Hypocrites

I'm a little slow out of the gate today. Sorry!!

Here's yesterday's question and answer of the day:
Mon, Jan. 19: Joseph found favor in one of the Pharaoh’s official’s eyes. What was his name and what did he put Joseph in charge of? (Gen 39)
Genesis 39:4 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Jan. 20: Who does Jesus quote in Matthew 15?


And here's the reflection of the day:
Hypocrite
Matthew 15:8-9 8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

I suspect that this part of Matthew 15 (quoted above) is why Christians have a reputation for being hypocrites. From the time sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, people (believers and non-believers) choose time and time again to be the god of their lives, to allow their peers to be the gods over their lives--or, as Matthew says, ". . . their teachings are but rules taught by men."

Isaiah said it first, back in Isaiah 29, and denounced the religious leaders of his day who were taking the credit--or the glory--for themselves, instead of properly passing it along to God. Isaiah continues on to say, "Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder. . ." God's methods of persuasion do not include force. He will just prove himself with more wonders and more grace.

And God does continue to prove himself. Jesus makes the radical declaration that it's not what goes into a man's mouth that makes him unclean "but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" Horton the Elephant gets it right about saying what he means and meaning what he says. To aspire to following God's commandments and expectations and to admit sinfulness when we fail--that is how we can prove ourselves not to be hypocrites, but fellow sinners struggling to live faithful lives.

And it seems to me that this is the exact method Christians need to adopt to combat the "hypocrite" label. Let what comes out of our mouths be the kinds of things we should be thinking on: "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think (AND LET THESE THINGS COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH) about such things" (Phil 4:8).

Have a splendid day!
Allison