The Weight of the Leaden Mask: What Jesus Really Meant by "Hypocrite"

The irony of every hypocrite is that they are judged by the weight of their own “best judgment.”

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When Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites, it may sound like judgment, but it is more an acknowledgment of the suffering they are going through—by their own choice. In ancient Greece, the word hypocrisy referred to an actor—someone who hides behind a mask.

The prefix hypo- means “under,” and krinein means “to judge” (as in kritikos). In oth…