Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: Matthew 15:7
“Hypocrites! Well, Isaiah, he prophesied concerning you, saying,” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they had invalidated the commandment of God through their tradition. He continues, sharply criticizing them for this, saying, “Hypocrites!”
The word has been seen several times already, but this is the first time Jesus has directly called these men “hypocrites” to their faces. The word comes from two separate words signifying under and judge. It is a person who judges like a performer under a mask. Thus, he is two-faced.
This is exactly how these men were in their ungodly teachings while claiming to be the epitome of godly examples to the people. Of this sort, Jesus said to them, “Well, Isaiah, he prophesied concerning you, saying.”
The words of Isaiah are words of Scripture, given by God through a prophet. Without yet reading what words Jesus will cite, we can already guess that His reference to these men will not be favorable concerning them and their actions.
Life application: These scribes and Pharisees had an agenda. The conversation began with them asking Jesus why His disciples transgressed the traditions of the elders. Although the tone of their voice is unknown, the very question implies that they felt somehow better than Jesus and His disciples because these supposed religious leaders do something that others don’t do.
It is a way of attempting to shame others into compliance with their lifestyles, values, morals, etc. This is a common way that people handle such things. Look at the world around you at any given time, and you will see people doing this constantly.
For example, people are currently in the habit of shaming others if they disagree with all sorts of perverse lifestyles, such as homosexuality. The news media and Hollywood elites shame people because of their skin color, as if being anything but black is bad.
In Christianity, people who read the KJV will constantly demean and shame those who don’t, as if the translation they are reading makes them less of a Christian. One key aspect of all such matters is that the one who is making the accusation is the one who has no valid argument for his stand.
The shaming, when understood from this perspective, is an underhanded attempt not to do right, but to do what is wrong. Those who are doing right have no need to shame others in such a manner. They can call out what is wrong based on their properly aligned position.
For example, nature itself tells us that homosexuality is a perversion of what is normal. Being abnormal, there is no moral justification for such a stand. Therefore, the way to make people accommodate this type of behavior must be pressed from a position of weakness. Shaming others is an inevitable tactic that must be employed to silence those who oppose the behavior.
Shaming someone because of his skin color is a ridiculous proposition. A person is born with skin. It isn’t the skin that makes the person. That is an incidental mark of who he is, like the color of his eyes or the size of his foot. How the person behaves within society, regardless of skin color, is what makes him valuable or worthless.
But for those who have an agenda against a predominantly white society, shaming the majority because of their skin color serves their purpose. Let them go to China and try that with yellow skin!
As for cults, those who hold to an untenable position, like KJV Onlyism, will attempt to justify the unjustifiable in their doctrine, covering up errors in their own text as if they don’t exist. At the same time, they will shame others because of the Bible they read, using fallacious thinking and verbal attacks in an attempt to embarrass others into acquiescing to their ridiculous stand.
Be ready to defend your stand on why you believe homosexuality is wrong, why it is ok for you to have whatever color skin you have, and why you read one version of the Bible rather than another.
And these are only three of innumerable examples of such things you should be aware of in the world in which you exist. Jesus didn’t cave to shamers, and neither should you.
Glorious God, thank You for the words of Scripture that give us insights into how to live and operate in the world You have placed us in. May we not be ashamed of our stand for the gospel or the truths contained in Your word. Help us to boldly stand on what Your word teaches, knowing that Your word is truth. Amen.
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