“Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” (John 12:6)

It doesn’t take long in the New Testament for us to find corruption in the church: the first church hypocrite; the first church treasurer embezzler, the first critic of other people’s worship — was right in Jesus’ own inner circle, in the person of Judas here in John 12. And in the early church, they were right there as well: the first complainers appeared in Acts 6 regarding the feeding of the widows; and the hypocrites Ananias & Sapphira, were right there early on too, in Acts 5.

It seems the Lord is saying to us: don’t be surprised, as if hypocrites, compromisers, and critics, are something “new” in your day. No, they have been in the church all along, and they will be present among us until Jesus returns. Don’t be surprised. Deal with them with patience, understanding, and firmness and discipline as needed. But know that it is part and parcel of a church that exists in an imperfect world. Hypocrisy was manifest right there in Jesus’ own inner circle — so don’t be shocked when it manifests itself in YOUR own church as well