False Hoods

Bible Reading: Matthew 23:25-28

“Dad, what’s a falsehood?” asked Willow as she plunked herself into a chair beside her father.

“A falsehood? Well, a falsehood is a lie.”

“That’s what I thought,” Willow said. “It’s a funny word. Why would a lie be called a falsehood?”

“I’m not sure,” said Dad, “but one explanation I’ve heard is that it comes from a time hundreds of years ago when, instead of coats, people wore cloaks with hoods.”

“Like Little Red Riding Hood?” asked Willow.

Dad smiled. “Sort of. A person such as a doctor or lawyer—or whatever profession—wore a certain type and color of hood.”

“Then if you saw him, you would know what he was because of the kind of hood he wore?” asked Willow.

“Yes, and that’s where the falsehood comes in,” Dad replied. “Some dishonest people would go to a town where they weren’t known, wear a hood they hadn’t earned, and set up a practice. They were living a lie. They were wearing a false hood.”

Willow nodded. “I can see how the word came to mean a lie.”

“Yes,” said Dad, “and I think it’s still a good word to describe people who pretend to be something they’re not.”

“Like some kids I know, who act one way at school and then pretend to be such good Christians on Sunday,” Willow said. “It’s like they’re hiding under a false hood.”

“That could be true,” said Dad, “but we can’t see their hearts, so let’s be careful not to put on the hood of a judge. Let’s leave the judging to God. Instead, we need to look at our own hearts and be sure we’re not living a lie. We need to be honest—before God and others.”

Willow nodded. “I will,” she said. “I don’t want to wear a false hood.” Agnes Livezey

How About You?

Are you wearing a false hood—pretending to be something you’re not? Many of the scribes and Pharisees described in the Bible were like that. Are you? When you’re with Christians, do you pretend to be a Christian too? They can’t see what’s in your heart—what you really believe—but God can. You can’t fool Him, so don’t wear a false hood any longer. Put your trust in Jesus today. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Don’t pretend to be a Christian