I want to tell you all a story about a Harper Valley widow wife
Who had a teenage daughter that attended Harper Valley Junior High
Well her daughter came home one afternoon and didn’t even stop to play
And she said, “Mama, I’ve got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA”
Well the note says “Mrs. Johnson, you’re wearing your dresses way too high
It’s been reported you’ve been drinkin’ and a runnin’ round with men and goin’ wild
Now we don’t believe you ought to be a bringin’ up your little girl this way”
And it was signed by the Secretary, Harper Valley PTA
Well it happened that the PTA was gonna meet that very afternoon
And boy, were they surprised as Mrs. Johnson wore her miniskirt into the room
And as she walked up to the blackboard I can still recall the word she had to say
She said “I’d like to address this meeting of the Harper Valley PTA”
Now there’s Bobby Taylor sittin’ there and seven times he’s asked me for a date
And Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lot of ice whenever he’s away
And Mr. Baker can you tell us why your secretary had to leave this town
And shouldn’t widow Jones be told to keep her window shades all pulled completely down
Now Mr. Harper couldn’t be here ’cause he’s stayed too long in Kelly’s bar again
And if you smell Shirley Thompson’s breath you’ll find she’s had a little nip of gin
And then you have the nerve to tell me as a mother you think that I ain’t fit
Well this is just a little Payton Place and you’re all Harper Valley hypocrites
No, I wouldn’t put you on because it really did it happened just this way
That day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA
Do you know any Franklin County hypocrites? Are you familiar with any two-faced frauds whose conduct constantly contradicts their claims? Do you know anyone who is quick to point out the sins of others but slow to remember their own sins?
Well, Jeanie C. Riley’s 1968 Harper Valley hit describes exactly what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples in the final section of his sermon on the plain. He had just finished telling them how to love their enemies by offering mercy and grace to the very people who treated them badly. Now in Luke 6:37-49, he continues to tutor them in a godly response to sin. He broadens his lesson on living out the Golden Rule by avoiding acts of hypocrisy toward God and people.
Hypocrisy toward People (37-42)
Jesus begins this teaching by prohibiting hypocrisy toward other people. He opens with four power-packed imperative commands which are immediately followed by corresponding consequences: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you.” By this, he does not want his disciples to be quick to criticize others or act in a judgmental or condemnatory manner. A judgmental person is someone who reaches unjust conclusions about someone else’s motives. Rather than being hypercritical, Jesus desires for his disciples to give people the benefit of the doubt, be quick to forgive, and to extend grace generously.
To help his disciples understand the gravity of this, he makes it clear that God will treat us in the same manner that we treat our fellow sinners. If we judge, we will be judged. If we forgive, we will be forgiven. He presses the point in verse 38—“Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” This illustration is taken from the ancient marketplace, where a merchant placed grain in a container. Then he shook the container and pressed the grain down so that more could be placed inside. This is how God measures our grace (or lack of grace) toward other people’s sins.
If this wasn’t enough, Jesus goes on to use a short riddle and a graphic word picture to drive home his point. He introduces the riddle with the humorous question: “Can a blind man lead a blind man?” The obvious answer is no because both men would end up in a pit. This is a reference to the Pharisees who were notorious for pointing out the faults of others while refusing to see their own errors.
Jesus’ illustration of the speck of sawdust and plank in the eye is one of his funniest and most famous word pictures. The meaning is plain—how can someone see the little faults in someone else’s life when they have a big blaring one in your own life that clouds your vision? He is essentially saying, “Instead of being preoccupied with other people’s sins, focus on correcting your own!”
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once told about a man he had little respect for because he considered him to be miserly and covetous. One day when this person contributed only a small gift to a worthy charity, Wesley openly criticized him.
After the incident, the man went to Wesley privately and told him he had been living on only parsnips and water for several weeks. He explained that before his conversion, he had run up many debts. Now, by skimping on everything and buying nothing for himself he was paying off his creditors one by one. “Christ has made me an honest man,” he said, “and so with all these debts to pay, I can give only a few offerings above my tithe. I must settle up with my worldly neighbors and show them what the grace of God can do in the heart of a man who was once dishonest.” Wesley then apologized to the man and asked his forgiveness.
As we apply Jesus’ words to our own lives, hear Phillip Ryken’s reflection! He says:
Sadly, the same thing still happens in the church today. It happens when we are overconfident in the conclusions we reach about other people’s problems, without fully knowing their situation. It happens when we judge people’s motives, wrongly assuming that we know why they did what they did. It happens when we withhold forgiveness from people who have done us wrong. It happens when we keep our distance from people struggling with difficult sins like self-pity and sexual immorality. It happens when we shun people with messy problems like poverty and drug addiction. It happens when we criticize the sins that other people commit more than we repent from our own unrighteousness. It happens when we use angry slogans to condemn hot-button issues like abortion and gay lifestyle without befriending people and offering them grace. God forgive us. This is not the way Jesus taught us to treat people. (Ryken 284)
Therefore, let us not condemn or be judgmental! Let us focus on removing the planks from our own eyes! Let us heed Jesus’ teaching about hypocrisy!
Hypocrisy toward God (43-49)
Once Jesus tackled the issue of hypocrisy toward others in verses 37-42, he went on to expose the folly of hypocrisy toward God in verse 43-49. He introduces another word picture when he says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.” (43-44)
He employs this agricultural image to show that a person’s inner character is displayed through their outward words and actions. Whatever kind of fruit we produce—whether good or evil—is rooted in the condition of our souls. We can only produce the kind of spiritual fruit that is in our nature to produce. Our true colors will ultimately be revealed to others through our words and actions, and they are always known to God—that is why it is futile to be hypocritical toward God.
After Jesus makes this point through figurative language, he makes it perfectly plain with his penetrating question in verse 46, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say.” The phrase “Lord, Lord” denotes both authority and affection. In essence, he is calling out their hypocrisy by asking them why they outwardly say that they love the Lord, yet inwardly they disregard, disagree, and disrespect his commands. Everyone in that crowd had heard Jesus’ teachings, but many refused to put them into practice—they still wanted to live on their own terms.
Let me tell you about a man who exemplifies this! He made frequent use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty and the Christian confessions which would become the pillars of a new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out inspirational stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew the strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God. Indeed, Adolf Hitler was a master of outward religiosity—with no inward reality!
There are many people who claim to be Christians, yet they hold to moral positions that deny Jesus’ teachings. There are many who maintain that they love God, but their life-styles completely contradict his word! Modern Americans love the idea of being spiritual, but they are uncomfortable with being a part of a religion that would put any moral demands on them. Some may even go to church and hear God’s word on Sunday, but they live however they want the rest of the week.
I have actually heard people say, “I love God, but I don’t agree with everything the Bible says!” What? That is ludicrous! Who do you think wrote the Bible? God did! You can’t say “I a Christian” or “I love Jesus with all of my heart”, and not submit to his authority over your life.
I am always amazed when I hear people say, “I would go to church, but I know some hypocrites who go there.” These are usually the same people who are quick to quote Jesus’ words “Don’t judge” as a justification for their own sinful behavior. Whatever we do, let’s not be hypocrites toward God! He is the Judge!
Jesus brings this section and whole sermon to a dramatic conclusion by telling one last parable. He says that a person who hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a foundation of rock, but the person who hears his words and does not put them into action is like a foolish man who built his house without a foundation. When the flood comes, which one do you think will stand?
The house in this parable is a metaphor for our lives and the flood represents the problems we face though out our lives. The foundation of stone is the person who builds his or her life on Jesus’ words. That person is able to stand against the disasters and adversities of life. On the other hand, the person who ignores Jesus’ words will be swept away physically and spiritually and their life will be ruined.
What are you building your life on? Are you building on the solid foundation of Jesus’ words or are you building on societies’ ideas and your own ideals? If you hear Jesus’ words and put them into practice, you will avoid hypocrisy toward God and others, and your life will be able to stand against any problems that come your way!