TRUE CHRIST-FOLLOWERS are sickened in soul by displays of false religion. The nauseating parade of endless prosperity-message evangelical telethons that populate cable channels 24/7 are an example. We shake our heads in disbelief that anyone who follows Jesus could be gulled into supporting such blatant misrepresentations of the grace of God. Jesus’ words echo down the corridors of time: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” (Mark 7:6) And then he adds something that should resound with alarm in the minds and hearts of God-seekers: “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Mark 7:7)
Paul warned the early church, and the church across the ages, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.” (Eph. 5:15) Spectacles of pious hypocrisy are nothing novel. Scripture is replete with them. Jesus warns his disciples, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matt. 6:5)
The fate of Israel scales up the issue of false piety and serves as a stark object lesson from God. In the sixth century B.C., with the wrath of God looming before them and judgment imminent, God speaks through Isaiah. “Declare to my people their rebellion. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.” (Isa. 58:1-2a) The religious leaders seek God’s attention and favor, as he notes, “They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.” (Isa. 58:2b) And they give the appearance of sincerity. “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’” (Isa. 58:3a)
God’s answer to them cuts through their hypocrisy like a surgeon intent on removing a tumor. “You do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.” (Isa. 58:3b-4) Solomon cautions elsewhere, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecc. 5:2)
Isaiah’s observations probably arise during a religious holiday, on a day preceding a feast honoring Jehovah Jireh, the providential God. And God asks, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” (Isa. 58:5) Revolted, God schools them in his true expectations. “Loose chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, share your food, and provide the poor wanderer with shelter.” (Isa. 58:6-7)
If they do such things, they will find God’s favor. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, then your righteousness will go before you. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs.” (Isa. 58:8-11) Worshipping the Lord “in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) is the only way to approach God, and those who seek him in this way receive his blessing.
In Jesus’ day the hypocrisy of the religious establishment was once again at a zenith of human ego and duplicity. He warns his disciples against such deceit, even as he encourages his followers to be faithful to God in all ways. “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Everything they do is done for people to see.” (Matt. 23:2-3, 5a) Instead of that deplorable example of conceit, Jesus cautions his disciples, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:11-12) Indeed, the priests and the Pharisees led the entire nation into a precipitous decline ending in exile, while the testimony of the lowly disciples has served to elevate a stream of God-seekers for generations, leading them down from the pinnacles of pride in this world and up to the gateway to God.
In today’s world, much like the classic country-western song line, *“Lord, it’s the same old tune, the fiddle and guitar,” religion too often walks the heights of worldly acclaim. Meanwhile the voice of the prophets, as stringent as ever, is drowned out by the devil’s brew of culture, chaos, and media that permeates the aether of human experience. The call of the prophets remains, however, what it has always been. “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isa. 40:3)
Q. What does my path look like, and where does it lead?
*Waylon Jennings, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?” – August, 1975.
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