In Luke 12, we are given four examples of hypocrisy from the teaching of Jesus. All of them point back to verse 2 which says, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” In other words, Jesus is saying that you cannot hide what is inside your heart. The real you—your true identity—must necessarily come out. Where the Pharisees failed in their attempts to expose Jesus, Jesus succeeded in explaining that hypocrites cannot hide in their pretending, posing, and presenting a life with no conviction in the heart.

One of the most fascinating scenes in the earthly ministry of Jesus is found inbetween the events of Luke 11-12. If ever you want to see how unmoved Jesus is both by the criticisms and praises of men, Luke reveals it here. Jesus knew who he was, what he was sent to accomplish, and nothing was going to interfere with doing the will of His Father.

As Luke 11 comes to a close, Jesus is scolding and rebuking the most religious and influential people of the day for their hypocrisy. The Pharisees were consumed with spiritual pride, cultural prominence, and self-promotion. The lawyers imposed burdens and demands on the people they themselves did not keep. Jesus called all of them out for pretending to be righteous while condemning others for not measuring up to these self-imposed standards. The scene closes with these hypocrites pressing and provoking Jesus in order to catch him in error and to expose him to falsehood.

Luke 12 begins with “thousands of people…trampling one another” in order to get to Jesus. Interestingly enough, the gushing crowds have no more influence over him than his conniving haters. Jesus simply turned to his disciples and went into an extensive teaching about hypocrisy—the leaven of the Pharisees.

Typically when people are called out for hypocrisy, it has to do with someone’s behavior not matching their beliefs. A person professes (says) one thing while they practice (does) something else. While hypocrisy surfaces most visibly with a contradiction in a person’s practice, it is born with an absence of conviction in the heart.

In Luke 12, we are given four examples of hypocrisy from the teaching of Jesus. All of them point back to verse 2 which says, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” In other words, Jesus is saying that you cannot hide what is inside your heart. The real you—your true identity—must necessarily come out. Where the Pharisees failed in their attempts to expose Jesus, Jesus succeeded in explaining that hypocrites cannot hide in their pretending, posing, and presenting a life with no conviction in the heart.

Hypocrisy Exposed

The first example of hypocrisy: Jesus exposes the fear of man. The greater fear–namely, the fear of God–cancels out the fear of man. Man may have the ability to kill you, but God has the authority to cast your soul in hell forever. Moreover, this God with promises to avail the same authority for believers because they are valued as his redeemed children. If then, you live as though you value the safety and security of this world due to the fear of man, you evidence that you do not know how valued you are by God in your heart. The contradiction of your behavior indicates the absence of God as your treasure.

The second example of hypocrisy: Jesus exposes shame and denial. It is appropriate to confess Jesus as Lord in the assembly of the saints, but it is even more appropriate to confess Jesus as Lord before men—the very same men who might kill you.

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