Scripture
1Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. 2The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 3Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear! Luke 12:1-3
Observation
Luke 11 ended with a K.O. from Jesus and the Pharisees were shaking it off and getting ready for another round. The word had spread that someone was standing toe to toe with the religious leaders of the day and no one wanted to miss the next match. Thousands had gathered for fight night so much so that they were stepping all over each other. Perhaps the disciples were looking at the crowds and feeling pretty good about themselves and all of these new followers. Jesus saw the crowds stepping all over each other, the Pharisees looking to trip Him up and the disciples tripping over their own pride and He took the moment to teach them a lesson we all need to hear. Notice Jesus pulls His disciples away from the crowds to focus on Him and says, “Beware”. This Greek word for “put your mind to, understand” was a wake-up call to His disciples. He was telling them to avoid the very fall of the Pharisees. They claimed their focus was on God but what they truly desired was fans and the crowds that were gathering around Jesus. This hypocrisy was coming to light and, if the disciples weren’t careful, they could be pulled into the very same trap. The real fight that day wasn’t against the Pharisees, but against their own hypocrisy of wanting to please people instead of the Lord.
Application
The Greek word for hypocrisy is literally an actor playing a part. Jesus is making it clear that the curtain is about to be pulled back and the audience they have been living for will see it’s all been costumes, make-up, smoke, and mirrors. It’s kind of like that moment in the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy’s dog Toto pulls the curtain back on the Great and Mighty Powerful Oz to reveal a little insecure man using amplification and special effects. "Ignore the man behind the curtain" he bellows, but Dorothy was disgusted at the sham and the little man was greatly ashamed. This year has really done the same thing. God is not ignoring what's behind the curtain. In fact, He's shining His light on it. Every Christian I talk to has had to “beware” or to come to focus on the fact that we have been living a charade in our faith in one way or another. It’s easy to say we are people of faith when the environment we live in requires no faith. Enter 2020. Church services shutting down, the economy in a downward spiral, the loss of loved ones to illness, the hypocrisy of our attitude towards different races revealed, the politics of self-promotion made painfully obvious and more. I have done a lot of repenting this year as I realized some of my faith expression was more about managing public perception. How much of what I do is about pleasing people instead of pleasing the Lord? How much of what I did was about the crowd rather than the Cross? This is why Jesus points out that hypocrisy occurs we are fearing the wrong thing: 4“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell.12:5 Greek Gehenna. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” Barna research revealed recently that 1 in 3 practicing Christians has completely disengaged from the Church since COVID-19. 50% of practicing Christian Millennials haven’t watched a single online service since COVID. I guess the question needs to be asked, “what have we been “practicing” because true Christianity doesn’t simply unplug from the community of faith. A 20-something Christian shared with me recently that when he could no longer do the things he loved to do, such as movies, sports, church, he stopped reading the Bible altogether. How many of our weekly church traditions were a false front for a lack of authentic discipleship? Could it be that these results are revealing that many of the crowds of Christians we have seen gather for the show have grown tired of a religion that has nothing new to show? When people see everything they’ve leaned on falling down around them they begin looking for something solid, lasting, and eternal. Have we been giving them a show or showing Jesus? Have we been promoting our programs instead of encouraging a personal faith that can stand the test of these tumultuous times? The Christian behind the curtain is being revealed this year, our true character is being shown, and I for one am falling on my knees in repentance.
Prayer
Instead of waiting for the light to reveal my sin, I’m running to Your light. What You have brought to light is that much of what I have been busy working at was exactly that, “busy work.” The curtain has been pulled back on my faith and though there are some areas that reveal You, there are other areas where hypocrisy has been shown. I repent for people-pleasing, fear of the future, and fear of rejection. I come back to fear You. To stand in awe of You. To cherish Your presence and obey Your voice above all the noise. I pull back the curtain of my heart and welcome You into every area so what is of You would remain and everything else would be thrown away.
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