“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye. Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.”

Matthew 7:1-6

What is hypocrisy? Why it is evil to exhibit it at work and hated by Jesus? How does it affect our lives at work?

• Hypocrisy is an outward pretense masking an inner reality. We pretend to know what we are doing at work, but we do not most days. We are pretending.
• Jesus condemns hypocrisy, especially in matters of faith at work. Followers of Jesus should express their commitment to God in their words and their deeds, as well as in their inner motivation. There should always be alignment of the heart, the mind, and our actions.
• Jesus is clear and hates hypocrites. Jesus calls it out all the time. Our contempt allows us to ignore its reality in our lives. I must change my mind (aka repent).
• The Greek word is ὑποκριτής (hupŏkritēs, hoop-ok-ree-tace) meaning an actor under an assumed character (stage-player), i.e. a dissembler and hypocrite.
• My nature, along with all of us, is one that is fallen and I constantly miss God’s goal (aka sin). I try to cover that up by appearing to be a good person. I am not. You are not. We are not. Our colleagues know it. We are not fooling anyone.

Good news at work: God has given us the ability to be humble, award of the ways we miss God’s goal for our lives (aka sin) and the power of the Holy Spirit to produce good fruit in our lives. God is good. Our job is to avoid hypocrisy at all costs. We need to constantly evaluate our lives for any sign of hypocrisy.