Monday, April 24
On hypocrisy
Scripture: Luke 13
Luke 13:15–16 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, and lead it to water?16 Then shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be released from this imprisonment on the Sabbath day?”
Observation
On the Sabbath, Jesus healed a woman who had been disabled by a spirit and was not able straighten up completely for 18 years. She praised God, but the synagogue leader was indignant because Jesus broke the rules of the Sabbath.
Jesus called the religious leaders “hypocrites” (actors, pretenders) and pointed out that they cared for their animals (oxen and donkeys) on the Sabbath. Doesn’t it follow that freeing and healing this woman on Sabbath was the right thing to do? The religious leader was denying to a human being something they would freely give to animals!
Application
I wonder what Jesus would say to me about inconsistencies in my life that I don’t see. Where am I a hypocrite? Others who know me well or work with me might have an opinion about that—I should ask them. But ultimately, I would like to know what Jesus thinks.
One that comes to mind quickly is that I can judge people for faults I have—see the speck in their eye while failing to see the log in mine.
Today, I’m going to be on the lookout for hypocrisy or inconsistencies in my life. When I see them, I will repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness and the power to change. I’m inviting the Holy Spirit to search me.
Prayer: Lord, I love You. Please show me where I am hypocritical or inconsistent and help me change.