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Foundations of Truth

Hypocrites Beware



Throughout the Bible, God makes clear: He has zero tolerance for hypocrisy:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;

Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;

Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

And clever in their own sight!...

Who justify the wicked for a bribe,

And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!” (Isaiah 5:20-21, 23 NASB).

Ricky Gervais did not have this passage in mind when delivering his opening monologue at the Golden Globes—but his message was the same:

“Apple roared into the TV game with The Morning Show, a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. Well, you say you're woke but the companies you work for in China — unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you'd call your agent, wouldn't you?”[1]

Perhaps no industry is more vividly hypocritical than Hollywood. While lamenting and predicting an imminent apocalypse due to supposed climate change, these same “A-listers, who reportedly included President Barack Obama, Prince Harry, and Leonardo DiCaprio, descended upon southern Italy's tony area by means of private jets, yachts and were chauffeured around by Maserati SUVs.”[2]

Jesus made it very clear, hypocrisy will be exposed:

“...there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2 NASB).

As Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac:

“Well done is better than well said.”[3]

Hypocrites are not “new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). In Galatians, the apostle Paul warns:

“For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3 NASB).

And although Jesus certainly did not use the same colorful language as Gervais, He was righteously indignant at calling them out:

“You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far away from Me.

‘But in vain do they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (Matthew 15:7-9 NASB).

Yes, Hollywood is hypocritical. But if we’re honest, sometimes so are we. So let’s take a lesson from Gervais and consider our own behavior, while taking to heart the words of Jesus:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 NASB).


Foundations of Truth hereby waives all claim of copyright (economic and moral) in this work and immediately places it in the public domain; it may be used, published, edited, and distributed in any manner whatsoever without any attribution or notice to Foundations of Truth.

 

[1] White, A. (2020, January 5). Golden Globes: Read Ricky Gervais' scathing opening monologue. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/transcript-ricky-gervais-golden-globes-2020-opening-monologue-1266516 [2] Garber, J. & Rieman, H. (2019, August 5). Google Camp backlash rages on: Climate change backers use 114 private jets, Maseratis and mega yachts. Retrieved from https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/celebrities-114-private-jets-descended-on-camp-google-to-discuss-climate-change-maseratis [3] Franklin, B. (1737). Poor Richard’s almanack. Retrieved from https://www.fi.edu/benjamin-franklin/famous-quotes

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