Healthy Hypocrisy
A sermon on Mark 9:38-50 (proper 21)

Which comes first:
Belief
or
action?

Changing the heart
or
changing behavior?

A lot of our prayers and rituals
put the heart first:
"Create in me a clean heart
and put a new and right spirit within me."

It is a prayer we all need to pray.
For sometimes,
it is the heart that needs to change first.

We believe in Jesus
and our belief changes how we act.

I have seen this happen in people.
They have -
to use their own words -
"found the Lord,"
and the Lord has transformed
their lives.
Grace and compassion
have flowed from their new hearts.

Sometimes
belief comes first.

Sometimes
a new heart comes first.

But not always!

There are other times
when the process works in reverse.
Action transforms the heart.
Behavior reshapes our character.

The disciples report to Jesus:
"'Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,
and we tried to stop him,
because he was not following us.'"
Evidently the man was using Jesus' name
without making a commitment to Jesus.

The man's action may reflect
an ancient pagan custom:
magicians used a revered name
as a talisman,
something possessing secret power.
They invoked the name
purely for the effect it might produce
but without holding any sense of worship or honor
for the name.
Their belief did not match their action.

Jesus responds to his disciples' concern:
"'Do not stop him;
for no one who does a deed of power in my name
will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.'"

Doing an act of love
can create a heart of love

Behavior can transform character.

I think of times
when I have gone to worship
and acted in the name of Jesus
though my faith was wavering
and my heart was far from the gospel.
I mechanically went through the rituals.
I bowed.
I knelt.
I made the sign of the cross.
I received the sacrament.
I prayed in the name of Jesus.
And then to my utter surprise,
I found faith in my heart
where there had been none.
I found grace in my soul
where there had been none.
The action had transformed me.

I have seen this process
not only in worship.
I have seen it in people
who decided to work toward reconciliation
when they did not feel like being reconciled.
I have seen it in people
who showed compassion out of a sense of duty,
not a spontaneous desire in their hearts.
And when they acted,
they were transformed.
They became people with reconciling hearts.
They became people with compassionate hearts.

In American culture
we often hear
"Do what you feel. Be genuine. Don't be a hypocrite."
But sometimes we need to do the exact opposite.
When we do not feel like worshiping
is when we need to worship.
When faith is far from our hearts,
we need to act as if we were filled with it.

We need a healthy hypocrisy:
doing what is good and right and beautiful
even though it is not what we feel.
Because if we do something good
in the name of Jesus,
in the spirit of his compassion and justice,
then we will soon find
ourselves unable to speak evil of Christ.
We will find our hearts
reshaped by our action.

Do not wait until your faith
is perfect and full.
Act now for Jesus,
and Jesus will do astounding things to who you are.


Thomas H. Troeger
Peck Professor of Preaching & Communications
Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
Iliff School of Theology
2201 South University Boulevard
Denver, Colorado 80210

303/765-3183
e-mail: ttroeger@iliff.edu
FAX 303/777-0164