Hypocrisy
“From the beginning, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God declared war on the devil and on hypocrisy….Christ declared open war against their hypocrisy in one of his early sermons. While Christ was with us and as time passed, this warfare intensified. He berated their hypocrisy and that of the religious leaders of the time, chastising them to their faces and before his people. He never berated any sinners to the extent that He castigated hypocrites. In the end, the castigation of hypocrisy by Christ, coming as it did towards the end of his sojourn on earth was transformed into thunder and lightning. This should come as no surprise to those who know that Jesus wasn’t addressing only that particular generation, in His own time, but all the generations till the end of the world. As He berated the Jewish hypocrites to their faces, so He castigates hypocrites of all eras, all generations.” (Saint Nicholas Velimirovich)
“So why did Christ strike so hard and mercilessly against hypocrisy in particular? Because hypocrisy is a devilish lie from the outset. It’s the tare that the devil has sown in all of God’s fields on earth: in our heart, in our home, in our marriage, in our friendships, in our people and nation, in politics and trade, in sorrow and gladness, everywhere, at all times and in every culture. There’s not a single culture that has been able to root out the weed of hypocrisy, but hypocrisy has managed to obliterate many cultures…Hypocrisy is hateful to God and humanity. It does not bring a reward, and it is utterly useless for the salvation of the soul. It is rather the cause of its damnation. Although sometimes it may escape detection for a little while, before long, [hypocrisy] is sure to be uncovered and bring disgrace...” (Saint Nicholas Velimirovich, St. Cyril of Alexandria)
“Hypocrisy is often accompanied by the sin of judging others. We readily choose to overlook our own shortcomings but easily condemn others for theirs. Judging others while comparing ourselves favorably to them reveals self-serving hypocrisy and a lack of love that threaten our own salvation.” (Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou)
“Believing in Christ means wanting to strive to live his life. He forgave the woman taken in adultery, those who crucified him, the publicans and the harlots. But He spoke sharply to the ‘observers of the Law’, the Pharisees, who lived a life of lies and hypocrisy, without love or sincerity.” (Fr. Andreas Agathokleous)
“The more people love themselves, the more they become dependent on the opinions of those around them. But Christ teaches us to repudiate lies, egotism and all those outward forms of good, self-justifying behavior. And though omissions and weakness can be forgiven, hypocrisy can’t be. So, if you decide to live honorably and candidly, then you must examine your inconsistencies and face them sincerely and without excuses. The cure for hypocrisy arises from self-knowledge, which leads to repentance, which is the equivalent of an existential change. You’re called upon to embark on a course of self-knowledge, that is, to understand in your heart the true nature of your spiritual ailment, because those who haven’t seen their inner darkness aren’t seeking the light. We’re called upon to divest ourselves of our supposed achievements so that, on our path of repentance we can internalize the effort to cultivate the inner person. Make sure that kindness and politeness are internal states in your spiritual world, not artificial masks to wear in order to make a good impression on others.” (Archimandrite Theofilos Lemontzis, D. Th.)
“The original meaning of the word hypocrite was"actor.” Ignorance of our true nature is the root cause of so many living as though they are actors on a stage, afraid of what they might see if they were honest about themselves. True self-awareness can come when we are open to letting Christ into our lives totally.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“We become hypocrites when we...carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God…It is easy to be angry at the blatant hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but each of us must resist the temptation to settle for the appearance of respectability when our hearts are far from God.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 7:6-7, Luke 12:1-2)
"When we say someone is insensitive, we usually mean he does not consider other people’s feelings. But this is not what it means in spiritual life. It is best understood as a deep- rooted hypocrisy. It is a hypocrisy so deep that it becomes almost impossible to recognize it in ourselves, though, of course, we are quick to condemn it in others." (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“We can all be hypocrites sometimes…. saying one thing and doing another…even when we are striving to be sincere…[True] hypocrisy is pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being.” (Sacramental Living, Life Application Study Bible, Mark 7:6-7)"A person who tries to do right but often fails is not a hypocrite. Neither are those who fulfill their duty even when they don’t feel like doing it. Often it is necessary to set aside our desires in order to do what needs to be done. It is not hypocrisy to be weak in faith. A hypocrite is a person who only puts on religious behaviors in order to gain attention, approval or admiration from others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 6:42)
"Hypocrisy is knowing the truth but not obeying it....Hypocrisy is living a self-serving life...Hypocrisy reduces faith to rigid rules....Hypocrisy is outward conformity without inner reality…We are all capable of hypocrisy.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 12:1-2, Isaiah 29:13,14)
“Jesus’ statement,"Do not judge others,” is against the kind of hypocritical, judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. It is not a blanket statement to overlook wrong behavior of others but a call to be discerning rather than negative.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 7:1-5)
"Each of us must also seek Christ for ourselves and not look to other Christians or rely on their examples too heavily. We can all be hypocrites sometimes, even our Priests and Church leaders, saying one thing and doing another. It’s just part of our flaws even when we are striving to be sincere. C.S. Lewis once commented that if people look to Christians as examples of Christianity then no one would be Christian. ” (Sacramental Living)
“…we need to look to Christ first and foremost. … the bottom line is that if we abandon our Church or our faith because of the hypocritical behavior we witness in our clergy, leaders or others, it is nothing but an excuse on our part.” (Sacramental Living)
“Not going to Church because of the ‘hypocrites’ is like not going to the gym because of ‘out of shape people.’ ” (Unknown)
“…the word hypocrite derives from the Greek word hypocrites meaning an actor behind a mask.” (John Damianos)
“Lord declares God’s judgment against the hypocrite who shuts"up the kingdom of heaven against men.” Closing off the kingdom happens when a person narrows his attention to observable performance, disregarding inner motivation and attitude. The highest value is applied to holy deeds and pious words. By his actions and words, the hypocrite satisfies himself that he has obtained approval from God. Even worse, he encourages others to adopt this approach, thereby preventing them from"entering the kingdom of Heaven” by neglecting the state of their hearts.” (Dynamis 8/8/2014)
“We must make sure we are not creating Pharisees by emphasizing outward obedience at the expense of inner renewal.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 23:15)
“...God’s laws are guidelines and lights for our path, rather than chains on our hands and feet.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 19:7-11)
"Only the hypocrites and the self-righteous do not need Christ as their Savior.” (Dynamis 11/11/2013)