Matthew 23:25-28 (NIV):
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
The definition of a poser is; a person who pretends to be someone that they are not. In the snowboarding world this can look like someone wearing all the right gear, owning the best board, knowing the names of all the tricks, and watching all the newest videos but never stepping foot on a snowboard. We always get annoyed with posers because they pretend to be one of us but we know that they are not. The worst thing for the poser is that they never get to experience the joy that comes from being on their board, they never get to land a trick and feel the rush.
The Bible talks about posers, believe it or not. In Matthew, Jesus calls out the Pharisees for being posers. You see, they were known as these perfect religious people but they only appeared that way. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because although they looked good on the outside, giving tithe and keeping the Sabbath, they were evil on the inside, full of greed and selfishness. The Pharisees did not follow God in their hearts they only appeared to on the outside.
Jesus doesn’t expect us to be perfect but He does want us to be honest and humble. The difference was the Pharisees wanted people to think they were perfect and that they could do it on their own but the truth is we all need God and His grace. Let’s make sure that we are not being posers in our walk with God. We don’t want to miss out on the joy of knowing God and the amazing freedom that comes with knowing that He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. Jesus came because we are not perfect so let’s stop pretending that we are.
Challenge
Do you try to put on a perfect front to others?
Are you willing to humble yourself and let Jesus come alongside you in your struggles instead of facing them on your own?
Are you willing to be humble and allow others in on the struggles you face or have faced? How do you think that might benefit you/them?
By Shauna Breglio | Scarborough, Maine