One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they don’t eat
anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, ‘Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.’ Jesus replied, ‘You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”
– Mark 7:1-23
1. Hypocrisy is not the gap between what we do and what we wish we did.
2. Hypocrisy is the gap between what we show and Who We Are.
3. Jesus has no tolerance for hypocrites but unlimited Grace for sinners in need.
Hope for the hypocrite:
1. Start being an honest sinner rather than a lying hypocrite
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess
and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
– Proverbs 28:13
2. Stop trying to close the gap with perfection
MEMORY VERSE
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
– Psalm 139:23-24
3. Focus on closing the Gap with Jesus
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that
faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to
the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
– Hebrews 10:22-23
Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: When a Rite Goes Wrong https://anchor.fm/encouragement-with-marie-/episodes/When-a-Rite-Goes-Wrong-e2eq0r5
Encouragement Notes Podcast 