Do as I say, not as I do

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, so you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

Matthew 23: 1-4 (NIV)

This verse is kind of a big deal for me lately.  As I grow older and more involved in the "business" side of life, I'm becoming more wary of modern-day Pharisees, people who exude a false dedication to the teachings they so shamelessly force on others. From church members to coworkers, I've had my fair share of dealings with people who call on Jesus's name as leverage rather than a lifeline. Unfortunately, Pharisees have had roughly two-thousand years (give or take a hundred years) to perfect the art of hiding how blatantly hypocritical and simultaneously prominent they are in society today.

Time and again, I've watched self-proclaimed Christians bastardize God's Word, reducing its purpose to that of a corrupted pedestal on which to exalt themselves. These Pharisees practice something I call "situational faith," or in layman's terms, "they're a bunch of two-faced phonies." I realize it's cliche to invoke the "Is the person you are on Saturday night the same person you are on Sunday morning?" bit, but yet, I've known so many who can't answer "yes" to that question. Just a few examples:

I've met a deacon that consistently fills his "amen" quota every time the church doors open and can out-swear a sailor throughout the work week.

I've met a music minister that sang "Amazing Grace" more times than he could count who frequently made sexual jokes about "what he'd do" to women in the church, including the pastor's daughter.

I've met a Sunday school teacher who, no doubt, taught her class the importance of forgiveness and showing God's love to everyone, yet I've watched her viciously insult others behind their backs in an attempt to exile them.

If you read my last post, you know I'm not claiming that Christians never do wrong. I'm not even claiming that Christians should never do wrong because even God acknowledges that perfection is impossible for anyone but Himself. I'll be the first to admit that I consistently fail God and consistently fall short of His standards.

But the people I mentioned aren't pharisaical because they're Christians and they screwed up. That just means they're human. No, they're pharisaical because they don't own up to their sins, instead they actively and knowingly choose to live like they don't sin at all.

They want the title, they want the "oohs and ahhs" of the congregation in awe of their heightened levels of spirituality, but they don't want to work for it. They want to pick and choose who is worth witnessing to or worth "playing the part" around. They don't "practice what they preach." And in doing so, not only are they openly mocking the name of Jesus and His followers, but they are playing with the souls of those who don't yet have a relationship with God.

It's not my intention to bash anyone, but there has to be accountability somewhere. We can't all go on ignoring the fact that "Christian" has become a label with a negative, hypocritical connotation tied to it. Surely, I'm not the only one who is bothered that our faith is being considered extremist and discriminatory.

But if we want to abolish the predominant image of the Pharisee from our culture, we have to do more than run around cramming God's word down people's throats. We can't allow ourselves to buy into the notion that Christians are entitled or better in any way. We have to do more than "amen" the pastor's sermon about God's love. We have to do more than act like Christians.

We have to live like them.