A long time ago, I had a job as a waiter at a fine dining establishment.  The first day on the job, the restaurant management had an older, very experienced waitress train me.  I was to follow her around, watching what she did and, basically, "shadow her" by carefully observing and copying her actions and style.  Now this woman was rather shrewd, brazen, manipulative, and didn't cotton much to anyone telling her what to do as long as she did her job.  She smoked and, at the place near the kitchen where the orders were turned in, she had surreptitiously hidden an ashtray so she could light up whenever she wanted to without the management having a clue-which was quite often.  Even I knew this was an area off limits to sneaking a smoke right around the corner from the clientele and so I made the mistake of inquiring about the kosherness of her action.  She looked at me and snarled out a phrase I hadn't heard up to then but I've since never forgotten: "Do as I say, don't do as I do!"

Jesus frequently warns about actions not matching appearances.  He often
criticizes the religious leaders of his time for saying one thing concerning the righteousness one ought to have towards God and God's people but then acting in a contradictory fashion out of pure self-interest.  Presidential candidates would do well to study Jesus as an ideal for leading and motivating people.  But then again, who would really elect a candidate that insisted on loving one's enemy, turning the other cheek, and forgiving "seventy times seven"?  And what about that "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" thing?  Forget that, Jesus.  Don't ask me to sacrifice my tax cut.

 

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

 

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.