Dean Smith was a great basketball coach at North Carolina who was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year for 1997. He was asked what issues on campus most engaged him. Dean was quick to mention the alcohol problem. “Drinking is a huge social problem,” he said. Then he proceeded to point out the hypocrisy of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was intending to fight drugs with TV revenue gained largely from beer advertising! “It’s hypocritical for a college conference to have student-athletes tell young people they should say ‘no’ to drugs when we say ‘yes’ to beer ads. They have great ads, but alcohol and alcohol-related incidents are a leading cause of death in the U.S. for people 25 and under,” he said.

Matthew 23 – Say “Yes” to God

Dean Smith’s words about the ACC agree with Jesus’ words about the hypocritical teachers of the law and the Pharisees. They did not do what they preached. This has to be the classic definition of “hypocrite.” Jesus taught the crowds and His disciples to obey their words, for they sat in Moses’ seat (a raised platform in the synagogue) to read scripture and pray. But He warned them not to follow their hypocritical examples.

Jesus called out prideful scribes and Pharisees whose lives were far from true godliness and pure religion. They put on religious theatrics to impress people (23:5). Leadership positions should not be the goal in and of themselves. The New Testament established leadership roles in the church to equip them for the work of service (Eph. 4:11-12).

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete model integrity and avoid hypocrisy by humbling themselves before the Lord and obeying His commandments.

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR to Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

Bible Memory Verse – “And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:32

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