“But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?’” Matthew 22:18

Putting On an Act

I took my grandson and his friend out for lunch one day to a local sandwich shop where you tell them exactly what to put on your sandwich. I ordered, then my grandson, then his friend. When the friend began to speak, he used a fake voice, fake accent, and fake tone. None of the employees knew him—he was just doing what he thought was funny—but he kept it up throughout the ordering process, much to the embarrassment of my grandson and I, who knew this is not how he normally speaks. To us, there was no reason for him to put on an act. His normal voice is perfectly fine as it is. When we got to our table, he resumed his regular speaking voice, furthering our embarrassment, for now it seemed he had been making fun of someone or something.

No harm was done that I know of, although one must wonder why anyone would do this. It isn’t an inherently sinful act. But it did bring to mind the whole concept of hypocrisy in our lives.

The word hypocrisy harkens back to the Bible days when actors wore masks and had dialogues with one another on a stage to entertain people. The hypocrite was one who was putting on an act or reading a script. Today, the hypocrite is one who conceals his true motives under a cloak of make-believe (according to The Spirit-Filled Life Bible.)

The fake voice and accent sounded foolish to my ears. This causes me to wonder if I sound foolish to God when I put on an act in front of others. When I pretend to be something I’m not, when I talk about things I don’t really know much about, when I imitate somebody else, when I try to live the life that belongs to someone else, when I lay claim to some accomplishment that isn’t rightfully mine, when I wear clothing that “isn’t me” to project an image, when I use someone else’s words as if they are my own—all these things are hypocrisy in me.

And God knows it. He knows all about me, and I’m not fooling Him one bit. My hypocrisy only proves that I am trying to fool others. Do I not think I am okay as I am? Has God not made me as He willed? Do I not have what I want to have, so I live a pretend existence?

We must come to grips with the fact that we are fine as we are. In fact, we are more than “fine”: we are made in His image to glorify Him with the very lives we’ve been appointed, with all His power, authority, spiritual riches, promises, and abundance at our disposal. We don’t need to be someone else, for He loves us exactly as He made us.

“Father, thank You for making each individual complete in Your sight. May we never test You with our hypocrisy as if what we are, and what You have already done in us, is not enough. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”