A special word about “the hypocrites” is required here. It is a term used by Jesus alone in the New Testament, and he uses it seventeen times. The term hypocrite in classical Greek primarily refers to an actor, such as one sees on the stage, but it came to refer also to anyone who practices deceit. It is clear from the literary records that it was Jesus alone who brought this term and the corresponding character into the moral vocabulary of the Western world.1 He did so because of his unique emphasis upon the moral significance of the inmost heart before God. As we are creative beings, our
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