday: Matthew 6:1-4
Thursday: Matthew 26:36-46
Friday: John 12:25
Saturday: Hebrews 13:8