Sermon Tone Analysis

Mark: The scribes, the rich, and the widow []

To refresh our memories to what’s been happening in Mark, Jesus has been teaching in the temple.

The religious leaders were present, along with a large crowd all listening to Jesus teach.

Jesus had been on the receiving end of several questions from the religious leaders that were trying to discredit Him, but that’s ended now.

So, Jesus turns to ask the questions.

Jesus’ question turns the theologians on their heads, as He asks the question of the ages…a question concerning the identity of the messiah.

After this question concerning the Messiah, to which the religious leaders had no answer for, Jesus turns to warn those listening about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

Revelation brings responsibility.

The more you know, the greater your accountability.

Where does this come from?

It comes from Jesus.

Danny Akin said [SEBTS president] “One of the most dangerous vocations in life is being a theologian.

One of the most dangerous places you can go is to a Bible-believing church that faithfully proclaims the gospel.

Each time you hear Gods’ word taught, your accountability before Him increases.

Tragically, those who often receive God’s revelation and traffic in His truth become deaf, even hardened.

Rather than walk humbly, they become proud.

Having drawn so near to Jesus, they think and act nothing like Jesus.

God will not overlook such hypocrisy and sin.”

We are given an example of this in verses 38-40, Jesus turns to the crowds and warns them of the sin of the scribes.

So what is it these scribes are guilty of?

I think upon examination we’ll see these scribes are not so different than people today.

Three things marked these scribes that Jesus warns of…pride, greed, and hypocrisy.

Pride []

Jesus says beware… [read verse 38-39] Long robes, love greetings, best seats in synagogue, best seats at feasts.

Jesus is warning His listeners, which includes us, beware of those who put on a show, they are filled with pride.

The scribes craved recognition as they walked around with their long showy full length robes, shawls, and long tassels to be admired by others.

Bling is nothing new.

These guys looked liked really something.

They didn’t wear the common everyday robes of the times…they had these really fancy outfits that you wouldn’t wear to do everyday things in.

Like a guy today going to the ball game in his $3,000 Armani suit…it’s a little to fancy for the occasion.

These scribes were like that…over the top with their fancy garb.

The reason was they loved to get praise from others, Jesus said, “they love greetings in the marketplaces.”

The marketplace was where common people went to buy common things such as food, clothing, and the like.

These guys stood out in the crowd.

They loved titles such as “rabbi”, “master”, even “father” it tripped their trigger when people looked at them and said… “that is someone important…hello rabbi, master, father, etc.” Pride!

They also love the best seats…in the synagogues and at feasts.

In the synagogue there was usually a seat in front by the case which held the Torah.

This seat of honor didn’t face the same way as the rest of the congregation it faced back at the congregation, so who ever sat their could look at the rest of the congregation and be looked upon by everyone else.

The same was at feasts, they always went right to the seats of honor.

They didn’t check the guest list to make sure where they sat, they went to the honored seats.

Jesus has already addressed this kind of thing many times as He turn the world’s ideas on it’s head, remember Jesus points out, “the greatest among you will be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.” .

These religious leaders despised this saying of Jesus, they were filled with too much pride to humble themselves.

I afraid we still have people who put on a show for religion today.

They may look the part in front of the right people but in the private confides, how’s the walk with Jesus?

We need to check our own lives for pride.

They were also filled with...

Greed []

“beware...who devour widow’s houses” does that mean they eat houses?

Of course not, it’s metaphorical language for their greediness.

Jesus is warning His listeners to beware to those who take advantage of others.

These scribes were in the habit of taking advantage of the vulnerable, in this case it was widow’s.

I’m sure they took advantage of others as well, but Jesus uses widow’s as an example.

We still see this today with televangelist and religious charlatans taking advantage of and preying on the vulnerable and weak.

Their philosophy is, “there is money to be made in ministry.”

Several years ago there was a movie made called “O brother where art thou.”

It was a comical movie based during the time of the great depression.

In it there was a traveling bible sales man named Big Dan who said to two escaped convicts, “there’s money to made in the name of the Lord.”

Then he beat the two men up and took all their money.

It was done in cinematic fashion and comic relief yet it still displayed a sad truth, there are some who take advantage of others in the name of God.

These scribes were such people, they were also filled with...

Hypocrisy []

Jesus warns of their hypocrisy… “and for a pretense make long prayers.”

These men were experts in pseudo-piety.

They could say long prayers in the public arena yet the private prayer closet of their lives was empty and void.

This I believe hits close to home for many, some can say long colorful prayers in front of others, use the right language, say the right things…but at home in their private life…how’s the prayer life?

We should ask ourselves... Do we pray daily?

Do we pray more than just before meals?

Do we spend time with God in prayer on a regular basis.

We must be careful we don’t fall into this hypocritical position of prayer that these scribes had, only praying when we can be noticed by others.

These hypocritical scribes preyed on the weak in return for praying for them.

i.e. they’re like, “if you give to me and support my ministry, then I’ll pray for you.”

These scribes were very good at this kind of exploitation of others.

Give to me, and I’ll pray for you.

So really instead of praying for the weak and needy they were preying on the weak and needy.

Jesus says...

Beware []

“These will receive greater condemnation.”

The bible tells us much will be required of those who have been given much [].

The greater our revelation, the greater our accountability.

To know what is right and not to do it invites harsher punishment in judgment.

At the beginning I said, revelation brings responsibility.

The more you know the more accountable you are to God.

We shouldn’t miss this warning, James probably had this saying of Jesus in mind when he wrote “not many should become teachers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.”

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You want to be a leader in the church?

You want to be a teacher of the bible?

Are you ready to be held to a higher accountability with God?

Let me just say, if you are teaching a bible study in some capacity…don’t take it lightly…God doesn’t.

We can’t miss this warning.

I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just trying to inform you…now everyone here is held to a higher accountability because I just told you.

To many people sit in church week after week asleep to the warnings of God.

We need not just to beware of pride, greed, and hypocrisy, but we also need to be aware of the greater accountability to those who have been given God’s word…handle with care.

In contrast to the scribes is this nameless widow in verse 41-44.

While the scribes were filled with pride, greed, and hypocrisy, this poor widow was nameless, lowly, and gave all she had.

I don’t think it’s by accident that Jesus points out that this widow, whom in the prior section widows were the preyed upon by the scribes, is the one who is exalted by Jesus…the first will be last, the least the greatest kind of thing Jesus has been teaching.

In this widow we see a marvelous example of one who loves the Lord God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength…unlike the self-centered ambition of the scribes.

First notice in verse 41 Jesus sat and saw those who put money in the treasury.

Jesus sat which was custom for teachers to do in that day and watched as people put their offerings in the treasury.

The treasury was the place where gifts and assessments were deposited near the vestibule in the north part of the court of the women.