(Disclaimer: For the purposes of this post, I will be making an analogy between a vegetarian hypocrite and a Christian hypocrite. I in no way mean to imply that vegetarianism equates to Christianity, or that carnivores are carnal. I am merely trying to draw a parallel between those who are inconsistent in beliefs and behavior.)
I heard about a new kind of sandwich the other day that truly intrigues me. It is served by a burger joint called “Fatburgers”, and is apparently a frequently requested order by some of the regulars. The main two components of the sandwich are a veggie-based burger and . . . bacon. That’s right, bacon! It is no wonder the sandwich is affectionately dubbed “The Hypocrite” by all who order it.
Upon hearing about this new concoction in the burger world, I was incredulous! Why would someone bother ordering a meatless burger patty if they were going to ultimately top it with greasy bacon? It seemed to me that if one were planning on consuming pork strips anyway, why not go ahead and order a fat-laden red meat burger to go under them? “The “Hypocrite” burger was obviously being marketed specifically to vegetarians with an identity crisis. And then it dawned on me that this is how God must see our “hypocrite” souls as well. Allow me to elaborate.
According to the dictionary, a hypocrite is a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion, or a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. The way I see it, the vegetarian who orders bacon on top of their meatless burger is probably doing so for one of two reasons. One, he is not fully decided or committed to vegetarianism because he or she is not fully convinced that it is the best way to live. Or two, the person absolutely believes that vegetarianism is the best way to live and is having a temporary lapse of resolve. As odd as ordering a bacon-topped veggie burger may seem, it is not all that different from the Christian hypocrite – that is, professors of Christ with who have an identity crisis much like the bacon-ordering vegetarian. We as Christians proclaim this and that, declaring all manner of standards and guidelines publicly, only to fall seriously short of those standards in our private thoughts and actions. This inconsistency is repulsive to our Lord in several ways.
The first kind of inconsistency is more about the person that has trouble making up their mind about the right way to live. (i.e. the person who hasn’t decided if they want to fully embrace vegetarianism or not. . . not unlike the man who has not fully made up his mind about the path to be taken). This reminds me of a couple of passages from scripture. The first one speaks of the double-minded man:
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (James 1:2-8).
So the double-minded man is one who can not make up his mind or fully commit with all of his heart. Hmmm . . . Bacon or no bacon? Do I really want to be a vegetarian? Or, similarly, should I fully commit to Christ and live accordingly or not? The double- minded man is a doubter who struggles with full-blown commitment and will often appear inconsistent to those around him. God has a special category for these types of followers. These type of people are the “Lukewarm Fence Straddlers”:
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot.
16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24
Because the double-minded man is indecisive, he tries to have one foot on God’s side of the fence while keeping one foot grounded in the carnal world. Or, to keep the analogy going, he orders bacon on his veggieburger
The second kind of inconsistency is the darker of the two, in my opinion. This kind of wavering is specifically about the person who wholly knows the right thing to do, and often tells others, while secretly not following through on their own convictions. (i.e. the person who has unreservedly decided to declare vegetarianism as law, and loudly proclaim it to all, but orders bacon on their veggie-burger when they think no one who knows them is watching).
God wants us to be people of integrity – people whose private thoughts and actions must be congruent with what we are teaching and preaching to others. Jesus’ main beef (isn’t that a convenient twist on words?) with the Pharisees was the gap between who they claimed to be and who they actually were. The key here is that the Pharisees were condemning others of shortcomings while privately sinning themselves:
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5 KJV)
The purpose of this post is not to scream “Hypocrite!” at any of you. Nor is it to convince anyone to become a vegetarian (which I am not). When I heard about “The Hypocrite” burger at “Fatburgers” it called my attention to the meaning of the word itself and caused me to reflect on the areas of hypocrisy that rule my life. I encourage each of you to do the same. Are there any areas in your life that you are double-minded or straddling the fence about? Or, are there areas that you are completely decided about and yet willfully violating God’s word and commandments in your life?
5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)
31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32)
As for Fatburgers, I predict no trouble with double-mindedness on my next visit. I have already decided what my order will be. No veggie burgers with sprouts for me. Give me an extra juicy double cheeseburger. With bacon, please!
