Jesus Exposed Fraudulent Faith

What Did Jesus Do?

But Diotrephes does not acknowledge our authority.
So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing.
3 John 9-10

The last thing a masquerader wants is to be exposed, to have someone who sees behind or through, their mask, to reveal what they would prefer remain hidden. Posers typically have an agenda, a motive for keeping up the charade, and it is always a self-serving one. People just don’t commit fraud for the fun of it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how we respond to having the mask removed, Jesus exposes fraudulent faith.

In Jesus’ day there were no bigger frauds than the scribes and Pharisees upon whom Christ pronounced the seven “woes” in Matthew 23 (vv. 1-36). To all outward appearances, the gang whose masks Jesus saw through liked to pose as the most pious of their generation. Masked behind a façade of holiness, and cloaked in self-righteousness, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees loved their own ideas of God more than they loved God himself, and loved themselves much more than they loved their neighbors. But the life of faith is not some kind of costume ball where we can get away pretending to be someone or something we are not. It may be acceptable for comic book heroes to assume alter egos, and to disguise themselves behind a something other than who they truly are persona, but it does not work for one who would follow Jesus.

Granted, when Christ comes and confronts our infidelities and our insincerities, when he removes the mask and exposes who we really are, both to ourselves and the world, it is painful. But, in an instant, the Lord gives to us a whole new identity, and this is no mere cosmetic makeover, for in Christ we are reborn. Sadly, there are Christian frauds today, just as well as Pharisaical frauds at the time of Jesus. Christian posers put on what is no better than false face for the world to see. Sooner or later, however, Christ will reveal all, even the posers, though it may come too late for their salvation (see Matthew 7:21-23).

Now John the apostle had witnessed the exposing of the scribes and Pharisees, and had heard the Lord pronounce the seven woes over them. So, how do you think the apostle dealt with the fraudulent faith of Christians? That’s right, he exposed them. A case in point is Diotrephes, whom John singled out in verses 9 and 10 of his Third Letter. Where Jesus humbled himself (see Philippians 2:5-8), Diotrephes “put himself first.” (3 John 8) Where followers of Jesus were called to extend a genuine, gracious, even sacrificial, welcome to other believers (Romans 15:7), Diotrephes both refused to welcome gospel workers, and made life, well, hell, for those who would (3 John 10). The bottom line is, fraudulent faith is simply too pernicious to be permitted to carry on its masquerade.

But before we all go out and march up to someone who we are sure is a poser, a Christian fraud, there is one thing we must do—stand in front of the nearest mirror, and take a good look at the one who is looking back at us. If we see any sign of sham or charade going on, if, looking closely and carefully at the face in the mirror, we detect a mask of some kind, STOP! We must not even think about exposing the Diotrephes in another until the Diotrepehes in us is revealed, and confessed, both to God, and to those whom we have been deceiving. And, if we have trouble looking closely at the mirror, then we must turn our face toward the Lord, and ask him to do the revealing, trusting that he will expose any fraudulent faith in us.

Nothing subverts Christian fellowship more swiftly and surely than reducing it to a game of charades. Nothing undermines our relationship with other believers more than self-serving posturing, even a posture of humility if it is insincere. Conversely, there’s nothing that would more encourage another to get out from behind his or her mask than for us to remove our own in front of them. The good news is, as Jesus, the Son, exposes fraudulent faith in us, true faith is permitted to flourish, to the glory of the Father.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4