Mark 12:38-44 Beware or Be Like
Good morning and welcome!
We are continuing our study in the Gospel of Mark this morning with chapter 12, verses 38-44, page 849 in the pew Bibles. Our text for this morning is the conclusion of chapter 12 and also the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry in the Temple.
It’s no mystery, I think, why Jesus concludes His time in the Temple, in the center of all things religious, in the Jewish national center of worship, with these statements regarding what true devotion to God looks like. It’s also no coincidence, in my opinion, that we are dealing with this idea when the attention of our culture right now is on the manger and the marketplace, focused on the Savior and on Santa.
Well, let’s look at our text and we’ll dive in.
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Let’s pray.
So here we have two apparent points made by Jesus to His disciples and the crowd gathered with them which are actually only one point, as every good sermon is…
First, Jesus starts with the Scribes. Beware of the Scribes. Now, He’s not warning His followers to keep a nightlight on when they go to bed because the scribes are going to come out from under the bed and get them while they’re sleeping. He’s warning His followers not to emulate their behavior.
And what characterized their behavior? Pride, greed, and hypocrisy.
The Scribes liked to walk around in long robes, regal robes, with long fringes, dressing in such a way as brought attention to them as important people, as religious leaders. They took the instruction of Deuteronomy 6:8 to put reminders of God’s commandments on their hands and as frontlets for their eyes to a whole new level.
In Matthew’s account of this teaching in Matthew 23, he quotes Jesus as saying, “They like to make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”
A phylactery was a strap wrapped around the left arm and another around the head as reminders of the words of Deuteronomy 6.
These were all outward adornments to make sure that people recognized them as important. Frank Zappa called it, “religimous costumery.” It was all a function of pride.
They dressed to look important, they loved the greetings of honor and distinction that they received around town, “oh, yes, hello rabbi, greetings teacher, and so on.”
John Calvin wrote, “The Scribes carried about with them the commandments of God more magnificently inscribed on their garments; and in this boasting there was displayed an offensive ambition.”
They always sat in the seats of honor at feasts and in the synagogue. Not like in church now where it seems the best seats are way in the back. They wanted to sit up front, they deserved to be at the head table because of their elevated status and honor. In the synagogue they would sit up front on the other side of the chest that held the Torah scrolls so that they were looking back at the congregation and everybody could see them and recognize their elevated-ness.
Not that any of you would, but if you’ve ever wondered why we don’t use these little deacon’s benches and put them up on the platform for me and the elders to sit on during the service. It’s not just because there isn’t any room up there, it’s because of this passage!
Beware of the Scribes, don’t be like them, because their lives are marked by pride.
Not only pride, but also greed.
Verse 40 says, “they devour widows’ houses…” Now this isn’t describing Cookie Monster in a gingerbread house village. These supposed religious leaders, men of influence, would use that influence to swindle poor widows in the name of devotion to God.
They exploited the generosity of those with limited means to feather their own nests.
The Scribes received no salary for being scribes, they had to have a trade to provide for their needs. Many of them applied the trade of swindling the vulnerable out of their own living and property convincing them that they were serving God by serving them.
Pride, greed, and hypocrisy were the marks of the Scribes. Verse 40 concludes with, “…and for a pretense make long prayers.”
It’s been said that the veil of hypocrisy is a transparent covering. The prayers of these hypocrites was nothing more than a religious show to entertain and impress the people. They chose to exalt themselves among men rather than enjoy the approval of God.
Do you think the Scribes were the first to display this attitude and behavior? They weren’t, Satan was.
Satan sought to exalt himself only to be brought low, to be cast out of heaven, and condemned.
This is the exact opposite of what Jesus did. He was exalted but humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant, a human, and became obedient to death, even death on a cross, for us.
Beware the Scribes, don’t be deceived by them, don’t imitate their conduct. Just as they were not the first to act in this way they are certainly not the last. This is the carrot that dangles in front of every teacher, every pastor, every leader. But like a worm on a hook, it’s a trap that has captured and destroyed the lives of so many that may have started out sincere but the allure of the bright lights and all the attention deceived them and they chose lives of pride, greed, and hypocrisy all in the name of the church.
Mark presents the other side of the coin, no pun intended, in verses 41-44.
41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
This area where Jesus sat down for some people watching, like you used to do at the mall, was in the area in the Temple called the “Court of Women” where the treasury was.
The offering box mentioned here was actually twelve different boxes where people could make free will offerings. What was unique about these boxes was, instead of slot to stuff your checks or dollar bills in the top of the box, there was a big metal trumpet shaped thing.
Also remember that the current currency was not paper nor PayPal, it was coins. So when you put your coins into the trumpet, or maybe more accurately, funnel, it made noise. And if you wanted, you could make quite a bit of noise depending on the size of your offering.
Now Jesus observed many people putting their offerings in the offering box, and you’ll notice, I hope, that He doesn’t condemn them for being rich, He doesn’t condemn them for the size of their offerings either.
Instead, Jesus chose to showcase the opposite attitude and behavior of the Scribes in the poor widow.
The poor widow put in two small copper coins, called leptas that equaled 1/64 of a denarius which was about a day’s wage for a laborer.
43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Instead of the pride, greed, and hypocrisy of the Scribes, this poor widow displayed humility, sincerity, and service.
It was not the amount that got Jesus’ attention, it was the intent.
This is best illustrated by Alistair Begg’s fable of the chicken and the pig.
A chicken and a pig decide to go into business together. The pig asks the chicken, “What sort of business shall we go into?” The chicken replies, “The bacon and eggs business of course!” To which the pig replies, “Now wait a minute! That business only means contribution for you, but it means sacrifice for me!”
The widow’s offering was made in humility, after all, two leptas would hardly make any noise going into that trumpet. Her offering showed her sincerity, her true devotion to God because she gave all she had to live on. One of those leptas would have bought her loaf of bread but she chose to give them both, all she had to live on.
But the poor widow’s offering was also an example of service. These offering boxes were not to collect the Temple tax that was due annually, and her two leptas wouldn’t cover that anyway. Her offering was a free will offering for the service of the Temple.
These two small coins, all the poor widow had to live on, were given freely, an act of service, an act of worship.
“The rich gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” And in that way she followed the Way of Christ, the way of humility, sincerity, and service.
The Scribes, in their pride, greed, and hypocrisy, chose to exalt themselves before men, but the poor widow, in her humility, sincerity, and service enjoyed the approval of the Lord.
Let’s be more like her and so be more like Jesus the ultimate humble, sincere, servant who gave His life as a ransom for us all.
Amen.
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