Are there things you’re hiding? Things about yourself that you’d rather others not see or know?
It’s easy to create a ‘mask’ to deceive others. It hides our imperfections and embarrassing features. We act like we’re happy, but we’re really depressed. We act like we have life under control, but we are full of anxiety. Much like make-up, we put this ‘mask’ on every morning and are fearful that someone may see us without our mask. Because what others see is not who we really are.
Jesus met some religious people (Mark 7:1-16) that on the outward appearance, were very holy. They were so holy, they did things that God hadn’t even commanded, like wash their hands often to keep themselves clean from anything that might be unholy.
But Jesus called them ‘hypocrites.’ This term, ‘hypocrite’, comes from the Greek word meaning ‘mask.’ The Greek actors would wear giant masks to show the audience the emotions their character would portray. The word soon came to mean someone who was one thing in public, but another in reality. The ‘hypocrites’ Jesus met wanted people to think they were more holy than they really were.
People often wear masks to hide who they really are. That has been one of the criticisms against churches – it’s full of hypocrites. And I agree. A lot of religious people try to do religious things just so they can hide who they really are. They think that if they do a lot of good things and don’t do some of the bad things that it will compensate for other things. But it won’t. Jesus emphasized that it’s not what’s on the outside that is the issue (good or bad) but the inside.
Jesus doesn’t hate hypocrites. He loves them. But He knows that hiding from who we really are will never help us to become all we are supposed to be. Hiding just makes it worse.
What are you hiding from yourself?
No one’s perfect. But many people deny their sins and shortcomings even to themselves. They have masked their faults to the degree that they actually believe the mask rather than the reality. They may say things like: “I don’t have an addiction”, “I don’t have an anger problem”, “My children aren’t the problem – it’s the school system”, or “My marriage is fine.” Don’t hide from yourself!
What are you hiding from the world?
Sometimes Christians hide behind the church, and live a great life among other Christians, but never show Jesus to others. It’s real easy when you’re in an environment that is nonChristian to hide your faith and devotion to Jesus. But that is much being a hypocrite as it is for a guy to ‘act’ religious. Don’t hide from the world!
What are you hiding from other Christians?
We find it easier to smile and wave than to honestly share our burdens, ask for help, or confess our faults to those we profess to walk together with. It seems odd that our pride makes it easier to confess our sins and struggles to a holy, all-powerful God than to fellow sinners who struggle just like we don. Don’t hide from other Christians!
What are you hiding from God?
This is really the strange question. Because you can hide from others and even yourself. But you cannot hide from God. He knows what you are really like – and He still loves you. Come clean with god. Admit where your heart is of-center. He will accept you and change you from the inside out. Don’t hide from God.
What are you hiding? Maybe you can answer quickly, maybe you need time to think about it for awhile. But you do have an answer… we all hide something.
Know this… in Christ and in the Cross, you don’t have to hide anymore. No matter what, you are loved.
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