“I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites.” (Psalms 26:4)
When my wife and I first met, it didn’t take long for me to realize that her faith was very important to her. “You’re pretty religious, aren’t you,” I asked her on our first date. I’ll never forget her answer: “No, I’m not religious at all. I’m a Christian.”
I couldn’t understand why she had a problem with being labeled as religious, at least not until I became a Christian and understood the difference from the inside out. The fact is there is a big difference between someone who is religious and someone who is a Christian.
Jesus had another word which he used to describe those who are religious. He called them “hypocrites”. In fact, that word is used 16 times in the Bible; 15 times by Jesus. And each time our Lord used that word, he was pointing out that their religious actions and customs have nothing to do with God.
Every time Jesus used the word hypocrites, he was speaking to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the largest and most influential religious-political party during New Testament times. Ironically, they were also Jews and believed that God would send a messiah who would rise from the dead. Sadly, they didn’t recognize Jesus for what he was. But, Jesus recognized them.
Jesus once told the Pharisees and the Scribes – those who were charged with the task of recording all of the rules that the Pharisees developed to practice their religion – “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 dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27)
Jesus was just talking to the Pharisees then, but his words also apply to those today who practice religion instead of Christianity. They may look like Christians on the outside, but Jesus knows differently. That’s why he said, “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)
Jesus’ point is that religion and Christianity are two different things. It’s a dangerous combination. “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, he once told the Pharisees, “and when he becomes one, you make him twice a much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)
The Christmas season has lost a lot of its meaning. It’s showing less of Christ every year, evidenced by the fact that only two of the nation’s major retailers are mentioning Christmas in their advertising this year. Instead of Merry Christmas, most retailers now say Happy Holidays.
Isn’t it great that we can celebrate Christmas instead of Happy Holidays? As Christians, we know that Christmas isn’t celebrated under the tree or measured by how much we spend on one another. Christmas is celebrated on the inside, from the heart.
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