Masks...

"This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
-- Mark 7:6

Jesus spent time with all types of people. It seems in reading the gospels however, that - after the disciples - his time was weighted toward the down-and-outs of society. He touched lepers, ate with "sinners," and had conversations with prostitutes; to name a few. (And it is difficult for us to conceive of the cultural impact of his taboo interactions with these "untouchables.")

Jesus was accepting and gracious to them as people. This does not mean he accepted their limiting beliefs and actions. He never excused sin. But Jesus always loved the person caught in its snare. He still does.

Jesus saved his harshest words for a singular group of people: Hypocrites. These were the self-righteous. They were outwardly religious people with darkened hearts.

Hypocrite comes from a compound Greek word. Hypo, meaning "under" and krino, meaning "judge." It was a common word used to describe stage actors of the day. The idea conveyed was that of a performer wearing a mask.

It is an apt description of the self-righteous; wearing masks that conceal what is beneath. Portraying themselves as religious, they are faithless. Saying one thing, they do another.

I am at times a hypocrite. (Don't stop reading... you are too.) We hide behind masks, hoping others will not see the hurt, or sin, or ugliness that is beneath. But when we remove the masks, we find acceptance both from the God who loves us and from fellow reformed actors.

It is easier to be religious than it is to be faithful. It is easier to wear masks. It is easier to honor God with our lips, while our hearts are far off. But Christ desires to touch the untouchable and accept the unacceptable.

We must remove our masks before God and people. It takes guts.

But when the masks are gone we suddenly realize how much 

more freely we can breathe and how clearly we see. 

God, I leave my masks behind...

For now...
D


P.S. Several years ago, I wrote a post entitled MIND THE GAP. It refers to what I call the Hypocrisy Gap. It's a little long, but I've reposted it here:

http://dmacstanley.blogspot.com/2010/08/mind-gap_23.html