When Jesus saw the religious hypocrite, he exposed every self-righteous mole and pimple. “All their works they do to be seen by men…” (Matthew 23:5 NKJV).
This is the working definition of hypocrisy: “to be seen by men.” We must do good works, and some works such as benevolence or teaching must be seen in order to have an impact. To do a good thing is a good thing. To do a good thing just to be seen, however, is a serious offense. Hypocrisy turns people away from God. When people enter a church to see God yet can’t see God because of the church, don’t think for a second that God does not react.
“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding” (Matthew 6:1 MSG).
