“PEOPLE-PLEASER”

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.”

Matthew 6:5

In this day and age where people seek human approval, what should Christians' mindset be, in light of performing our duties as Christ-followers?

In yesterday’s blog, we learned that Christians are to search their hearts and submit their pride and self-righteousness to God. Here’s another mark of hypocrisy you should know.

You love being praised.

Having an inflated view of oneself causes a person to look righteous so he can be noticed by others.

Today’s verse is part of the popular passage where Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray. Being a Jew Himself, Jesus knew that His disciples placed a great deal of importance on prayer. While individual prayer was deemed an honorable practice, pious Jews prayed publicly at set times. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that sacrifices, including prayers, were offered twice a day, early in the morning and at the ninth hour (3 PM).

But Jesus states the importance of one’s attitude in prayer more than the frequency of it. Just like giving can be used as an act of hypocrisy, prayer can be perverted to conceal a person’s true motives. As a set time of prayer came, some Jews would often stop whatever they were doing and pray. Some of them made sure to pray aloud in places they would be noticed, such as the street corners or the synagogues. Those people would often receive public recognition for their piety but aren’t necessarily approved by God.

To make things clear, Jesus does not condemn praying in the synagogues or at the street corners, but He does condemn their purpose: to receive praise from people. Jesus further criticized the Pharisees for loving the praise of others more than God’s approval (John 5:44). Such a pretentious attitude is hypocritical and thus unacceptable to God.

In the same way, a hypocrite is someone who goes through the motions of religious traditions in order to be noticed by people and receive praise from them. He feeds off of people’s recognition and gets validation from their admiration. He is more concerned about people’s approval than seeking God’s will.

As people of God, we must desire to be real and authentic before God. We couldn’t care less for human acknowledgment as long as we endeavor to walk according to God’s word. We understand that Jesus Himself did not go after popularity. In fact, people found Him opposing their systems, causing His enemies to plot murderous schemes against Him. While He was rejected by men, He was accepted and exalted by God.

How about you my friend? Do you seek people’s validation and praise? Do you live to please people or God?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo credit: Timothy Chan on Unsplash