Reverend Marjorie Bevans
The Second Sunday after Pentecost 2026
Texts: Hosea 5:15-6:6, Matthew 9:9-13
In the Gospel lesson today, the Pharisees took the position that anyone who ate with tax collectors and sinners must be or would become a sinner themselves. Jesus who was living under the Law of Moses was openly violating it. The Pharisees seem to assume that they are not sinners, because at least they are not eating with tax collectors and sinners.
So, who were these Pharisees who so often clashed with Jesus? They were educated in the Law of Moses (like lawyers) and considered to be protectors of the Law (like judges). They taught the people (like teachers) and sometimes were consulted when people had disagreements (like counselors). It is believed that the word ‘Pharisee’ is derived from an ancient Hebrew word meaning ‘set apart’, which is similar to the meaning of ‘holy’, to be set apart for God. They were supposed to be holy men.
A few years ago I read the results of a longitudinal survey of non-Christians. 128,000 people were asked what kept them from seriously considering Christianity. The answer was ‘Christians’. The number one reason by far, receiving 47% compared to the next highest reason with 23%, was the perceived hypocrisy of Christians. Ouch. People who are perceived to be telling other people how to live without living up to those same standards appear to be hypocrites. ‘Rules for thee, but not for me’—an old aphorism my mom used to say. Jesus often confronted this in his conversations with the Pharisees. Our words don’t mean anything to someone else if they are not consistent with our behavior. We Christians must always strive to be people of integrity. Otherwise, the Lord we proclaim to love and follow will not be taken seriously.
Why do so many non-Christians perceive Christians to be such hypocrites?
When I was a young adult, I would have responded “Because Christians are at least trying to live by a higher standard, even if they sometimes stumble.” But I’m not so sure a lack of Christ-like perfection is what non-Christians are seeing. I wish the survey had a follow-up question or two about what makes so many non-Christians think Christians are such hypocrites. A large part of it might be that non-Christians don’t understand Christianity at all. Fewer and fewer people in each generation have any real exposure to it. People may believe it’s more like a philosophy than a relationship with the living God.
What can we do? If a Christian occasionally stumbles while trying to follow Christ, it must be accompanied with a sense of guilt or contrition, repentance, confession, and improvement. What if we were known by someone to be a Christian, but we never seem to admit we are sometimes wrong and we should apologize? In psychology we would say such a person is not very self-aware. In spiritual terms we would say such a person is being impenitent, but to a person who is not a practicing Christian, it looks like hypocrisy. For our Christian witness to have integrity, we don’t need to be perfect. We need to be honest and humble. We don’t want to be Pharisees, pointing out the splinter in someone’s eye, while ignoring the log in our own. In addition to being honest and humble, we need to better understand what God is asking from us. The prophet Hosea tells us that the Lord desires true communion, not superficial sacrifice. “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” The Pharisees were good at keeping the Letter of the Law, but they did not understand the Spirit of the Law—why God gave it. They gave God burnt offerings rather than their hearts.
How do we better understand what God is asking from us? We must be engaged in the study of Scripture. We learn there why God created us, how he loves us, and the purpose for our lives. We also study particularly the New Testament, the teaching of Jesus and the Letters of Paul. And when we pray, we come into the presence of God so we can be changed by it, to be made more Christ-like. Many of us regularly practice certain types of prayers—intercession for others, petition for ourselves, but the kind of prayer that forms us is simply listening to God. God speaks to our hearts and minds when we stop talking and just put ourselves in his presence. It is also in these times that God corrects us, and we can acknowledge to him our shortcomings. Prayers of adoration, oblation—offering our whole selves to God, and contemplation are most helpful. If we engage in this simple discipline of study and prayer, we might be better prepared to respond to the challenges of the world—to evil, suffering, and confusion. We might be better witnesses for Christ.
The Pharisees may have had confidence in their knowledge of the Law, but because they did understand why the Law was given—to show us how to love God and love others, too often their confidence became arrogance. There is a difference between the two. Arrogance comes from trusting in oneself. Yet, we can be confident in God while being humble, because trusting God causes us to be humble. We come to realize that God is God, and we are not. We accept our proper relationship with God. We are less likely to be arrogant, more likely to be humble.
So, I believe the best way to avoid being seen as a hypocrite and a better witness for Christ, is not to be a more perfect Christian—although that wouldn’t hurt, but rather, to be a more humble Christian. Then, as Peter writes in his First Letter, ‘In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” We must be able to explain what we believe in our hearts, out of genuine affection for the other person.
Amen.
