Hypocrisy and Motive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Jesus condemns hypocrisy, argues Oliver O'Donovan (Desire of Nations, 109\u201310), He is speaking of conformity to \u201cpublic expectation.\u201d O'Donovan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leithart\/2017\/04\/hypocrisy-and-motive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hypocrisy and Motive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Jesus condemns hypocrisy, argues Oliver O'Donovan (Desire of Nations, 109\u201310), He is speaking of conformity to \u201cpublic expectation.\u201d O'Donovan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leithart\/2017\/04\/hypocrisy-and-motive\/\" \/>\n<meta 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{"id":18800,"date":"2017-04-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leithart.level2d.com\/?p=523"},"modified":"2017-04-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:00:00","slug":"hypocrisy-and-motive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leithart\/2017\/04\/hypocrisy-and-motive\/","title":{"rendered":"Hypocrisy and Motive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

W<\/span>hen Jesus condemns hypocrisy, argues Oliver O\u2019Donovan (Desire of Nations<\/em><\/a>, 109\u201310), He is speaking of conformity to \u201cpublic expectation.\u201d O\u2019Donovan suggests that the sense is captured by the word \u201cperformance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus is not speaking of motives in the modern sense of the word: \u201cA motive, as we use the term, is a reason for doing a particular act located within the purposes of the agent. To understand the inner purpose from which an act arose, it appears, is both to grasp the truest meaning of that act (what it \u2018really\u2019 intended) and to simplify the task of passing judgment upon it.\u201d For us, \u201cthe goodness or badness of the motive,\u201d which doesn\u2019t necessarily correspond to the good or badness of the act itself, \u201calways trumps [the act] in the final evaluation. An evil deed done from a good motive is, at worst, well meant; while a good deed done from a bad motive displays the worst of all evils, hypocrisy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus does speak of hidden dimensions of our actions, but He doesn\u2019t share our idea of motive. O\u2019Donovan says that Jesus refers instead to the heart as \u201cthe ultimate disposition of the self, the attitude which finds expression in our acts. It is an attribute of the agent, not of particular acts; but it is known, over time, through the agents acts.\u201d On the other hand, Jesus sometimes refer to \u201cprivate acts<\/em> that are not open to public inquiry and judgment: secrets which are whispered, angry words that are muttered. lies told when the speaker is not under oath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither of these corresponds to our idea of motive. Quite the opposite: Jesus \u201cchallenges any reading [of the law] which, expressly or by implication, excludes unjusticiable attitudes and acts from consideration.\u201d For Jesus, good motives can\u2019t excuse or soften evil acts, nor are the attitudes of the heart completely hidden from view, at least not in the long run. \u201cBy their fruits you shall know them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"