By Stephen Ojapah MSP
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. (Mathew 23:13-22).
This particular passage where Jesus continues to be hard on the Pharisees extends to verses 33. Jesus sees the hypocrisy of the Pharisees as something that is unacceptable in normal human behavior. He accuses them of over religiosity that seems to have no face for humanity and compassion. There were a number of important points raised by Jesus in that passage. First, the temptation of setting ourselves as judges of others, locking people out of the kingdom of heaven. For the Pharisees, they hold the keys to God’s Kingdom, it is only when they open that you can enter; this arrogance is still prevalent in our religiously charged country Nigeria. We see this hypocrisy towards certain people who are in difficult situations, for example; the divorced and remarried, former prisoners, sex offenders, drug addicts. Very often our hypocrisy, decides for others who is right and wrong, who deserves to see God and who does not.
Secondly Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of rationalizing their selfishness by appealing to a higher law, even the law of God himself. Probably the only people who managed to disturb Jesus deeply and make him utter really hard words were those he considered hypocrites, those who were more interested in the outer appearance than in the inner value. There are Churches who would not wed a couple who appear for marriage with pregnancy, but if the lady aborts the pregnancy after realizing she has taken in, the Church will bless the marriage. These are Churches who are really after outer appearances that real human value. How easy it is to use religion and religious discourse to dominate and manipulate others! We see it happen under our own eyes all the time. Many have used and still use religion to justify all sorts of actions and attitudes that are clearly contrary to what religion stands for.
Thirdly, Hypocrites were originally actors who wore masks. Thus the term came to mean deceptive persons who pretend to be something that they are not, or those who are ostentatious and pretentious. Jesus tries to strip away all the disguises and facades that we employ. He himself had none: he is open, truthful, genuine, which is why the people loved him “for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:29). This is a big indictment to all of us, both religious leaders and the led. Muslims and Christians alike. And it’s always very important to meditatively ask the Lord, how do I come across to others: how genuine am I? I speak about loving others, but do my actions correspond? Do I fuss unnecessarily about details, including, perhaps, rubrics? Am I shallow, unfocussed, waiting for something to happen rather than living out the life of grace to the full? Do I fixate on the flaws of others and de-energize those who are trying their best? Lord, reveal to me my hidden faults and heal me. Amen. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for speaking about what is unknown to them. There would be much silence if people spoke only about what they knew about! When it comes to faith, many people speak about what is in their heads. Jesus continues his seven-fold condemnation of bad leaders. He wants people to be free, whereas bad leaders have a disastrous impact on those they are meant to serve.
Like the religiosity of the Pharisees, there are many who have assume the position of gatekeepers of God, they hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Centuries ago, the Catholic Church use to teach that extra Ecclesiam nulla salus which means “outside the Church there is no salvation”. This expression comes from the writings of St Cyprian of Carthage, a bishop of the third century. The axiom is often used as shorthand for the doctrine that the Church is necessary for salvation. With deep reflections, and new insights to things, the Catholic Church has updated that school of thought with the teachings of Vatican II. For such modern day gatekeepers of heaven, outwards show and appearance is what defines them especially for a country like Nigeria that claims to be religious. Now we need to pause and ask very pertinent questions about religion, inclusiveness and hypocrisy in Nigeria, by our politicians, traditional rulers and religious leaders.
This week, there are two prominent guests speakers on AIT and Channels Televisions that have raised very important questions about religious hypocrisy in Nigeria. The first one is Majeed Dahiru and Commodore Olakunle Olawunmi. Majeed Dahiru is a newspaper columnist and a Muslim who posit that, the fight against Boko Haram is ideological and which must be rolled back ideologically. The intention and position of these Boko Haram fundamentalists, is to create an Islamic Caliphate in a democratic and secular Nigeria. Majeed said, what they seek to impose on innocent citizens in Borno State illegally has found legitimacy and acceptance with the practices of Hisbah in Kano. Hisbah, is arresting people in Kano for “indecent” dressing, consumption of alcohol, and even the display of mannequins or dummies for clothes. There are hundreds of lawsuits in Kano against Hisbah for violating citizens’ privacy in a hotel, some are even couples on vacation. As a country, we must ask very fundamental questions about religion, and the hypocrisy that goes with it. As its concerns religious bigotry and Islamic separatist mentality, Buhari and the Muslim Ummah he said are in the best position to lead that conversion.
The second person that raised very important question about religion this week also is Commodore Olakunle Olawunmi (A military intelligence veteran with 35 years experience). Olakunle said very thorny issues, alleging that some Governors, Senators, and even high ranking members of the Presidency are culpable with the issues of Boko Haram and armed Terrorism in the form of Banditry. According to him he has interrogated very high ranking members of this government between 2007 and 2008, they were found culpable and were left off the hook. For me, this are grave allegations. But we cannot just wish it away, these are realities that must be confronted, if we truly love this country. What role shall we allow religion to play in our national life? How does another man’s practice of religion impedes on my own? Why do we create a world that allows religion to divide us? If we are not sincere with these and many other questions on religion, we will end up as religious hypocrites in Nigeria.
Fr Stephen Ojapah is a priest of the Missionary Society of St Paul. He is equally the director for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, a member of IDFP. He is also a KAICIID Fellow. (omeizaojapah85@gmail.com)
