A FUNNY MEMORY ABOUT HYPOCRISY

When I was a child growing up just outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania, our neighborhood was known for having a ferocious dog named King. King was chained, to be sure, but the kids in the area were deathly afraid of him. He would lunge at us and go absolutely insane with fury whenever any of us came within twenty feet of his doghouse. "Stay away from King," the older kids would say, "he hates everything. He's the meanest dog in the world."

Imagine my surprsie one hot and quiet rural summer afternoon whenever I peeked out of our living room window and saw King lying placidly while scores of boards - and I do mean dozens of birds - hopped around his area. Two of them drank from his bowl. Three of them perched on his house and chatted. While numerous birds casually ambled about in front of him (within mere inches of those famous jaws!) one actually sat on his back!

I was dumbfounded. This is the King we all feared? As I tried to fathom the change I was witnessing, a screen door slammed nearby; his owner was coming out of the house.

Immediately King was up and barking, snapping at the birds around him who were barely escaping with their lives. Then I realized that Kind was a big old fake. He knew what was expected of him; he was to appear ferocious. It wasn't his nature at all; he simply knew when and where to put on the act.

Whenever I encounter a Christian who is putting on a show for the sake of reputation or respectability, I'm reminded of the great hypocrite of our neighborhood, King.


Jam 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.