Christian Art | Hypocrites
Matthew 7: 1-5 – Week 12 Ordinary Time, Monday (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
1 JUDGE not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Jesus continues to preach the Sermon on the Mount with a further lesson in love and humility. Once more, Jesus teaches us about our proper relationships with God and with other people. This is a lesson against conceit and anger. It is a call to peace, such as can heal the divisions between people.
Jesus reminds us that we are all imperfect. Through prayer, as we seek to live closely with God, and to reconcile ourselves with God, we present ourselves to God’s mercy and acknowledge our failings and weaknesses. We ask God to be kind and not to judge us. We are not justified through merit, but through grace. Our faith, our receptivity to God’s grace, depends upon our remembering to transcend those worldly instincts, our animal passions, which would rather seek to assert self-importance and pride, thereby distancing ourselves from the gift of grace.
Jesus asks us to realise that to judge other people is to set ourselves up, absurdly, in God’s place. Who are we to judge? Are we so perfect? What arrogance it would be to arrogate to ourselves the right to define another person’s worth, especially when seeking that this should be to our own advantage..
Such judgement represents a descent into hatred and ignorance. It is not good for he who judges. Through ‘puffing ourselves up’ in condemnation of others, we cease to love and our ability to confess our failings before God is compromised.
This can be easier said than done. It can be challenging to preserve an attitude of love. Perhaps we like to find excuses to judge others, rather than open ourselves completely to God and to mourn for the sins we have committed. Self-knowledge, honesty, can be a great challenge, and can constitute an emotional journey.
Jesus teaches us in these Gospel verses that we do not need to be scared of admitting to our own shortcomings. Jesus uses comically exaggerated language, when he speaks of there being a beam in our own eye, to set us at ease and to enable us to recognize the truth of what he says. Once again, Jesus lets us know that the ‘burden’ of Christianity is easy to bear. There is a lightness to life when we live with Jesus. We are cleaned of the truly sorry burden of ego. The truth is beautiful.
‘Let us be slow to judge. Each one sees things from his own point of view, as his mind, with all its limitations, tells him, and through eyes that are often dimmed and clouded by passion… To criticize, to destroy, is not difficult; any unskilled labourer knows how to drive his pick into the noble and finely-hewn stone of a cathedral. To construct: that is what requires the skill of a master.’ St Josemaria Escriva.
Concluding Prayer
Stay with us, Lord Jesus, as evening falls:
be our companion on our way.
In your mercy inflame our hearts and raise our hope,
so that, in union with our brethren,
we may recognize you in the scriptures,
and in the breaking of Bread.
Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Audio Bible KJV | Endnotes
Hypocrites
The word ‘hypocrite’ is used often in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. The term originally referred to actors who wore masks in Greek theatre, playing different roles to deceive the audience. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus warned against hypocritical judgment:
‘Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.’ (Matthew 7:1-5, KJV)
Jesus warns against the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring one’s own faults. The message is clear: before pointing out the faults of others, we must first examine ourselves and our own shortcomings.
Christians have discussed the concept of hypocrisy and the importance of avoiding it. Protestant Reformer Martin Luther wrote: ‘To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.’ Martin Luther emphasizes the importance of genuine faith and devotion to God, rather than merely performing religious actions without true conviction.
Saint Francis de Sales wrote: ‘The true way to advance in holy virtues is to persevere in prayer.’ He stresses the importance of personal devotion and seeking a deeper relationship with God, rather than merely performing religious actions as a form of self-promotion or hypocrisy.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, also emphasized the importance of avoiding hypocrisy. Wesley wrote: ‘Cleanse your heart from every kind and degree of hypocrisy, and let all your things be done as in the presence of God.’ Wesley believed that true faith and genuine devotion to God would naturally lead to righteous actions, rather than empty displays of religious practice.
In the modern era, religious leaders continue to emphasize the importance of avoiding hypocrisy. Pope Francis has spoken frequently about the dangers of hypocrisy and the importance of living a genuine, compassionate life. He has said: ‘When we are indifferent to the suffering of others, when we close our hearts to the needs of the poor, we are not disciples of Jesus; we are disciples of our own ego.’
Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner Lord, how I am all ague, when I seek What I have treasur’d in my memorie! Since, if my soul make even with the week, Each seventh note by right is due to thee. I finde there quarries of pil’d vanities, But shreds of holinesse, that dare not venture To shew their face, since crosse to thy decrees. There the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre. In so much dregs the quintessence is small: The spirit and good extract of my heart Comes to about the many hundredth part. Yet Lord restore thine image, heare my call: And though my hard heart scarce to thee can grone, Remember that thou once didst write in stone. George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | The Sinner The poet reflects on his spiritual state, describing a struggle with weakness, sin, and the desire for divine alignment. The poem opens with the poet addressing God, expressing discomfort, likened to an ‘ague’ (fever or chill), when he searches his memory for spiritual treasures. This ‘ague’ suggests both a physical and spiritual unease, revealing the tension the poet feels in self-examination. The second line conveys a sense of regret as the poet searches for ‘treasur’d’ holiness in his memory. He recognizes that, although he might strive to keep his soul ‘even with the week’, dedicating every seventh day to God, he falls short. This phrase reflects the expectation to honour the Sabbath, but the poet’s efforts are met with disappointment in their perceived spiritual emptiness. The poet goes on to examine his inner self, describing ‘quarries of pil’d vanities’ that dominate his mind. Here, ‘quarries’ implies an overwhelming quantity of earthly or superficial concerns, while ‘vanities’ suggests that these concerns are meaningless in the context of divine expectation. In contrast, he finds only ‘shreds of holinesse’, fragmented attempts at righteousness, which he hesitates to bring forward as these elements are ‘crosse to thy decrees’, or in opposition to God’s laws. This imagery underscores the poet’s internal conflict and recognition of shortcomings. Further, the poet contrasts earth and heaven, saying that ‘the circumference earth is, heav’n the centre.’ This phrase symbolizes the poet’s focus on worldly concerns (the circumference) that orbit around a neglected spiritual core (the heavenly center). The poet reflects that his life is filled with ‘dregs’, the lesser, unrefined aspects of his being, while ‘quintessence’, or the purest part of himself, is scarce. This ‘quintessence’ is described as the ‘spirit and good extract’ of the poet’s heart, amounting to a ‘many hundredth part’ — a small fraction of life’s essence. The poet realizes that, despite attempts to cultivate holiness, his internal state largely lacks spiritual substance. The final lines shift to a plea for restoration. The poet calls on God to ‘restore thine image’, asking for renewal and transformation. This restoration request implies a yearning to reflect God’s nature more fully, as humanity is believed to be made in God’s image. The poet acknowledges that his heart ‘scarce… can grone’ to God, reflecting the difficulty he feels in truly connecting with or petitioning the divine. The poem ends with reference to the biblical account of the Ten Commandments, when God ‘didst write in stone’. This allusion serves as both a reminder of God’s past willingness to communicate directly and a plea for a similar intervention to etch divine law into the poet’s heart. The poem examines themes of introspection, human fallibility, and a longing for divine transformation. The poet’s self-examination reveals struggle to balance earthly concerns with spiritual commitments, culminating in a plea for God’s direct action to restore spiritual integrity.
When Jesus returns to Nazareth, to his own country, he attends synagogue on the Saturday and teaches there, not as a leader of the synagogue but as a participant in the faith community. Nonetheless, Jesus’ teaching is different from other people’s. Jesus, we have been told, teaches with authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7: 29). Jesus does not merely interpret Scripture, according to scholarly tradition; rather, Jesus reworks Scripture, providing for the people a new Torah, which centres upon himself and which we may understand as Jesus himself. In this way, Jesus’ authority matches and exceeds that of Moses. Jesus is a new Moses, and then infinitely more [ … ]
In these Bible verses, Matthew recounts the betrayal by Judas in a slightly different way from yesterday’s reading from the Gospel of John. Firstly, we see Judas go to the chief priests to see what they will give him to betray his Lord. This is calculating treachery, the love of money putting such evil into Judas’ heart as will outweigh all love and all obligation. Through Judas, we see the absolute evil to which greed and the love of money can drive a person [ … ]
