Blindness is the Debilitating Effect of Hypocrisy
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
Hypocrisy is deception. It’s an insidious form of deception. It may begin as a means of deceiving others but becomes self-deception when a person makes a stronger and stronger investment in their hypocrisy.
This is seen with the psychological defense mechanism of denial common with alcoholism and addiction. A person starts out denying their own problem with excuses and vague explanations that shift blame and responsibility away from them onto others.
Eventually, the person who is in denial begins to believe the web of lies they wove to deceive others.
Each of us has used this ploy in some way or another, as when a child tries to avoid a spanking after doing something wrong, or when we excuse a white lie or cheat while on a diet.
The problem of hypocrisy is how it blinds the hypocrite to the truth they deny, even when it’s to their own detriment. This is illustrated well when the Jewish leaders confront the man born blind who is healed by Jesus.
Sadly, this type of hypocrisy is as common with religious people as it is in politics, the news media, and social media. I’m saddened the most when I see hypocrisy among Christians, especially when I see it in myself.
Scripture
So once again the Jews called the man who had been blind. They told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man who gave you sight is a sinner.” The man responded, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner or not. But I do know one thing. I used to be blind, but now I can see.”
The Jews asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he give you sight?” The man replied, “I’ve already told you, but you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear the story again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” The Jews yelled at him, “You’re his disciple, but we’re Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this man came from.”[vss 24-29]
The man replied to them, “That’s amazing! You don’t know where he’s from. Yet, he gave me sight. We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners. Instead, he listens to people who are devout and who do what he wants. Since the beginning of time, no one has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind.
If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do anything like that.” The Jews answered him, “You were born full of sin. Do you think you can teach us?” Then they threw him out ⌞of the synagogue⌟. [vss 30-34]
(John 9:24-34 GW)
Key phrase—
“…I used to be blind, but now I can see.”
Digging Deeper...
Review the Scriptures above as you answer the following questions
How do the Jewish leaders begin to confront the man who was blind?
What do the Jews say to him and what questions do they ask him?
How does the man who is healed respond to the Jewish leaders?
What do the Jews say to rebuke the man who was healed?
How does the man respond to the Jew’s rebuke?
Reflection...
The religious authority of the Jewish leaders enables them to use their hypocrisy like a weapon to bludgeon this man born blind but now healed by Jesus. The man, however, is not intimidated by the efforts of these religious leaders to bully him.
Hypocrisy in its simplest form is a lie. That’s what deception is. The only way to counter a lie is with the truth. The same goes for deception or hypocrisy of any kind.
The Jewish leaders insist on their own version of the truth—their hypocrisy—to intimidate the man. They trust in their own self-righteousness and their status as leaders to fortify their hypocritical beliefs.
But this man who was blind sees through their cloud of deception. He knows what he experienced by the Lord’s healing power and he sees the difference between the nature of Jesus and these hypocrites.
At the end of this confrontation, the Jews resort to using their authority to expel the man from the synagogue. It is a useless gesture and an abuse of their authority and power. The man walked away confident in the truth in spite of their efforts to bully him.
The only way to counter and overcome hypocrisy—in ourselves or others—is to hold on to the truth and continue to walk in its light.
Taking it to heart...
Read through the Scripture text again as you consider and answer these questions
How does the simplicity of the man speaking the truth cut through the Jewish leaders’ hypocrisy?
How does the man’s simple faith in Jesus force the Jews to insist on their own righteousness as “Moses’ disciples”?
Have you encountered any forms of hypocrisy in religion or church or yourself?
If you’ve encountered religious hypocrisy, how did you handle it?
What is one simple way you’ve learned to counter hypocrisy with the truth of God’s Word?
Personalize it...
Meditate On This— When we encounter hypocrisy in ourselves or others, we need to hold on to the truth and continue to walk in its light. Jesus always gives us an excellent example of how to do so.
Prayer Focus— When you realize you are being hypocritical, ask the Lord to help you see why you’re hiding in hypocrisy. Also, ask the Lord to show you in His Word (the Bible) how to counter and overcome the lie of that hypocrisy.
©2021—Word-Strong