Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38–40 (HCSB)

38 He also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes, and who want greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the front seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”

The Heavenly Worship of God on Earth

The Temple was the primary location of worship of God.

The temple mimicked the throneroom of heaven.

“Every sanctuary (Noah’s ark, the tabernacle, the temple, Ezekiel’s temple, new Jerusalem) is a microcosm, a world-model. The church is the new covenant sanctuary. Therefore, she portrays and anticipates the world as it ought to be, setting a pattern for the nations.” - Peter Leithart

And what do we find in it?

Faithless men.

Lovers of money.

Men who take advantage of others for their own gain.

This place is supposed to be a model of the real world.

A picture of the future.

Mark 11:17 HCSB

17 Then He began to teach them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”

A warning against false worship

Long Robes

Greetings

Seats of Honor

Devour widows houses

These guys work for pay.

And they’re certainly not going to give a widow a break.

They should have known better, these experts in the law.

Exodus 22:22 HCSB

22 “You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

Psalm 146:9 HCSB

9 The Lord protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Say long prayers

All of this pride and wickedness is covered over by the impressiveness of their long prayers.

They’re the people who have all the impressive theology, and they’ve read all the books, but in every other aspect of their life, they are dead.

Have you ever met someone like this?

This has killed the faith of many children.

Who have fathers who live in full on rebellion to God, but lead a nice prayer at dinnertime.

Who show up on Sunday and pretend that all is well instead of modeling repentance for those who live in their house.

If you’re living this way, Fathers, embrace repentance, or you will shipwreck your children’s faith.

The same is true of pastors.

It is devastating for a church to learn of a great hidden sin that their pastor held on to.

It causes everyone who sat under their care to second guess everything they have said.

This is why Jesus warns of a stricter punishment.

Harsher Punishment

Mark: An Introduction and Commentary viii. The Warning against the Scribes (12:38–40)

The widow and orphan should above all others have been the objects of their compassion and prayer because they are the objects of God’s special concern (Exod. 22:22; Ps. 146:9) and instead, they robbed them. It is precisely because they pray, that their condemnation will be the more terrible, more than that of a rogue who robs outright without pretence of prayer or religion.

It seems that Jesus’ strongest words and punishment is for people who know better.

And not only people who know better but people who’s job it is to protect, provide, and proclaim God.

Kings

Pastors

Fathers

Scripture holds these three categories of people to a high standard by nature of their authority.

And the warnings are strong.

Some of us need to wrestle with the fact that Jesus talks like this.

Jesus is not a sweet man who only says things to stroke the egos of those who approach him.

No.

In fact, when Jesus encounters the prideful, who do their evil deeds in the name of God, this is when the gloves come off.

Jesus is divorcing from these scribes.

There is a profound separation occuring and an encouragement for everyone else to do the same.

The Expositor’s Bible, Volume 4: Jeremiah to Mark David’s Lord (Mark 12:35–40) (R. V.)

It is a tremendous impeachment. None is entitled to speak as Jesus did, who is unable to read hearts as He did. And yet we may learn from it that mere softness is not the meekness He demands, and that, when sinister motives are beyond doubt, the spirit of Jesus is the spirit of burning.

There is an indulgence for the wrongdoer which is mere feebleness and half compliance, and which shares in the guilt of Eli. And there is a dreadful anger which sins not, the wrath of the Lamb.

When seeking to be like Jesus, we need to be willing to call a spade a spade.

Especially when their are people getting hurt because no one will open their mouth.

Abuses of people always occur much easier when those who are in a position to speak and say something, don’t.

In this case, Jesus is in the ultimate position to speak and say something,

and aren’t always,

but the first step to becoming people who speak out against injustice is to become well acquainted with the voice of our own shepherd.

If you don’t know how Jesus talks, then when you open your mouth in His name, you won’t sound like Him.

These have been Jesus’ words for the prideful.

What are His words for the soft hearted person?

A picture of faithful worship

Mark 12:41–44 HCSB

41 Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed —all she had to live on.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume Mark 12:41–44

Note, Our Lord Jesus takes notice of what we contribute to pious and charitable uses; whether we give liberally or sparingly; whether cheerfully or with reluctance and ill-will; nay, he looks at the heart; he observes what principles we act upon, and what our views are, in giving alms; and whether we do it as unto the Lord, or only to be seen of men.

A little widow, walking slowly to the treasury.

Two lepta.

The smallest coin available.

She dropped two pennies.

The Church Today:

The church is the place that mimics the throne room of heaven now.

This is why we worship in a particular way.

The trap that we can fall in is to have all the outward trappings of true worship but be dead inside.

Story of

Long Robes today:

Preachers in sneakers

Greetings in the marketplace today:

To be respected by the rest of the world.

Pastors in America have a chronic problem with desiring to be in the good graces of favor of the surrounding culture.

This is a cancer.

When we set the culture as our plumb line for faithfulness we will become un-faithful people.

When we set Jesus as our plumbline, we will be faithful.

Seats of honor today:

James 2:1–4 HCSB

1 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Devouring widows houses today:

Televangelists.

Exported to the rest of the world.

Particularly in Africa

Mega church phenomenon-

Incompatible with the required attentiveness for the poor.

If your church has become so big and program driven that a widow in need can slip in and out unnoticed, your church is too big.

Faithfulness today:

Story from John about meeting with the woman in hospice.

James 1:27 HCSB

27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Our worship each Sunday, from the speaking of the triune name at the beginning, to the benediction at the end, is communicating something,

Our gathering is reflecting heavenly realities where the last shall be first and the first shall be last.

Have you ever wondered about this?

1 Corinthians 11:27–34 HCSB

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. 31 If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world. 33 Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. And I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

This wasn’t happening because these people thought wrong thoughts about Jesus, it was that they weren’t considering Him at all!

And in there lack of consideration of Jesus they neglected to consider His body, which is the church.

This was so serious to God because like we said at the beginning,

the church is the new covenant sanctuary of God.

I grew up hearing “The church isn’t a building!”

And while that is true, what we do within these 4 walls matters supremely.

Within the walls on a Sunday we are imaging what the New Creation is all about.

Love.

Others before self.

Care for the weak and the young.

True worship before God.

And THEN that’s where the emphasis that I heard growing up comes into play.

After we have communed with God in the supper,

this New Creation living SPILLS out into the rest of the week.

The New Covenant community literally spills out of the doors and brings the realities of new creation with it for the rest of the week.

The meal that we share together afterwards is like practice.

In my opinion it would be a large tragedy for someone to walk in here, share in our meal, and never be greeted by a Christian.

To sit alone.

We feast every week.

You can’t feast by yourself.

Feasting is done in community.

Our feasting is a group celebration of what God has done.

And what God has done is on offer for every man, woman, and child.

Rich or poor.

Powerful or weak.

Let us consider the body of Christ as we approach the the Lord’s Table this week.