Jul 21, 2025
A religious hypocrite may not act on a literal stage, but he does put on a show before God and man.
In ancient Greek theater, a hypocrite was an actor—someone who wore a mask and stepped into a role, performing not as himself, but as another. It was a term used to describe a performer skilled in his craft. But the word moved beyond stage plays and came to describe anyone who pretended to be something he was not. In the Bible, it became a strong word of rebuke—most memorably from Jesus, who denounced those who outwardly appeared religious but were inwardly filled with corruption. A religious hypocrite may not act on a literal stage, but he does put on a show before God and man.
