You’re probably familiar with the common symbol for live theater, namely a set of two masks, one smiling and one frowning, which represent the two traditional kinds of plays: comedy and tragedy.
A certain non-artist I know personally might depict the faces like this:
This symbolism actually goes back a long way to the theaters of the ancient Greeks, where the actors wore large masks to play their characters. It was a good way for the audience to identify the identities and natures of the characters, and allowed one actor to play multiple parts as needed. It worked well in the large amphitheaters of the day – and besides, as an actor, you wouldn’t need make-up!
Since the actors spoke their lines while under their masks, the Greek word for actor became hypokrites, literally, one who speaks or interprets from underneath. From that usage we get the word, “hypocrite,” referring to one who portrays a false image while acting differently. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a hypocrite is “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” They are speaking from “under the mask” that they wear publicly. In churchy terms, “they don’t practice what they preach.”
This idea of speaking “under the mask” came to mind the other day as I ran several errands, each of which required that I slip on my face mask before entering the various stores. I think it was when I went into my bank and wondered whether the tellers would recognize me – or call the police on the unknown “masked man” coming to their window. Fortunately, I was making a deposit, so I think their guard was down. Making a withdrawal might have sparked a different response . . .
Yes, I thought about how we are all “under the mask” and have been so now for over a year. I thought about how the mask mandates have affected our society beyond the nuisance factor (how many times have I been halfway to a store entrance, only to realize I had forgotten my mask in the car – and had to go back and get it!). To what extent has it distanced us socially and emotionally from each other? From friends, or from people we should have gotten to know? And what about people we do business with – or worship with? And has it been an impetus to crime for some people, as is visible in riots where those who act violently cover their faces to hide their identities?
How differently do we act now from when we wore no masks?
But even in the “olden days” when we only wore face coverings when playing as a baseball catcher, a hockey goalie, or a bank robber, we sometimes wore a different kind of mask: facial expressions and demeanors that hid our true feelings and thoughts from others. We would smile and say we’re fine even though we hurt or were sad. We “kept a stiff upper lip” and did our best not to “let them see you sweat.”* We hid our grief so as not to seem weak, and our tears were those “of a clown when no one’s around.”** And how many times have we smiled at someone when we just didn’t feel like it?
And then there’s the real, hypocritical type of image, when we actively try to deceive others by portraying a false face that we think will win their favor or approval. Some prime examples of this are the politicians who spout the right things to get elected, but then don’t follow through on their promises; televangelists who portray themselves as godly, righteous servants, but behind the scenes are active in financial and sexual scandals; or the young man who promises his date that he “will respect her in the morning.”
The Bible warns us about such frauds when it comes to our faith. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
But what about the rest of us? How often do we adopt certain looks or postures, or say certain things, that are contrary to what we really mean or intend, just to gain some advantage in a relationship or public persona? For those who are active in social media (bloggers excluded), are your profile photos and posts real? Or are you texting and posting “under the mask” in order to appear more attractive or competent than you feel?
And what about our participation in church? Are we fully honest in what we say and how we act, or are we putting on a show to look more holy and righteous than we really are? Are we like the phony religious leaders whom Jesus criticized in Matthew 23:27, when he said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” Ouch! They paraded around like righteous saints, but Jesus revealed them for the sinners they were.
At least fifteen times, Jesus blasted the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, including in his introduction to the Lord’s Prayer, when he said, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:5). But, he made his most severe pronouncement when he spoke of the coming judgment, when the Lord would take a wicked servant “and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:51).
Hypocrisy does no good with God, because to him, there is no mask. He can see right through our false faces and attitudes into our hearts. There he sees the truth about us, all the sin, all the corruption, all the lies we have so carefully crafted to look good in other people’s eyes. Isaiah speaks of the Messiah when he says, “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear” (Isaiah 11:3). God is not fooled by our outward show or our “whitewashed tombs”; he is not deceived or mocked (Galatians 6:7).
In our social interactions, there is a place for physical masks, whether to protect people from communicable diseases or lessen people’s anxieties about catching such illnesses. There is also a place for masking our true thoughts to protect others’ feelings, or to open up opportunities for positive social relationships. But let us be careful to never be hypocrites, using false facial masks to deceive and harm others. And let us never even try to mask ourselves to God, for he knows us fully and loves us anyway, even though he can see “under the mask.”
May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Read: Isaiah 11:2-4; Matthew 24:36-51;
- *From Gillette Dry Idea deodorant commercial, June 1984.
- **From Tears of a Clown, 1967 by Smokey Robinson, hit single in 1970.