Looks Can Be Deceiving

Mark 12:38–44 ESV

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.”

Today, we turn to a passage that many of us are familiar with – the contrast between the scribes and the widow. We are reminded in this passage that what we see on the outside is not always the true measure of a person. What really matters is what is on the inside – how someone lives with integrity and purpose. Looks can be deceiving for us. We can only see what we see. We cannot see intention or know what someone is thinking. But we can see the results of actions. Do those actions hurt others or are they done to build the kingdom? This morning, we are going to learn from our scripture lesson how we can live for God and spread his kingdom further.

1. Focus on status and honor is a form of self-worship. (vs. 38-39)

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Our passage begins with Jesus giving a warning against the scribes or lawyers whose desire it is to be honored and revered before people. They wanted everyone to see their greatness and what they had done before God. They walked around in the marketplaces with their fancy clothes and would be in the places of honor in the synagogues to teach or to receive praise from others. They wanted everyone to know how good they were and to be rewarded for it. It’s interesting that Jesus gives this blanket attack against the scribes when one of the scribes was just praised for not being far from the kingdom. But this denouncement is for the vast majority of the scribes that had been against Jesus since the beginning of his ministry.

While he has been in Jerusalem, the various factions of the Jewish religious leadership have been trying to corner Jesus and humiliate him in front of the crowds in an effort to dissuade them from following him. Every time, Jesus counters and puts these learned men of Israel in their place. Jesus’ harsh criticism of the scribes is one that is generalized but goes beyond just the religious elite of his day. It is also a warning for us.

Jesus tells those gathered during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 that we are not to seek to store up our treasure on this earth because it will be destroyed. Instead, we are to store up that which is eternal. What does Jesus mean when he talks about an eternal treasure? Jesus is telling us that the things that really matter in our lives are not the things that we can sense - taste, touch, feel, smell, and see. That which really matters and the things that last are based on our relationship with Christ. That is what will lead us to eternal life. We can get all of the stuff that this world offers, but we will not be able to be in the presence of God forever without Christ.

The scribes were only focused on the things that people could give them now. They wanted to feel the joy and arrogance that comes from thinking that somehow you are better than others because of your material wealth. So many of us need to refocus what is important to us as well. We have to move away from the things that this world offers us and turn our attention to the things of God if we are going to have the relationship with God that we are called to have.

2. The condition of the heart is on full display before God. (vs. 40)

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

God always knows the condition of our hearts. The Lord tells Samuel when he is to anoint a new king over Israel in 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'” So when Jesus lays waste to the scribes for trying to seek praise from others in their outward appearance, he knows that the condition of their heart is wretched.

In verse 40, he talks about how they devour widows houses. Widows were regarded as especially vulnerable in the Bible. There was no social security or way for them to continue to live except from the kindness of family or neighbors. Their houses were often their only means of security and shelter. So, defrauding them was one of the most despicable things a person could do. It is strongly condemned in Isaiah 10:2 “to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!” and Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.” No scholar is exactly sure how the scribes may have divested the widows of their property, but it was something that was happening or Jesus would not have mentioned it.

The scathing rebuke of the scribes by Jesus is something that we cannot turn away from. It does not matter how good we look on the outside to the rest of the world, if the condition of our heart is so wretched that in the name of our religiosity we cause devastating pain to others, we have to go back and look to see if we truly are followers of Christ. This is not about calling out sin or trying to help an unbeliever find his or her way as some might try to make it. This is when Christians do not act like Christians in their dealings with the world around us. It is about our attitude toward those who may not have the same opinions that we have. It is about how we deal with others in the way we might run our business or how we respond to co-workers. The way that we act in the world - in our jobs, our schools, our business - must be a reflection of Christ. We cannot cheat others out of something just so we can make a buck. We cannot speak ill of others that we work with or try to step over them in a malicious way so that we can get the promotion over them. If we claim Christ and worship him on Sunday, it should be reflected in how we treat others Monday through Friday. That will truly tell the condition of our heart.

3. Generosity and self-sacrifice are the ways of the kingdom of God. (vs. 41-44)

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Romans 12:1 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

The mention of widows in the previous passage was based on the second scene in our passage today. Jesus is with his disciples in the Court of Women in the Temple. This is where the chests for the offering of the rich and the paltry sum of the widow provides a teaching point. The small amount of money that is given by the widow for the coffers of the Temple was part of her offering that she would have given in the “trumpet chests” for a contribution and sacrifice before God.

Jesus’ comment on the widow’s offering is not an attack on the wealthy or wealth in general. It develops the new perspective of the kingdom of God which Jesus has been teaching his disciples on their way to Jerusalem. This teaching is specifically for his disciples. He is calling his disciples to a life where one must abandon the world’s conventions of importance: the first must be last and the last first. It goes right along with Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes for wanting public honor and typifies the superficial values of our society.

More than likely she is not the only person present in this area of the Temple complex, but Jesus points her out because he sees her giving such a little amount in the world’s eyes yet so large in her world. What he sees in this widow is a self-sacrificing generosity that is foundational in the kingdom of God. Those who are to be his followers must be a people who are generous in their hearts and in their sacrifice. Paul tells the church in Corinth that they have indeed been blessed because they have given with generous hearts to the ministry of fledgling church in Macedonia. It was out of the joy in their hearts for Jesus that they gave to help other Christians. Paul also tells the church in Rome that we are to be living sacrifices as our spiritual act of worship. This object lesson of Jesus tells us that what really matters in God’s sight is not what we have or how well we are dressed or how much education we have received. What matters is our devotion to him. This widow gives even at great personal cost. The amount of the gift might be negligible in comparison to the enormous wealth of the Temple. The gift does not matter to God so much as the giver.

The kingdom of God changes our perspective on life in general and especially in the way we actively live out the gospel. Our lives are not about what we do on the outside. It is not about how good we look in front of other people or how many times people tell us we are doing a great job. Yes, we all need encouragement in our lives especially when we are working for the kingdom. But praise from others or notoriety should not be why we do anything. It should be out of the joy in our hearts and the generosity that overflows in our lives so that other can see the love of God in us.

The stark contrast between the wealthy and praised scribes and the lowly widow is one that is not unnoticed by us. It is a reminder that our relationship with God is not based on what we do in the world but the condition of our heart. Are we focused on what others think or are we only concerned about what God thinks? Are we living our lives so that others can see Christ in us? Are we treating people with dignity and respect no matter what? Are we trying to hurt others just to get ahead in a job or at school? These are all things that must remain in check as we grow in our relationship with God. Our lives are to be ones where the kingdom of God is lived out for others to see and witness. Let the light of Christ shine in you!