Isaiah 5:20 Woe judgment is coming to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!      

      Norm Sawyer said, “We’re all hypocritical, but too hypocritical to admit it.” 

      The Biblical account of the woman caught, or set up to be caught in adultery, has a few lessons of hypocrisy to be observed. Of course, the obvious hypocrisy was that those who were religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus with the law that they did not obey themselves. The accusation was that the woman had been caught in the very act of adultery, therefore, where was the man who she was caught with? Why was he not to be stoned by the crowd? The spiritual leaders who were supposed to look out for the souls of the nation kept pressing the point of their hypocrisy by using the women to fabricate charges against Jesus. John 8:6a They were trying to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him. The sad thing is that the mob that was gathered knew it was a sham and yet they were still willing to participate in false accusations to the point where someone’s life was on the line.

      When Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” they in the crowd became convicted in their hearts. This was a clear indication that they knew or had a sense of conviction that they were taking part in a setup of organized falsehoods, and their hypocrisy was on full display. John 8:9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest. From the oldest to the youngest of accusers, they dropped their rocks and slinked away to their insipid existence. Their actions demonstrate how easy it is to be drawn into an unjust reaction toward others. At some point in our lives, we are all hypocritical. Therefore, before we are ready to cast that first stone, we should look over our shoulders and make sure there is not a group of people getting ready to stone us.

      The Apostle Paul was contending with this problem in the church. Rom. 2:22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? Paul was asking, “Are you just spouting off at the mouth, or are you living the testimony of God’s instructions? Bad-mouthing someone who goes to church regularly because you no longer attend church is not a good foundation to be casting stones from. Maybe you have reached a place of comfort in your relationship with God, but that is no reason to cast stones at those who have not met Him yet. Most of us are one slippery step away from falling into some mess we have created, but the grace of God sustains us. This is a hard part of life, to live in the revelatory grace God has given us, and to not judge or be contemptible of those struggling with life’s issues.

      The consequences that show up when judging others, is that the measure or standard we use to judge the unwashed (in our eyes) is the standard and measurement that will be used on us if we do not repent and hand the judgment of people’s souls over to God. Matt. 7:1 Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. The judgment of others from a hypocritical point of involvement will promote the exaggeration of the truth, as well as lies, gossip, and unsubstantiated talebearing. There is no winning at this type of behaviour. Job 36:13 But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; they do not cry for help when He binds them. We are not skilled enough to understand God’s point of view when He works in a soul’s life.

      A few questions I need to ask myself are, “Am I living a Christian life because it is what God wants of me, or do I fear man and what they think of me? Has the opinion of man become more important than the acknowledgment of God’s acceptance through faith that He has for me?” Job 31:33 Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart? 34 Because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors. The fear of man and the desire to be accepted by our peers will cause us to easily fall into the areas of hypocrisy to justify our behaviour. Pointing out all that is wrong with another person is how we deflect the conviction of the Holy Spirit, from our conscience, but in reality, we need a Saviour who can clean us of this sin. Only through faith in Christ and the work He is doing in our souls can we be rid of the sin of hypocrisy.

       It is ‘but for the grace of God’ that we are not all judged on the spot for the double standards we often apply to others but do not live up to ourselves. If not for the saving blood of Jesus, the Pharisaic spirit that lingers on the peripheral boundaries of our lives, could easily move back in, and start directing the prejudices we easily fall for. It is the mercies of God and His gift of righteousness that have been given to us that keep us cleansed and in a state of ready repentance. Thank God for His grace in our lives that allows us to rise above our hypocritical selves and say to someone falsely judged, “Neither do I judge you, go in the peace of the Lord.”