Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Luke (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Luke, 
or Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

(On Temptation and Hypocrisy)

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and, testing Him, said: ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Luke 10:25)

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

If we read the Holy Gospel attentively, we see that our Savior Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–11), but He was tempted many times more by the servants of the devil, who were the scribes, Sadducees, Pharisees, chief priests, and lawyers (Matthew 22:15–18).

These temptations on their part were always mixed with hatred, deceit, and hypocrisy. Thus, for example, we see that the Pharisees schemed together in order to trap the Savior in His words, and they sent spies to Him to ask whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar. But the Savior, knowing their deceit, said to them: “Why do you tempt Me, hypocrites?” (Mark 12:15). On another occasion, the Sadducees and Pharisees approached the Lord deceitfully, asking Him to give them a sign from heaven. He answered them: “In the evening you say, ‘Tomorrow will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning you say, ‘Today there will be a storm, for the sky is red and overcast.’” Then He said to them: “Hypocrites! You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and departed (Matthew 16:1–4).

You see, brethren, that in His words of reply to the Sadducees and Pharisees, He calls them hypocrites and an evil generation. And this was because, in their deliberations about tempting Him and asking Him for a sign from heaven, they were full of hypocrisy and deceit. In the same way, we see the lawyer in today's Holy Gospel approaching the Lord with deceit and hypocrisy, testing Him and saying: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). But our Lord Jesus Christ, who “catches the wise in their craftiness” (1 Corinthians 3:19), seeing that the lawyer spoke one thing with his mouth while planning something else in his heart, did not answer him, but instead put a question to him, saying: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26), seeking through his own words to teach him what he did not know. The Savior, who always saw the deceit of those who approached Him (Luke 20:23), knowing the deceit of the lawyer who was testing Him, asked him: “What is written in the Law of Moses?” And he said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37–40). And the Savior said to him: “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

The lawyer, however, did not believe that Jesus Christ was God. Why, then, did Jesus say to him: “Do this and you will live”? But can anyone be saved without faith in Jesus Christ? No, for the Lord said: “He who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me”; and again: “He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me” (John 12:44–45); and again: “He who believes in Me, even though he dies, he shall live” (John 11:25). Why, then, did the Lord say to the lawyer that he would live by fulfilling what was written in the Law of Moses? Here is why: because the Law of Moses was a teacher and a “guide to Christ” (Galatians 3:24), and “Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4); and whoever believes in the teaching of Moses also believes in Jesus Christ. As He says in another place: “If you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me” (John 5:46–47).

The Lord also told the lawyer that he would live through what was written in the Law of Moses because “whoever loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him” (1 John 5:1). But the lawyer, wishing to justify himself, asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Behold, another question put to Jesus deceitfully. Did the lawyer not know who his neighbor was? As a lawyer and teacher of the Law, he truly knew who his neighbor was. But through this deceitful question, he wanted to hear what the Lord would say, because he considered that only those of the Jewish nation were their neighbors, and not just any human being.

But our All-Good Savior, wishing to show him who our neighbor truly is, answered him with the parable of the man who fell among robbers, saying: “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, who stripped him and wounded him, and went away, leaving him barely alive” (Luke 10:30). You see, brethren, that the Savior did not say a Jew, but a certain man, in order to show the lawyer that every human being is our neighbor and that, if we see someone in danger, we ought to help him with all love.

After the Savior had told this parable to the lawyer, He asked him: “Which of these three, do you think, was neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers?” And he, compelled to tell the truth, said: “The one who showed mercy to him.” Then the Savior said: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Do you see the boundless wisdom of our Savior Jesus Christ? That lawyer came with deceit and hypocrisy in order to tempt the Lord, but the Savior, through the parable of the man who fell among robbers and the merciful Samaritan, who cared for the wounded man who had fallen among robbers, gave him a wondrous and divine answer. First, He taught the lawyer that every human being in the world is our neighbor. After He had brought him to understand this and to confess it, He said to him: “Go and do likewise.” That is, from now on, do not consider that only those of the Jewish nation are your neighbors, but regard every human being in this world as your neighbor; and if anyone is in distress or danger, let us help him as we would someone of our own people.

Beloved faithful,

But let us return to the things about which we spoke at the beginning, namely, wicked temptation and hypocrisy. Let us say something about these two passions for which our Savior Jesus Christ so often rebuked the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and lawyers of the Old Law, and threatened them with woes.

First, let us show what deceit is.

We must know and understand that the father of all evils and the source of all deceit is the devil. Through deceit he deceived our ancestors Adam and Eve in the beginning, and through his cunning deception he drove them out of Paradise (Genesis 3:1; II Corinthians 11:3). God hates a deceitful man (Psalm 5:6). The Holy and Divine Scripture shows that “the heart of man is more deceitful than anything else, and exceedingly corrupt! Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our Savior Jesus Christ showed us that deceit is a sin which, together with other sins, has its source and root in the heart of man, saying: “For from within, from the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornications, drunkenness, murders, adultery, greed, deceit, deception, envy, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21–22).

The great Apostle Paul rebukes Elymas the sorcerer for his deceit, saying: “O you who are full of all deceit and all deception, son of the devil and enemy of all righteousness!” (Acts 13:10). The same Apostle accuses those who opposed God, being full of all unrighteousness, fornication, deceit, greed, and wickedness (Romans 1:28–29). And instructing Christians, he tells them: “We have renounced the hidden things of shame, no longer walking in deceit, nor corrupting the word of God” (II Corinthians 4:2). And to the Ephesians he says: “That we may no longer be children tossed by waves, carried here and there by every wind of teaching, through human deception, through their deceitful schemes leading to rebellion” (Ephesians 4:14).

My brothers, if you have listened attentively to the testimonies above, you have been able to understand the following: first, that the devil is the beginning and root of all evils and of deceit; second, that deceit springs from the heart of man; and third, that deceitful people are sons of the devil and enemies of all righteousness.

Let us also say something about the varied and many-sided sin of hypocrisy, which is the accursed armor of diabolical deceit. And this is what I have to say concerning it. You should know that hypocrisy has its root in deceit, while its fruits are lies, deception, artifice, ill-gotten gain, dishonor, and injury to one's neighbor.

A hypocritical person is insincere, pretentious, false, and deceitful, for he thinks one thing and says another. His word is yes, but his deed is no. Hypocritical people honor God only with their lips, as the Holy Scripture shows, saying: “This people draws near to Me only with its mouth and honors Me with its lips, but its heart is far from Me” (Isaiah 29:13). And the divine Prophet Jeremiah, showing the same thing, says: “You are near, O Lord, to their mouths, but far from their hearts” (Jeremiah 12:2). Hypocritical people are devout only in appearance (II Timothy 3:5). Our Savior Jesus Christ compared the sin of hypocrisy to leaven, saying to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). But why did the Savior compare hypocrites to leaven? Here is why!

Just as leaven leavens the whole lump (Matthew 13:33), so hypocrisy united with deceit corrupts the entire spiritual disposition of man. His heart, mind, sight, tongue, and lips, as well as all his outward and inward conduct, are disturbed by it.

We do not hear in the Holy Scripture the words: Woe to you, tax collector! Woe to you, harlot! Woe to you, robber! For the Lord received and showed mercy to all these people. But hypocrites He often rebuked and threatened with woes, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the Kingdom of Heaven before men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who wish to enter to do so” (Matthew 23:13). “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses and make long prayers under the pretense of piety; therefore you will receive a greater condemnation” (Matthew 23:14).

And again: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel over sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). These and many other woes the Savior pronounced against the scribes and Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the lawyers. None of the saints or philosophers of this world was able to expose the sin of hypocrisy and deceit more clearly than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who, being true God, looked into the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, and seeing these grave passions, rebuked them and threatened them with woes.

For this reason, the Holy Apostle Peter also urges all Christians to flee from deceit and hypocrisy (I Peter 2:1). The sin of hypocrisy leads many into heresy and error, and is not only an occasion of stumbling, but also of destruction for many. The great Apostle Paul showed that in the latter times many hypocrites and deceitful people would appear: “The Spirit speaks clearly, he says, that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars who are condemned in their own consciences” (I Timothy 4:1–2).

Into this category of hypocrites fall all heretics and all sectarians, who through hypocrisy, false humility, and a distorted faith deceive those who do not recognize their deceit and lies. Therefore, it is good for all the faithful and those who hold the true faith to flee from these venomous serpents, these deceitful hypocrites, who cunningly and hypocritically strive to deceive the innocent. These are wolves dressed in sheep's skins (Matthew 7:15–16), who through deceit and hypocrisy wish to deceive and destroy the rational sheep of Christ.

You can recognize people who are caught up in the sins of hypocrisy and deceit by these signs: “They honor God only with their lips” (Isaiah 29:13; Jeremiah 12:2); they do not do what they say (Matthew 23:3–4); hypocritical people are devout only in appearance (II Timothy 3:5); they care only for outward piety (Matthew 23:25). Hypocritical people are scrupulous only about small and insignificant matters (Matthew 23:23); they teach lies (Acts 20:30; I Timothy 4:2); they perform good deeds ostentatiously (Matthew 6:2); they fast and pray ostentatiously (Matthew 6:2–12). Hypocritical people say, “Lord, Lord,” but do not do the will of God (Matthew 7:21); they love the chief seats at gatherings (Matthew 23:6; Mark 12:38–39); they are blind to their own sins and harsh toward the sins of others (Luke 6:41–42; Romans 2:1–3); they “devour widows' houses,” as the Lord said (Matthew 23:14); they are wolves dressed in sheep's skins (Matthew 7:15); hypocrites use religion for the purpose of gain (Luke 20:47); they are zealous in winning proselytes (Matthew 23:15); they do not allow others to enter Heaven (Luke 11:52).

God considers hypocritical people an abomination (Isaiah 1:11–14); hypocritical people are known by their deeds (Matthew 7:15–20). God's punishment reaches hypocrites (Mark 12:40; Job 15:24). Hypocrites will appear especially in the latter times (I Timothy 4:2; II Timothy 3:5). We must flee from hypocritical people and distance ourselves from them (II Timothy 3:5–6).

Beloved faithful,

In conclusion, I will speak about the most deceitful and hypocritical man in the world, who surpassed all those before him in the wickedness of his deceit and hypocrisy. This was Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve Apostles, who became the betrayer of our Savior Jesus Christ. Satan entered this deceitful and hypocritical man (Luke 22:3) and worked through him to betray and bring about the destruction of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through this deceitful and hypocritical disciple, the Savior was handed over to torments, crucifixion, and death on the Cross (Matthew 27:33–37). In this Judas, “the son of perdition” (John 17:12), who would have been better off never having been born (Matthew 26:24), these most dreadful deeds of deceit and hypocrisy were united. This exceedingly deceitful and hypocritical disciple, in addition to the evils mentioned above, was also very sick with the love of money. And when Mary, the sister of Lazarus, in Bethany, washed the Savior's feet with pure and costly spikenard ointment and wiped them with the hair of her head (John 12:3), Judas caused Mary distress, saying that the ointment should have been sold and its price given to the poor.

Judas, deceitful and hypocritical, pretending to have pity on the poor, deceived those present, because he had no pity for the poor, but “because he was a thief, and having the purse, he took what was put into it” (John 12:5–6). O, deceit and hypocrisy! In appearance he showed himself to be merciful, but in his heart he had an insatiable love of money. In the same way, when he betrayed the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, he gave a sign to those who wished to seize the Lord, saying: “The One I kiss is He; seize Him” (Matthew 26:48). And immediately, coming to Jesus, he said: “Hail, Teacher!” And he kissed Him (Matthew 26:49). But the Savior said to him: “Friend, why have you come?” (Matthew 26:50). O, unheard-of deceit and hypocrisy on the part of the betrayer, and O, indescribable goodness on the part of the Savior! He knows everything in Judas's heart, He knows all his deceit and hypocrisy, yet He does not rebuke him or destroy him, but with a word full of gentleness asks him, saying: “Friend, why have you come?” (Matthew 26:50).

Do you see, my brothers, the deeds of Judas's deceit and hypocrisy? In his heart he has the betrayal and arrest of the Savior, while on his lips are the words, “Hail, Teacher!” and the deceitful kiss, as a sign to those who had come to seize the Lord. But our All-Good Savior says to him: Friend and My disciple, what wrong have I done to you, that you betray Me to the lawless? I made you an apostle. I made you a partaker of My Body and Blood (Mark 14:22–25). I gave you the grace and power to perform miracles, to cast out unclean spirits, to heal every kind of illness, and to raise the dead (Matthew 10:1–8). I also entrusted you with the common purse in order, in some way, to comfort your money-loving heart and your weakness (Luke 22:36), and yet now you, My disciple and My friend, who have been enriched by so many gifts and honors from Me, without any gratitude and without any mercy, hand Me over to death? Do you realize how much darkness, how much spiritual blindness, and how much ingratitude there is now in your heart? Why do you willingly make yourself a “son of perdition”? (John 17:22), when “I do not desire the death of the sinner” (Ezekiel 18:23; II Peter 3:9).

This is how far the deceitful, hypocritical, and money-loving man descends into spiritual darkness and deception.

I beg you, my brothers, to flee as you would flee death from the sin of deceit and hypocrisy, and let what you have in your heart be the same as what you have on your lips. Let us not be hypocritical in our deeds and words, so that we do not fall under the condemnation of Judas the betrayer. Raise your children in the fear of God, teaching them not to tell lies, to be obedient, and to love the Church, prayer, almsgiving, and the reading of holy books.

If we do this, we will be at peace both with God and with our neighbor, and we will have the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and our conscience. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.