My church’s Senior Pastor gave a most interesting sermon this morning (6 March 22). It started with Orthopedic, then St Paul chastising St Peter of being a hypocrite, and finally the French Riviera. What is the connection?
Orthopedic
I just learnt from my pastor that the word orthopedic has its origin in being able to walk straight. Initially, Orthopedics was the treatment of childhood spinal deformities such as polio and scoliosis. Modern Orthopedics as we know it has grown to encompass the branch of medicine dealing with the correction of deformities of bones or muscles of all age groups.
Hypocrisy

Not walking straight can be metaphorically described as being a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case. My research showed that hypocrite is from the Greek word hypokrite which means an actor or a stage player. Actors in Ancient Greek theatre wore large masks to mark which character they were playing. The extended meaning refers to a person wearing a figurative mask and pretending to be someone they are not.
Pastor Rodney said that hypocrisy needs an audience. So true. If no one is looking, you don’t have to pretend to be someone or something you are not.

St Peter
Now comes the biblical part. In Galatians 2:11-14, St Paul accused St Peter of being a hypocrite, because though a Jew, he dined with Gentiles which was forbidden. Peter quickly removed himself when other Jews were present, fearing criticism. In other words, St Peter was a hypocrite, not behaving like a Jew, yet expecting Gentiles to live like Jews.
French Riviera
Pastor Rodney then gave the imagery of a modern day hypocrite as seen on the French Riviera. As apartments with balconies were more valued than those without balconies, some people actually painted a balcony on the external wall, decorated with hanging wet laundry!
I won’t forget this sermon!
Pastor Rodney Woo is Senior Pastor of International Baptist Church Singapore.