Jesus poked fun at hypocrites who harp on the speck in another person’s eye while ignoring the plank in their own eye. He said:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5).

This is a good example of how Jesus used his marvelous sense of humor to teach us. (See Lighting the World, at pages 181-185).

I thought of this when I saw our cat, Neelix, hiding under a bed. Only his head was under the bed. His gigantic orange body (as big and bright as a basketball!) stuck completely out from under the bed.

I had to laugh at how silly Neelix was. Thinking that if he hid his tiny head under the bed, then no one would notice his huge, orange body!

But we humans are often as silly.

We delude ourselves into thinking we’ve covered up our mistakes and misdeeds. But, in fact, our mistakes and misdeeds are flopping around where everyone sees them. Everyone is laughing at us, and at our hypocrisy.

In much the same way, people laughed at the description of a hypocrite as someone who tries to remove a tiny speck from another person’s eye even though the hypocrite’s eyesight is blocked by a huge plank!

But God is not laughing at us. Or at our hypocrisy.

Jesus warned that hypocrites who showoff win the praise of people. But they do not win the praise of God. (Matthew 6:1).

There are innumerable ways to be a hypocritical showoff:

—Hypocrites showoff when they give to the needy, ostentatiously (Matthew 6:2-4);

—Hypocrites showoff when they pray in public, ostentatiously (Matthew 6:5-6);

—Hypocrites showoff when they fast, or do other acts of self-denial, ostentatiously (Matthew 6:16-18); and

—Hypocrites showoff when they belittle other people. (Matthew 7:3-5).

Not all hypocrites are showoffs. Some believe that they can hide their hypocrisy—like Neelix thinking he can hide his huge, orange body by keeping his tiny head hidden under the bed.

Jesus warned those who think they can hide their hypocrisy:

“Be on your guard against . . . hypocrisy.

These is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:1-3).

I believe that Jesus was especially contemptuous of hypocrites.

Why? Because the self-righteous hypocrites in his hometown must have shown contempt for his truly-righteous mother, Mary, and her truly-righteous husband, Joseph.

How? By spreading gossip about Mary getting pregnant before she and Joseph were married. (See Hoping in the LORD, at pages 15-18,20-21,29,34-35, and 61).

For whatever reasons, Jesus certainly showed contempt for hypocrites when he denounced them in the 23rd Chapter of Matthew. He said:

“Woe to you . . . hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying.” (Matthew 23:13).

“Woe to you . . . hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15).

“Woe to you . . . hypocrites! You [obey minor details of the Law of Mose,] [b]ut you have neglected the more important matters. . . —justice, mercy and faithfulness. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:23-24).

“Woe to you . . . hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25).

“Woe to you . . . hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28).

As so often in his ministry, Jesus drew upon the insights of the Prophet Isaiah to emphasize his point. Jesus said:

“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

     ‘These people honor me with their lips,

     but their hearts are far from me.’”

(Mark 7:6-9).

No wonder that Jesus insisted that the Way we worship the LORD must not be with lips of hypocrisy, but must be with hearts full of the Spirit and of the Truth. (John 4:23-24; John 14:6).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

When have you been a showoff? How? Why?

When have you tried to hide your hypocrisy? How? Why?

Did your hypocrisy become known?

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For additional thoughts about putting the Sermon on the Mount into practice, please read my blogs “Building Houses on Sand: Specks and Planks”, “Building Houses on Rock: Mission Impossible?, “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy”, and “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

For additional thoughts about the Way of Jesus, please read my blogs about the Way of Jesus (and the blogs referenced by them): “The Way of Jesus: The Nones”, “The Way of Jesus: Following the Way of the Wisdom That Follows the Way of the LORD”, “The Way of Jesus: St. Francis of Assisi”, “The Way of Jesus: The Truth of Christmas”, “The Way of Jesus: The Truth of Easter”, “The Way of Jesus: The Truth Overcomes Oceans of Hopeless Confusion”, “The Way of Jesus: The Truth Overcomes Oceans of Doubts”, “The Way of Jesus: The Life”, and “The Way of Jesus: Every Knee Should Bow”.