It’s Halloween! Naturally, I started thinking about all of the spooky Halloween related youth group lessons I’ve created in the past 9 years for my various youth groups. There’s been some good ones … Graveyard Scavenger Hunts; Pumpkin Smashing Sins; Christian Pumpkin Carving Contests; Life is Like a Pumpkin Pie; The Valley of the Dry Bones; and many more!
It got me to thinking … there really are lots of spooky stories in the Bible! I mean, what could be more spooky than bloody tent pegs (see Judges 4 and the story of Jael); or severed ears (see Luke 22:39-51 when Jesus reattaches the ear); or the suicidal Pigs from Mark 5:1-20 when Jesus sends the evil spirits in a man into the pigs and they run off the cliff! And who could forget Balaam’s donkey? Check out Numbers 22:1-41 where the donkey speaks after Balaam beats it. And, of course, there are the more familiar horrifying stories most of us have probably heard of …. Lot’s wife who turns to a pillar of salt (See Genesis 18); The Plagues in Egypt (see Exodus 7); and even Jonah being swallowed by a HUGE fish (see Jonah 1).
But nothing is quite as terrifying, to me, as yesterday’s lectionary reading. Oh, the hypocrisy! In Matthew 23, Christ did call the Pharisees hypocrites, and that is a little scary! Jesus vividly paints this picture of hypocrisy by comparing the Pharisees to rotting graves with white-washed tombstones. Think about it … cemeteries can be quite beautiful with all the flowers and statues on the surface. But beneath the surface are decomposing bodies (a not so pleasant thought).
These men, the Pharisees, were supposed to be the teachers, the ones the “common” person could look up to, and experts in religious laws who could offer guidance and clarification! But instead, Jesus was saying that they had begun to treat traditions as having equal authority as Scriptures. Jesus called them hypocrites because they had allowed their relationship with God to be reduced to talking about a legalistic list of rules and rituals (but not necessarily doing them). In fact, they were so focused on the law that they couldn’t have mercy on those who needed it or even see that people were in need. On top of this, the Pharisees were not being very humble and frequently bragged that they were better than others.
Generally, I think, the problem was that the Pharisees were teaching (mostly) very good things, they just weren’t implementing them into their own lives. In other words, they were not practicing what they were preaching. For Jesus, I don’t think he generally hated the Pharisees, but it was this hypocrisy they practiced that was a problem worthy of pointing out.
It is a great coincidence that the Greek word for hypocrite actually refers to someone who is wearing a mask, who is an actor, so this excerpt from Scripture is perfectly suited for Halloween! From a young age, many of us have engaged in the ritual of dressing up and wearing masks! And, we do look forward to this holiday and all of the traditions that go along with it (i.e. collecting candy, parties, decorations, getting costumes ready). But what I think Jesus would say today (if he were right here, right now) is that Halloween isn’t the only time that people wear masks! While this is true of adults, it is especially true for today’s teens who are seeking and struggling to find their own identity!
How many of us are showing a personality on the outside that is so different from who we are in reality? How many of us act one way because of peer pressure or the need to be accepted but feel completely different on the inside. It’s a very normal struggle with being authentic (especially for teenagers in a largely social media infused world)!
For us today, hypocrisy is a serious obstacle to being a Christian. And, isn’t it interesting that one of the number one complaints of the post-modern generation with concern about the church today is that Christians / those affiliated with the church are hypocritical?!
So in the spirit of Halloween and from one hypocrite to another, here are my top 10 tips for how NOT to be a hypocrite …
1.Live for pleasing God, not others. Don’t worry so much about what others think.
2.Make sure your heart is in it. If it isn’t DO NOT do, say, act, or try to be it.
3.Don’t be selective in obeying God; it doesn’t work that way! Loving God is an action. Loving neighbor – well, that includes everyone, not just some.
4.Take time to learn the full truth about others … don’t jump to criticize or condemn someone just because someone else’s opinion sounds true.
5.Recognize, claim, and own your failures; don’t try to hide them. (YOUCH!!!)
6.Never tear down someone else to make yourself look good.
7.Going to church doesn’t automatically change one’s behavior. Being a Christian takes work, commitment, and is a lifestyle.
8.As you seek and ask questions, don’t get all caught up in what you should do, or shouldn’t do. Once you surrender your life to Christ, He’ll begin changing you from the inside out.
9.Forgive everyone and everything always.
10.Explore and figure out who YOU want to be (your identity) and be it. God loves you no matter who you are.
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