In today’s gospel Jesus is challenging the scribes and Pharisees. He is clearly outraged by their behaviour, and is willing to call them out on it. His language is strong, forceful, and even off-putting. He calls them out for being hypocrites, for presenting a false image of themselves.
It’s so tempting to put it all on the “Scribes and Pharisees” of the past. That way we can avoid looking at our own lives to see if we are falling into the same traps. To do that robs the gospel of its power to shape us and to be a living, life-giving word for today.
Instead, this challenging passage offers us an opportunity to look at our own lives. We live in times that are very concerned with image. Our social media feeds mean it’s never been easier to create and present a persona that highlights only the good and positive in our lives, making us appear better than we are. Jesus is clear, this is hypocrisy:
“You appear to people from the outside as if you were good and honest, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
As we look around our post truth world we can’t fail to acknowledge that we know both this temptation and its dangers. In in the first reading St Paul offers us a way of avoiding this temptation:
“Live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.”
St Paul’s words call us to look honestly at where we might veer towards hypocrisy in our actions and in our thoughts. He challenges us to ensure that our ideals shape our actions and interactions so that we can live with integrity.
Where are you being called to live with integrity today?