The hypocrisy of the Pharisees who brought an adulterous woman caught in the act to Jesus as a trap began at the scene of the crime. A woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, which indicates that a man was with her when they were caught. Why was the man not dragged along for the trap they were plotting against Jesus? Perhaps because they had also indulged in adultery in their lives, and could not imagine themselves as men of God, being judged for the crime? Even in a sin jointly committed with another person, they probably could not contemplate their share of the offence. It is always easier to blame the other party.
Like these Pharisees, the hypocrisy in those who profess to be the paragons of righteousness and religious duty continues till today. So many men and women of God have been brought to disgrace and ruin by revelations of unholy dalliances or material greed/covetuousness. Oftentimes, they have been the loudest and most vocal in the army of those who fly the flag of family values and religious liberties. They are usually the loudest voices of condemnation when immoral behavior of any kind is up for discussion.
It beats the imagination -how do people who know they have dark secrets shout so loud when the comparable secrets of others are exposed? Should they not have some understanding, if not compassion, for the current subject under the spotlight? Is there no fear that one day, it might be their own turn? If they don’t fear God, have they not heard about Karma? If they are not capable of compassion, is it not a smart thing to keep one’s commentary to oneself and hope that one is never exposed like that?
It always boils down to pride, that emotion that blinds us to our own faults and weaknesses. It boils down to arrogance, that presumptuous sense of superiority – in this case, righteous superiority. Both are embodied in hypocrisy, portraying an image that is not who we truly are, fooling everybody but God. He knows us more than we know ourselves. He can shine a bright light on those things we would rather not be known and teach us introspection when we would rather not learn it. God will teach us lessons in compassion, one way or the other.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 