Tag: religion

Jesus and Fakers

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment
Photo by Dominique Landau

The more I get to know Jesus the more I see His laserlike ability to see past externals and appearances to each person’s heart. There is no fooling Jesus. And if I was to guess, I would say that one of the biggest struggles people have is being honest with themselves. It’s our tendency to want to hide our private sins, bitter emotions, and inner struggles. We think if we avoid talking about it, maybe it will somehow go away. But that strategy of coping just won’t work.

There is no fooling Jesus. 

After seeing Jesus’ miracles, many people expressed a keen interest in Jesus. But John tells us that “Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart” (John 2:24-25, NLT).

Let that sink in. Jesus sees right to the core of your inner person, and He knows your heart motives. Jesus sees to the bottom of you and knows you even better than you know yourself! What’s more, He alone has the solution to all our internal struggles and contradictions: grace. God has immeasurable grace for the repentant, but He calls each of us to come clean.

And if there is one thing Jesus absolutely hates, it’s religious hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, Jesus delivers a clear warning for those who would claim His name but live for themselves. 

In what has to be one of the most scathing criticisms of religious hypocrisy, Matthew 23 records Jesus calling down woes of judgment on the religious hypocrites of His day. 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23: 27-28, ESV)

It’s a side of Jesus we aren’t used to hearing about. Maybe that’s because Jesus makes us uncomfortable here. And I would suggest that the words of Jesus that make us most uncomfortable are the words we most need to hear.

Over and over, Jesus uses that word hupokrites (where we get “hypocrite”), a word used of first century stage actors who played a part and often wore a mask. 

Seven times in Matthew 23 Jesus uses the word “hypocrite” to call out the religious fakers. 

“For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show.” (Matthew 23:3-5, NLT)

Just when you think Jesus can’t be any harsher with these religious leaders, He then adds, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (v. 33). 

I don’t know about you, but I want to read these words with fear and trembling. I don’t want to skip past this passage and pretend it’s not there. As a pastor of God’s flock, I feel the need to sit with Jesus’ words a little longer. 

There is no fooling Jesus.

Is there good news found in Matthew 23? Absolutely. Toward the beginning Jesus tells us how we should respond: “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 11-12).

In the midst of all these woes, Jesus issues a clear call for humility. He wants us to get honest with Him, to reject all outward pious pretense, and to radically commit to putting Him first in all things. Humility is the key that unlocks true intimacy with God.

Why is Jesus so harsh with fakers? Because He wants real devotion, real love, and real relationship. He wants us to stop covering our secret sins with a web of lies and embrace the truth found in Him. The truth will set you free, He said.

If we suspect we might be faking our Christianity, then the best thing to do is confess this to God and share our struggles with other believers we trust. As we get real about our sin, we experience greater depths of His grace.

We can pray the bold and humble prayer of David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)

Prayer

Father, I want to experience true intimacy with You. Help me be real with You and with other believers. I know how much you despise hypocrisy. I humbly ask You to show me areas of my life that are not in alignment with Your Truth. Thank You for Your undeserved love and forgiveness. I embrace it in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

Are You a Cultural Christian?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional2 Comments 
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4).

Recently, I heard someone use a phrase I often hear: “I’ve always tried to be a good Christian man.” Hearing this statement got me thinking. What do most people mean when they claim to be a “good Christian” or even a “Christian”? Just because a phrase is used all the time doesn’t mean we are all meaning the same thing. In fact, when people don’t clearly explain what they mean by a certain term, that often means there are a lot of hidden assumptions.

For so many people today, they think that being a Christian is about doing all the good, Christian things we’re supposed to be doing. They think that as long as they are listening to Christian music, going to church, occasionally posting a Bible verse on Facebook or X, then they must be a Christian.

For many, “Jesus” is more of an idea than a person. He’s a flannel graph character with a beard and long hair who likes to cuddle lambs. Others consider Jesus their “homeboy” or “co-pilot,” according to their T-Shirt or bumper sticker. It’s as if Jesus is merely this invisible guy that exists for them.

Jefferson Bethke is an author and songwriter who grew up thinking he knew what being a Christian was all about. In his book Jesus is Greater Than Religion, he talks about when he first started attending a Christian university, he tried to fit in with everyone else.

Jefferson writes, “So I decided to copy what ‘being a Christian’ was all about by watching others. I took off my earrings, stopped wearing basketball jerseys, tried my hardest to memorize Hillsong United’s greatest hits, and listened to the Christian radio station. I thought that if I did enough Christian things, it would bring peace to my life. It didn’t work.”

Jefferson eventually realized that though he called himself a Christian, he wasn’t really following Jesus, but an Americanized religious subculture. He came to see that the real Jesus of the Bible is far more powerful and radical than the Sunday School version he’d been taught.

He finally recognized his religious works were nothing but foolish attempts to try to buy God off. He understood now that God is holy, just, and righteous. Furthermore, he was everything God was not. That’s why he needed the cross. On “Skull Rock,” Jesus lovingly gave up His life so that he could have life. Jesus bore the penalty that God’s justice demanded for his sins, and on the third day, He rose in triumph from the grave.

Jefferson came to the foot of the cross and surrendered to the real and living Jesus for the first time.

In view of cultural Christianity, he adds, “In our subculture Jesus would have never been crucified—he’s too nice… The Jesus of the Bible is a radical man with a radical message, changing people’s lives in a radical way. In the Scriptures, Jesus isn’t safe.”

That reminds me of the line from C. S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When Lucy asks if Aslan the lion (who represents Jesus) is safe, Mr. Beaver tells the Pevensie children: “‘Safe?… Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”

The real Jesus is not tame and de-clawed. He’s more like a roaring lion in all His glory. He’s not just a “good feeling” to get you through the day. He’s not your “co-pilot.” In Him is life. We exist by Jesus and for Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end—not just the guy to help you get through the middle.

Listen to this description from Colossians 1:15-17:

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

In Jesus everything holds together. Every atom in the universe is bound together and ordered by Jesus! He is the Lord over all creation! He is the reason for your existence. Your very life exists by His continuing power. Jesus is not just a religious figure from long ago. He’s not just the most influential person in history. He is the God-man! And you were created for His glory.

So what about you? Have you encountered the real Jesus? Spend some time in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and carefully consider what you find.

Do you know Him as the sovereign King that He is? Have you bowed the knee and entrusted your eternity to Him? Have you taken up your cross, and are you now following Him?

Are you a cultural Christian? Or, are you a committed Christ-follower?

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!