A hypocrite is a phony, to put it simply. One who presents as someone they are not. When God knows you are not good, why do you pretend to be? You might be able to trick humans, but never God! Step inside this lesson for 15 minutes and I will tell you more, maybe you will find a need to make changes in your life.
Updated: Saturday, April 1, 2023
STM Bible Lesson
Lesson focus: Matthew 23:1-7 [read Matthew 23:1-36 (1-7)]. Bible lesson background: The term ‘hypocrite’ is first found in the Bible in Job 8:13. It means ‘the godless’. Merriam-webster.com – The Greek word took on an extended meaning to refer to any person who was wearing a figurative mask and pretending to be someone or something they were not. This sense was taken into medieval French and then into English, where it showed up with its earlier spelling, ypocrite (minus the ‘h’), in 13th-century religious texts to refer to someone who pretends to be morally good or pious in order to deceive others.
Then Jesus said to the crowds, and to his disciples, 2 “You would think these Jewish leaders and these Pharisees were Moses, the way they keep making up so many laws! 3 And of course you should obey their every whim! It may be all right to do what they say, but above anything else, don’t follow their example. For they don’t do what they tell you to do. 4 They load you with impossible demands that they themselves don’t even try to keep.
5 “Everything they do is done for show. They act holy by wearing on their arms little prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside,* and by lengthening the memorial fringes of their robes. 6 And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the reserved pews in the synagogue! 7 How they enjoy the deference paid them on the streets and to be called ‘Rabbi’ and ‘Master’! Matthew 23:1-7 (TLB)
Why pretend? Do not be a false person; hypocrite!
Jesus sees and knows everything, so why pretend? Do you try to blend with others? Are you a closet hypocrite, that is, a holy Christian when other Christians are around and change into a sinful person at other times? For many peer pressure is what feeds this behavior; you should be a good example for your peers. Keep reminding yourself, God sees and knows all. We cannot fool Him. Hold on, don’t leave, not one of us is perfect, make the change now.
This Bible lesson is like getting a shot of medicine, it may not feel good when you get it, but it is for your good. Be real, be true; do not pretend to be what you are not. That is, be holy at all times and not only to impress others.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
A hypocrite is someone who presents themselves as something they are not; a false person. One who acts as if they are better than they are. While hiding their true self and ways, even from themselves. This actor is a liar (or scam), self-righteous, and sinful. They can cover up evil from others, including self at times, but never from God.
7 warnings to the Scribes and Pharisees; hypocrites
1. Matthew 23:13
- Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were keeping others from entering the kingdom of heaven when in fact they will not be allowed to enter either.
- Adam Clarke’s Commentary – The kingdom of heaven here means the Gospel of Christ; the Pharisees would not receive it themselves and hindered the common people as far as they could.
- You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won’t go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in. (CEV)
2. Matthew 23:14
- After they remove widows from their homes, then they act self-righteous and holy with lengthy, public prayers in the streets. What a drastic change.
- Bible Exposition Commentary – the Pharisees took advantage of people in order to rob them. They used their religion as a “cloak of covetousness” (1 Thessalonians 2:5).
- Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows’ houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation and the heavier sentence. (AMPC)
3. Matthew 23:15
- To convert just one person to their beliefs, they would go anywhere. They then made them twice as sinful as they are. Proselyte. One that comes over from a foreign nation, religion, or sect, to us; a convert.
- Barnes’ Notes – Among the Jews there were two kinds of proselytes:
- (1.) Proselytes of righteousness, or those who wholly and fully embraced the Jewish religion, were baptized, circumcised, and who conformed to all the rites of the Mosaic institutions.
- (2.) Proselytes of the gate, or those who approved of the Jewish religion, renounced the pagan superstitions, and conformed to some of the rites of the Jews, but were not circumcised or baptized.
- Twofold more the child of hell. That is, twice as bad. To be a child of hell was a Hebrew phrase, signifying to be deserving of hell, to be awfully wicked.
- “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You travel everywhere to win one person to your faith. Then you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (NIRV)
4. Matthew 23:23
- Even their mint, dill, and cumin are given to God as a tenth of what they get as food. However, they ignored the law’s most important rules, such as being fair, kind, and faithful. These are the actions they need to take. Additionally, they must keep doing those other things that are holy and pleasing to the Lord.
- Alford Commentary – It was doubtful, whether Lev 27:30 applied to every smallest garden herb: but the Pharisees, in their over-rigidity in externals, stretched it to this, letting go of the heavier, more difficult, and more important (see Mat 23:4) matters of the Law. In the threefold enumeration, our Lord refers to Mic 6:8 (see also Hos 12:6)—where to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, are described as being better than all offerings.
- A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones; hypocrites! For you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith. But it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone. (BBE)
5. Matthew 23:25
- Their glasses and plates are washed and cleaned on the outside. However, they are stuffed to the brim with the money they obtained by deceiving others and uplifting themselves.
- Disciple’s Study Bible – Hypocritical teaching is worse than no teaching at all. Teachers who are pious on the outside but corrupt on the inside can delude those who follow them, leaving them worse off spiritually than they were before. Because teaching is an awesome responsibility, false teaching is a terrible sin.
- “Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You are like one who will only wipe clean the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy. You are foolish to ignore the greed and self-indulgence that live like germs within you. (TPT)
6. Matthew 23:27
- They are like white tombs. On the outside, they have a lovely charm. However, they are filthy and filled with dead bones inside.
- Coke – By their care of external appearances, the Pharisees and Scribes made a fair shew, and deceived the simple. Like fine whited sepulchers, they looked beautiful without, but within were full of uncleanness, and defiled everyone that touched them.
- “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You are like graves that have been made white and look beautiful on the outside. But inside you are full of the bones of dead men and of every sinful thing. (NLV)
7. Matthew 23:29
- For their prophets, they erect granite graves, and for their saints, they build marble shrines. And they claim that no blood would have been on their hands if they had lived in the era of their forefathers. They complain much too much! When in fact they share many traits with those killers and add daily to the death toll. They were such hypocrites!
- The Teacher’s Commentary – They were just like their fathers (e.g., predecessors) who, when they had authority, killed the prophets and wise men God sent to Israel. In this generation’s rejection of Jesus, the blood guilt of the ages was coming to rest on them (Matthew 23:28-36).
- “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count. (MSG)
The wrap-up; be holy now!
Jesus criticized hypocrites for being pious in public (Matthew 6:2, 5, and 16). They were more interested in human praise when they gave alms, prayed, and fasted than in God’s reward. Hypocrites were also guilty of being judgmental of others’ faults and ignoring their own (Matthew 7:1-5). – Holman Bible Dictionary
Peter and Barnabas caught in hypocrisy
When Peter came to Antioch, he did something that was not right. I stood against him, because he was wrong. 12 This is what happened: When Peter first came to Antioch, he ate and associated with the non-Jewish people. But when some Jewish men came from James, Peter (changed) separated himself from the non-Jews. He stopped eating with them, because he was afraid of the Jews who believe that all non-Jewish people must be circumcised. 13 So Peter was a hypocrite. The other Jewish believers joined with him, so they were hypocrites too. Even Barnabas was influenced by what these Jewish believers did. 14 They were not following the truth of the Good News. When I saw this, I spoke to Peter in front of everyone. I said, “Peter, you are a Jew, but you don’t live like one. You live like someone who is not a Jew. So why are you trying to force those who are not Jewish to live like Jews?” Galatians 2:11-14 (ERV)
It is simple to hide hypocrisy from other people. The actor seldom feels bad and never asks for forgiveness. They must remember that God is able to see through their mask and know their lies. It’s time to make a change; for your own benefit, quit acting holy by visiting a location (church) and doing godly acts, and start being holy right away! To do that, for instance, one must alter one’s behavior and always treat others with kindness, gentleness, love, and patience.
Live holy now!
God loves you and has chosen you and made you his holy people. So [as God’s chosen, holy and beloved ones; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9] you should always clothe yourselves with mercy [a heart of compassion], kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Bear with [Make allowances for; Be patient with] each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you [has a grievance/complaint against someone], forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. 14 Even more than all this [Above all], clothe yourself in love, which holds you all together in perfect unity [or binds everything together; is the bond of perfection/completeness]. Colossians 3:12-14 (EXB)
A hypocrite cannot and does not please God. There’s no better time than now to change, not tomorrow or the next, live a life that pleases God, be holy now. I pray that you have enjoyed and will make the most of this Bible lesson. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺
Related studies/lessons/snacks for further Spiritual growth:
See what is available on the Sound Truth Ministry website.
I look forward to your feedback via comment at the bottom of the page or by emailing tim@stministry.com. Have a fantabulous day!
Reference Scriptures
Note: parenthesis (#) encloses the key verse(s).
Matthew 23:1-36 (1-7, 13-15, 23, 25, 27, 29) [Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-54; 20:45-47]. Matthew 6:1-18 (2, 5, and 16); 7:1-6 (1-5); Ephesians 1:3-14 (4). Galatians 2:11-21 (11-14); Colossians 3:12-17 (12-14) [Exodus 19:1-25 (6); Luke 1:67-80 (74-75); 1 Peter 2:4-10 (9)].
