“The original meaning of the word hypocrite was"actor.” Ignorance of our true nature is the root cause of so many living as though they are actors on a stage, afraid of what they might see if they were honest about themselves. True self-awareness can come when we are open to letting Christ into our lives totally.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“We become hypocrites when we...carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our hearts to remain distant from God…It is easy to be angry at the blatant hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but each of us must resist the temptation to settle for the appearance of respectability when our hearts are far from God.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 7:6-7, Luke 12:1-2)
"When we say someone is insensitive, we usually mean he does not consider other people’s feelings. But this is not what it means in spiritual life. It is best understood as a deep- rooted hypocrisy. It is a hypocrisy so deep that it becomes almost impossible to recognize it in ourselves, though, of course, we are quick to condemn it in others." (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“We can all be hypocrites sometimes…. saying one thing and doing another…even when we are striving to be sincere…[True] hypocrisy is pretending to be something you are not and have no intention of being.” (Sacramental Living, Life Application Study Bible, Mark 7:6-7)"A person who tries to do right but often fails is not a hypocrite. Neither are those who fulfill their duty even when they don’t feel like doing it. Often it is necessary to set aside our desires in order to do what needs to be done. It is not hypocrisy to be weak in faith. A hypocrite is a person who only puts on religious behaviors in order to gain attention, approval or admiration from others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 6:42)
"Hypocrisy is knowing the truth but not obeying it....Hypocrisy is living a self-serving life...Hypocrisy reduces faith to rigid rules....Hypocrisy is outward conformity without inner reality…We are all capable of hypocrisy.” (Life Application Study Bible, Luke 12:1-2, Isaiah 29:13,14)
“Jesus’ statement,"Do not judge others,” is against the kind of hypocritical, judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. It is not a blanket statement to overlook wrong behavior of others but a call to be discerning rather than negative.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 7:1-5)
"Each of us must also seek Christ for ourselves and not look to other Christians or rely on their examples too heavily. We can all be hypocrites sometimes, even our Priests and Church leaders, saying one thing and doing another. It’s just part of our flaws even when we are striving to be sincere. C.S. Lewis once commented that if people look to Christians as examples of Christianity then no one would be Christian. ” (Sacramental Living)
“…we need to look to Christ first and foremost. … the bottom line is that if we abandon our Church or our faith because of the hypocritical behavior we witness in our clergy, leaders or others, it is nothing but an excuse on our part.” (Sacramental Living)
“Not going to Church because of the ‘hypocrites’ is like not going to the gym because of ‘out of shape people.’ ” (Unknown)
“…the word hypocrite derives from the Greek word hypocrites meaning an actor behind a mask.” (John Damianos)
“Lord declares God’s judgment against the hypocrite who shuts"up the kingdom of heaven against men.” Closing off the kingdom happens when a person narrows his attention to observable performance, disregarding inner motivation and attitude. The highest value is applied to holy deeds and pious words. By his actions and words, the hypocrite satisfies himself that he has obtained approval from God. Even worse, he encourages others to adopt this approach, thereby preventing them from"entering the kingdom of Heaven” by neglecting the state of their hearts.” (Dynamis 8/8/2014)
“We must make sure we are not creating Pharisees by emphasizing outward obedience at the expense of inner renewal.” (Life Application Study Bible, Matthew 23:15)
“...God’s laws are guidelines and lights for our path, rather than chains on our hands and feet.” (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 19:7-11)
"Only the hypocrites and the self-righteous do not need Christ as their Savior.” (Dynamis 11/11/2013)
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