Hypocites do Pray but very Poorly

Matthew 6:5-8

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Have you ever thought how it would be to have the ability that only God has, to know the thoughts and intent of the heart of a person?  After pondering on that for only a moment, it would be a true curse!  I’m not sure we would have any friends if all their feelings and thoughts were known to us.  So it is a wise person who leaves the “thoughts and intents of the heart to God,” for it is clear that we do not know what in a person’s heart.  But Jesus has defined a hypocrite as a person who loves to be noticed by their religious activity and He has zoomed in on the long-winded prayers in the synagogues and in the public places. 
Jesus gives a lot of ink to hypocrites in Matthew 23, and much of what He is saying is to the religious scribes and Pharisees, as in the example of verses 25-26, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”  Many a person has used the hypocrite as the reason for not attending church services, and for sure many of us who attend have been hypocritical.  But what is your definition of a hypocrite?  Is it not acting like who you are, is it pretending to be something you are not?  So when am I a hypocrite as a follower of Christ?  When I’m not following Christ, I’m acting outside of my new nature, or person.  So if I’m not showing love to my family or my neighbors, I’m not acting like who God knows me to be, I’m being a hypocrite, and so are you.  But going to church does not make me a hypocrite, when I am unloving and only interested in self that is being a hypocrite.

The scribes and Pharisees Jesus is referring to, could leave most religious churchgoer’s in the dust, they meet all the requirements of the law outwardly, but Jesus said inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  One of the things we should guard against as followers of Christ is acting in public like we have it all together, but in our family and in our business dealings we are far from acknowledging Christ’s authority over us.  Jesus has this to say of such a person: “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

If you are wondering what does this have to do with prayer, when you pray, be honest, be concise, and be grateful, for the Father knows your needs and your thoughts before one is formed in your mind or on your lips.  And never pray to impress others, but make your request to the One who knows you and still loves you beyond human understanding.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice