Noah Evans

Dr. Robertson

BNEW 1010

22 November 2019

Hypocrisy in American Churches

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus frequently confronts the Pharisees about the

rampant hypocrisy within their community. The Pharisees studied God’s law in-depth but were

so tangled up in their own traditions that they neglected the principles that God’s law is based in.

They obsessed over outwardly appearance but inside their hearts were evil. Jesus said “‘Woe to

you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and

dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence’” (Matthew 26:25). These people were

supposed to be the spiritual leaders in their community but missed the point altogether. In the

same way, many of the people who attend church services in the United States today focus

completely on outward appearance instead of on what is in their hearts.

In my relatively short life, I have had the opportunity to attend many churches in my

hometown as well as all over the country. One factor that remains constant throughout the vast

majority of the formal services I have been to is the surprising amount of people who live a very

shallow faith. So many people show up to church on Sunday’s to stare at the back of another

person’s head for an hour and a half and don’t even know the names of the people around them.

There is no time spent in a real discussion with one another and as soon as the service concludes,

they are the first ones out of the door. Church becomes no longer a gathering of people sharing

life together and worshiping the Father, but rather twenty minutes of listening to a pastor before
falling half-asleep in the pew. These people suffer the same misunderstanding that the Pharisees

do.

The problem that I have witnessed in so many churches is the view of God being a list of

rules. Many people view attending church as checking off one of the boxes on this list. When

this view of God is all an individual knows, they often lack a meaningful relationship with him.

Being obedient to God’s will is simply a fruit of being in a relationship with him. Thus, wanting

to attend church is another fruit of that relationship. When one’s heart is seeking after the Lord,

they can’t help wanting to share in that with those around them. This leads to church not being a

building you go to for a short nap and a check on a religious list, but a community of people you

have to rely on and live life with no matter where you are.

In Matthew, Jesus addresses this issue with the Pharisees many times and gives the same

solution: repent and follow him. There needs to be more discussion of the Gospel and how to

better follow Christ in our lives. Instead of mindlessly sitting through a sermon, let’s use the

opportunity to learn from those who are further along in the faith than ourselves. The mark of

one truly seeking Jesus is to be cleansed from the inside out. One cannot remain the same in a

close relationship with him, after all, God is in the business of heart transplants.