Hypocrisy

I know that Jesus reserved his worst condemnation for hypocrites, and I see the sense of that for those who have stopped moving because they believe they are already fine.  But isn't it actually a good starting point, or even half-way point? Lewis would say that a wrong attitude goes to the root, and beginning from a false premise means that you will have to eventually unravel the whole blanket eventually, so why not start with purity, however small?  But in terms of behavior, of making an attempt to be better than you feel like being, isn't pretending to be calm better than anger?  Isn't fastidiousness better than lust?

The Pharisees specialised in loopholes.  They knew the law of not walking far from home on Sabbath must be obeyed, so they created an exception that if you had previously put a loaf of bread, a candle, and (I think) salt in one place less than 2,000 cubits from your own house, you could call that a house and walk a further 2,000 cubits. (Orthodox rabbis define this differently now, in  terms of "beyond the city limits" with definitions of where the limits were as well, but it is the same principle.) It was this violating the spirit of the law while technically (very technically) observing it that he regarded as among the greatest of spiritual dangers. Yet isn't it better to start the training by limiting one's steps in any way at all?

I hope so.  In practical experience sometimes hypocrisy is the best I can manage, and I pray to be at least willing to do that.