Father God, Give Us Pure Hearts Free from Hypocrisy: Day 15
Intention
To challenge the hypocrisy that is rife in our nation, by first allowing God to cleanse our own hearts, so that we may be honest and pure in all we do.
Scripture
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness…
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”
– Matthew 23:27–28, 37
Reflection
Recently, my lovely wife and I were having a healthy rant about the hypocrisy we often see in leaders, both in our nation and around the world.
I was particularly conscious in our discussion of certain key politicians who promised significant support to Australian Christian leaders and their people at our last election.
I was involved in one of these significant meetings. However, when we needed their help with crucial support for religious freedom and assistance regarding the ‘theft’ of a Christian hospital, there was silence. Nothing. Hypocrisy!
Hypocrisy refers to actions or words that contradict what a person professes to say or do. The Scripture above confronts this deliberate contradiction, where Jesus employs very strong language to label the hypocritical teachers of the law and Pharisees as “whitewashed tombs”!
Wow, powerful words. Jesus tells us we must be authentic and genuine, not just say one thing and do another. Furthermore, Jesus challenges us to be pure, clean, and whole both inside and out.
Regarding the need for authenticity, Pope Benedict XVI remarked, “The world needs to see the Church’s face. The Church must be a living image of Christ, a witness to the truth of Christ. If we do not live the truth we profess, if we do not live the love we proclaim, we become hypocrites, and the world has every reason to turn away from us.”
It’s intriguing that Jesus challenges the Jewish leaders who were meant to represent God. However, Pope Benedict takes it a step further, reminding all Christians (not just leaders) that hypocrisy must be rooted out from our hearts.
It always starts with us, the Church.
How are our hearts? Are we being honest, sincere, and authentic? Are there any elements of hypocrisy within us?
Let’s allow Father God to purify our inner lives of all hypocrisy. By doing so, we will gain the power to confront the hypocrisy that is rife in our nation and among some of our political leaders.
As the well-known and highly regarded 19th-century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said, “Hypocrisy is a sort of homage that vice pays to virtue.”
This quote highlights the notion that hypocrisy masquerades as virtue. But hypocrisy only reveals the conflict between an outward appearance and true inner character.
May our Lord give us honest, pure, and authentic inner lives.
As I reflected on the healthy discussion Cathy and I were having, I was also reminded of the desire Jesus expresses in Matthew 23:37. He longs to draw us deeply into Himself so that there would be no need for hypocrisy due to the profound encounter we can have in the perfect love of Jesus.
Video
Prayer
Father God, we come to You as Your children. We cry out to You, Abba Father, change our hearts, purify us, heal us. We need you. Father God, come upon the leaders of our nation who also need you. Change their hearts, purify them, heal them. They need you. Father God, rid us of all hypocrisy and give us hearts that are pure. Amen.
Author Bio
Reverend Matt Ransom has been married to his amazing wife, Cathy, for thirty-four years. He has two children and seven grandchildren. Matt is a married Deacon in the Catholic Church and has engaged in missionary work across Australia, Papua New Guinea and the USA. He is blessed to call a number of Protestant pastors his friends.
Prayer Points and Purpose for Turn the Tide 2025
1. A righteous government that upholds truth and Christian values. 1 Timothy 2:1–4
2. Wisdom for voters to perceive the true agenda of political parties. Proverbs 14:15
3. A church that disciples the nation in this window of grace. Matthew 28:18–20
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