Jesus lambasts hypocrisy

The Bible is not a collection of feel-good stories that might give false hope and ultimately disappoint us. It is a collection of books that reveal God’s sincere and longstanding relationship with humankind. The Word became flesh in Jesus, who then refined the teachings of the Old Testament, making them comprehensible to modern man. For its part, the New Testament is a perfect guide for imperfect people like you and me, helping us to live rightly, as Jesus did.

Take the case of the Book of Sirach, from where the First Reading (3: 17-20, 28-29) is taken. Written circa 180 BC, it is the only book of wisdom literature whose author is known by name: Jesus Ben Sirach, a Hellenistic Jewish scribe. It is warmly recommended for its instruction and edification. Its rich, practical teachings are presented in a fatherly and persuasive manner.

Shining as it does by its supernatural motivation, its advice differs from, say, that of Bacon’s Essays, or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. So, when Sirach tells you to ‘perform your tasks in meekness; then you will be loved…’, it’s not a manipulative strategy to find acceptance in the world. The words that follow ‘loved’ are important: ‘loved by those whom God accepts.’

In other words, the approach is other-worldly. God’s acceptance or ratification is what matters – an aspect so important to stress upon in an age when ‘anything goes.’ For example, if wanting to pass off as ‘broad-minded’ individuals, elders may fail to reprimand youngsters. Similarly, politicians of all hues bend over backwards to please (and in recent times, even Opposition members have shown much skill in backbends and forward bends). The bend is always on the side their bread is buttered…

As if that wasn’t bad enough, ‘men of God’ have followed suit. And what can be worse than the hypocrisy of the ‘men of God’? Some of them feed off the people’s adulation, while others curry favour with political animals… Just another move, and they’ll have crossed over to the other side and worship false gods. That’s precisely what happened in Goa yesterday (

If we’ve got any self-respect left, our archdiocese ought to feel distressed with the arrival of another edition of the ‘elephantine blunder’ of 2022 https://www.oscardenoronha.com/2022/09/13/elephantine-blunder/

In concrete terms, how can a priest engage in idol worship, imagining it to be some kind of innocuous ‘outreach’? If they argue that ‘those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick’ (Mt 9: 12), for goodness’ sake, where’s the medicine?… When Jesus was invited by shady characters – public sinners – He went, knowing full well that they didn’t have the right intentions. But then, He didn’t jump on the bandwagon; rather, confronting the majority, He announced the Good News straight on. That’s a medicine indeed; if we don’t give out our medicine, we could end up drinking their poison!

In today’s Gospel text (Lk 14: 1, 7-14), Jesus advises us to sit in the lowest place, so that when the host comes, he may say, ‘Friend, go up higher’. This may seem like a tactic to climb the ladder of success in this world, but it’s not! In fact, Jesus wants us to transpose the situation to Heaven. For in God’s eyes, ‘He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ This is a lesson in authentic, not false, humility.

Further on, Jesus exhorts us to love and care especially for the poor, the weak, and the voiceless. By advising the Pharisee to invite people such as these, and not the rich and famous alone, to his dinner or banquet, He teaches a lesson in selflessness and total trust in the eternal reward that awaits us in Heaven: ‘You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’

None of that is difficult for those who truly believe and trust in the Lord our God. That is also the message of the Second Reading (Heb 12: 18-19, 22-24), which juxtaposes the experience of the old and the new covenants. Whereas formerly God made covenants with His people in the midst of the great theophany of the Sinai (God’s visible manifestation to humankind there), in the latter days God made a covenant in the city of the living God. And where once there was fear, now there is love.

Where, then, is there place for hypocrisy in God’s economy? None. In fact, Jesus reserves his harshest condemnation for religious hypocrites, such as the Pharisees. He decries their outward show of righteousness as a “whitewashed tomb” and warns that hypocrites will face severe punishment. Their place, then, could well be Hell.