Hypocrites!

The 10th Week after Pentecost, 2022

Scriptures: Jeremiah 23:23-29; Hebrews 12:1-2; Luke 12:49-56

Key Verse: “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)

“When you were little, you often fell. It was the main reason that I always put on knee high socks for you to protect your knees.” That's the story that my mom recalls the most. I don’t remember much about my falls but I do remember the red medicine, Merbromin. My parents always applied Merbromin on whatever injuries that I got. It was a bright red color and had a magic healing power because it didn’t sting or irritate the skin. Whenever I saw my friends with red spots on them, I knew they were injured, and I would be extra kind to them and care for them. In the same way, whenever I had red spots on me, my friends were extra kind to me, too. Nowadays, we don’t see Merbromin anymore due to its mercury content.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there is a medicine that we can apply on any broken relationships so that we are able to be extra kind to them with care and compassion? Since when has a broken relationship become a shameful matter? When we were little, my parents, like many other parents, always encouraged us to reconcile with whomever we got into a fight with. It didn’t matter who wronged whom, reconciliation was a must. When did I start hiding a broken relationship? And why did I start giving up on reconciliation? It might have to do with what I had learned. Not everyone was ready to listen, to understand, to apologize, or to forgive. Nor did I know how to handle offensive behavior or gossip afterwards. The cost of reconciling seemed too high to pay. As a result, it took more effort and time to find the peace that could heal any brokenness before forgetting about it. As I grew older, I noticed that I was not the only one feeling this way. And it became a habit of mine and a norm for many.

Listen to what Jesus said to us today in Luke 12:56, “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” What do Jesus’ words sound like to us? Offensive? Confusing? Or does it hit the nail on the head? If we continue reading the last three verses in chapter 12, we learn that reconciliation is a must for Jesus, too.

How do we define a hypocrite? Merriam-Webster’s definition is: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion, or a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. Oh, well! We are all hypocrites. We believe in equality but accept whatever is given to us. We all want the truth but very few of us can handle hearing something hurtful. We value love and forgiveness but find excuses and reasons not to practice them. We blame the power of evil while not fully trusting in God. And we are complacent about our discipleship while watching the decline of Christianity at a rapid pace, especially in the last 20 years. Are we all feeling more comfortable knowing that we are all hypocrites?

Maybe the following definition can make us feel a little bit more comfortable. Brandon Sanderson, a writer and a teacher, defines it in this way. He said, “Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a man in the process of changing.”

Thanks be to God for Jesus, for his life, death, and resurrection, we are always in the process of changing and becoming. We always bear two identities, being sinners and being saints. Whenever the Word of God confronts our hypocrisy, we are given choices to repent and apologize, to forgive and to be forgiven, to love and to be loved. The moment we confess that we don’t have it all together and stop pretending to be someone we are not, and that we need our Savior, we are in the process of changing and becoming more like saints and more like Jesus.

The Word of God is like the elephant in the room. We either pretend not to hear it or deny its existence. What? Hypocrites! Who are you talking about? It makes us feel uncomfortable and suffocated. Maybe that is why we avoid and refuse to think like Jesus. If we name the elephant in the room, we face division and hurt each other’s feelings. We disagree with each other; we draw lines; we point fingers.

Is Jesus the one who divides us? Or is Jesus’ mission dividing us? The Images that Jesus uses are vivid images that the people of that time knew and experienced under the oppressive rule of the political and religious structures of the Roman Empire. His words resonate with them. They understand that the fire comes to divide the rule of the Roman Empire and the reign of God.

The same fire comes to us each day, breaks us through to refine and heal our hearts, minds, and souls so that we can be grounded in Christ firmly. Through the process of refining and healing, we experience soothing, refreshing, releasing, and sometimes suffocating that completes the healing process.

From this day on, if asked, are we hypocrites? What is your answer? Yes and no. We are sinners and saints in God’s reign. We are the people of faith in the process of changing and becoming, celebrating the glory of God’s kingdom and casting out the power of evil. And please remember we are never in the healing process alone as the faith testimony written in Hebrews 12:1-2. It says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” AMEN.