Healthy Hypocrisy | 15th Sunday after Trinity | 1st October 2000 | Mark 9:38–50 | Thomas H. Troeger |

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