Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Luke 12:2

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 3:14-15

HYPOCRISY - “Isn’t Christianity just full of hypocrites?”

HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH AND IT’S EFFECT

“How many people are radically and permanently repelled from The Way by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boringly lifeless, obsessive, and dissatisfied? Spirituality wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.”

Dallas Willard

“The perception and reality of hypocrisy remain among the most significant barriers to evangelism and credibility in the modern age.”

Pew Research (2023):

Only 31% of U.S. adults now identify as Protestant (down from 51% in 2007).

One key reason cited: “Christians don’t act like Jesus.”

Barna Group (2019):

85% of non-Christians in the U.S. see Christians as “hypocritical.”

Among Millennials (Christian or not), 66% say churchgoers are “more judgmental than loving.”

Lifeway Research (2019):

66% of church-going teens stop attending church regularly in their twenties.

Top reason: “Church members appear judgmental or hypocritical.”

Edelman Trust Barometer (2022):

Trust in religious institutions is lower than in tech companies or NGOs globally.

Many still seek spirituality but avoid institutional religion due to perceived hypocrisy.

Pew (2021):

29% of U.S. adults now identify as religious “nones” (atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”).

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

Matthew 5:13

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

1 Corinthians 11:17

7 WOES / CONTEXT OF THE PHARISEES

No passage in the Bible is more biting, more pointed, and more severe than this pronouncement of Christ upon the Pharisees. The pharisees, while attempting to honor the Word of God and manifesting extreme form of religious observance, were actually the farthest from God.

Walvoord

Converting the Church - Church of the City NY

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi[b] by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.[c] 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:1-12

HYPOCRISY FROM THE PLATFORM

26 “Today I am giving you a choice. You may choose the blessing or the curse. 27 You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have told you today. 28 But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God. So don’t stop living the way I command you today, and don’t follow other gods that you don’t know.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others.

Matthew 23:4-5

Majoring over minors

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters.[f] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.

John 18:28

Seeking honor of man vs. approval of God

“Honor is like a shadow, which flees from those that pursue it, and grasps at it, but follows those that flee from it.”

Henry

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:12

“They will be better through me.” - The Pharisees

HYPOCRISY FROM THE PEW

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.[c] 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

Matthew 23:8-10

The perversity of the religious leaders of Israel does not excuse the people of Israel. They were guilty of willfully following blind guides.

Toussaint

“I will be better through them.” - The Israelites

HYPOCRISY FROM THE STREET

Whoever…

Matthew 23:12

FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR

“I will be better apart from them.” - The World

NO ONE IS SAFE (NONE ARE GO...