Day 259, Year 1

Being Hypocritical is Actually Agonizing

“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” (Matthew 23:4 NASB)

What is the condition of those who “can say but cannot do …”? Actually, they carry a lot of psychological burdens.

First, if people are aware of what is good but are unable to do so, then their conscience will likely reproach them. Meanwhile, they often know what is bad yet act it out uncontrollably. This leads them to convince themselves to walk in the path of disobeying God. And they come to develop a belief that God’s Word is difficult to do, though they insist that someone else should do it. Moreover, when others fail to do what God commands, they blame them. And if they still have the slightest bit of a healthy conscience, the accusations they have made against others will surely torment their conscience incessantly.

Second, if they gloat at the suffering of others, their conscience is seared with hot iron. Further, if they silence the voice of their conscience, but derive pleasure in the suffering of others, or take advantage of the struggles of others. Such people who gloat over will surely be unable to receive God’s help when they are in trouble. Those who are struggling are vulnerable to being manipulated by the hypocrites and evildoers. Meanwhile, those who are used to manipulating others often take advantage of others and do bad things even more frequently. The more evil things they do, the more deviant and distorted their thoughts become. Although they sometimes feel happy in moments, it is difficult for them to conceal their sense of failure before God. 

Third, to avoid being exposed for their hypocrisy, they often pretend to be genuine, feigning goodness and sham to be able to follow God’s Word and deceive others. If they are seen through and looked down upon, they will attack the opponents, just as the Pharisees, etc., attacked Jesus in the past. Hence, when people are confronted with hypocrites, they are either deceived or attacked and would likely be victimized. Nevertheless, Jesus set an example for us not to be afraid of any attacks but to do everything with His guidance to expose their problems. Perhaps, when their consciences are awakened, some of them can repent and believe in Jesus.

Fourth, they lack the concept of fairness or equality in their relationships with others. The people around hypocrites are either targets for deception or for attack. As a result, they endure burdensome psychological stress. On the one hand, they fear that those they deceive will expose their schemes. On the other hand, they fear retaliation from others. To purge from hypocrisy and uproot its source, we must be honest with ourselves and God, and seek His help to become sincere and have integrity from the inside out.

Reflection questions:

1) Have you ever met any hypocrites? If so, how do you think the Lord Jesus wants you to deal with them?

2) Do you think you are in any way hypocritical? Or are you honest with God and yourself in every aspect? If there is hypocrisy within you, how would you want to deal with it?