And he said to them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and salutations in the marketplaces,
The questions are over, and Jesus turns from debate to a warning the whole crowd can hear. The men He names are the scribes, Israel's teachers of God's law — and He tells the crowd their religion is a show.
Jesus aims this warning at the crowd, not at the men He is describing.
Most of the people were still glad to listen to Him, but the scribes were blind. In verses 38-40 the Lord warns the people against them. He warns those who were being led blindly against their blind leaders. He unmasks the real motives and aims of the scribes.
Their teaching was only half the problem.
The teaching of the scribes was completely flawed. But there was more: much in the way they lived was low and bad. They loved honour from men, and religious honour most of all. So they wanted the chief seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts. They chased hard after anything that would add to their comfort and honour in this world.
In a world where most people could not read, the scribes could. They dressed to advertise it.
Ordinary people could not read or write. The scribes could, and they took advantage of it. They made a childish show by wearing long clothing, and they wanted the admiration of the people in the market places, in the synagogues and at feasts. Yet they devoured widows' houses. They used their spiritual prestige, as many do today, to squeeze money out of the public. They even squeezed it out of widows, who suffered under such oppression.
Market, synagogue, feast — the list covers a man's whole public life.
Their characteristic sin was self-seeking in the things of God. They had to have the leading place everywhere: in the market-place, the business centre; in the synagogue, the religious centre; and at feasts, the social circle. That is why they wore their distinctive dress. Once they had the leading position, they used it to line their own pockets at the expense of widows, the most defenceless people in the community.
Set these men beside the Man standing in front of them.
All of this was empty vanity. It was a thin covering over their ignorance. They did not know God's Word, they did not know His ways in government, and they did not know His grace. How different was the precious character of the lowly, faithful Son of Man! He is the eternal Son of God, and He had a right to every honour, yet He sought none at all from man.
A few verses later the Lord sets someone against these men.
Then our Lord puts His own question, about His own person, according to the Scripture. He gives a brief warning about the scribes. Then, in contrast, He points out the poor blessed widow. She is His own pattern of true devotion and real faith, at a time when the people of God on earth were at their poorest in spiritual things.
Jesus ends the warning with a verdict.
Such men love display — long robes. They love public recognition — greetings in the marketplaces. They love religious pre-eminence — the chief seats in the synagogues. They love social standing — the best places at feasts. They love self-advancement, even at the expense of widows. They love a religious show, making long prayers for a pretence. How solemn are the Lord's words: such men will receive a severer judgment. The greater the pretension, the greater the judgment.
- Beware — Jesus warns the crowd in the open: the men leading them are blind.
- Robes — the special dress was the tool of the trade. It won them the leading place in business, in worship and at the table.
- Appetite — behind the display sits self-seeking in the things of God. It turned their standing in religion into money squeezed from widows.
- Contrast — the Son of God had a right to every honour and asked for none. The poor widow, not the scribe, is His pattern of real devotion.
- Verdict — the greater the pretension, the greater the judgment.
and first seats in the synagogues, and first places at suppers;
Every trap set for Jesus in the temple has failed. Now He warns the crowd about the scribes, the official teachers of Scripture, and the first fault He names is their hunger for the best seat.
One writer traces the same craving through three areas of life: business, religion and social occasions.
Their typical sin was self-seeking in the things of God. Whether in the market-place, the centre of business; in the synagogue, the centre of religion; or at feasts, the centre of social life, they had to have the commanding place. To that end they wore their distinctive dress. Once they had the leading position, they used it to make money for themselves at the expense of widows, the most defenceless people in the community. The whole aim and object of their religion was to gain power and money.
Each item on the Lord's list won the scribes something different.
Such people love display — "long robes." They love public recognition — "greetings in the marketplaces." They love to rank first in religion — "the best seats in the synagogues." They love social standing — "the places of honor at feasts." They love to build themselves up, even at the expense of widows. And they love religious show, when "for a pretense" they "make long prayers."
The problem was not only how they lived. One writer looks at what they taught as well.
The teaching of the scribes was not only deeply flawed. Even in their ways there was much that was morally low and bad. They loved honour from men, and religious honour above all. So they loved the best seats in the synagogues, as well as the places of honor at feasts. They chased after everything that would add to their comfort and honour in this world.
The honour they wanted most was religious honour — ambition feeding on the things of God.
One writer names the emptiness behind the display. He then points to the one Person who deserved every honour and never sought it.
All the people could hear this, but He spoke directly to His disciples. Believers should not be fooled by men's high pretensions. The scribes wore long robes to draw attention to themselves, and men's religions copy that today. They loved to be recognized wherever the people gathered. They liked the highest religious honors and the places of honor at feasts. All of this was empty vanity, a veneer covering their ignorance of God's Word... How different was the precious character of the lowly, faithful Son of Man! Being the eternal Son of God, He had a right to every honor, yet He sought none at all from men.
The answer to this appetite is not to hide. It is to let God do the seating.
If I know I am a sinner, and so deserve no place at all, I will take none. I will wait until God gives me one. I will have real honour when God gives me a place... When my eye is on God like this, I forget myself. If it is not, I am thinking about the slights I receive, and neither faith nor grace is at work... The place God gives is one of power and nearness to Himself. The place a man takes for himself is one of weakness and distance from God, because self is the object.
The Lord ends the warning with a sentence on these men. One writer shows what kind of judgment He means.
He unmasked them and announced their doom. He did not speak of a longer condemnation, as though judgment were limited by time and not eternal. He did speak of a greater condemnation, showing that judgment will differ in how severe it is.
The next scene sets these men beside a widow. They lived at the expense of widows; she gave God everything she had.
For this reason their judgment would be all the more terrible. But God does not forget His own in the middle of all the hypocrisy of people who only seem religious... The rich had given much, but the widow offered herself as a living sacrifice to the Lord. She gave everything she had.
- The appetite. The scribes' sin was self-seeking in the things of God. They wanted the top place in business, in worship, and at dinner.
- The disguise. Long robes and front seats were a veneer over their ignorance of God's Word. Their religion was a route to power and money.
- The warning. Jesus spoke to His disciples while the whole crowd listened in: do not be fooled by high pretensions, and do not copy them.
- The alternative. Take no place for yourself; wait for God to give you one. His place brings power and nearness to Him; a place you grab leaves you weak and far off.
- The outcome. Their judgment will not be longer, but heavier — while the widow nobody seated is the one God notices.
who devour the houses of widows, and as a pretext make long prayers. These shall receive a severer judgment.
The words fall at the end of a public warning about the scribes — teachers of the law who loved robes, greetings, and front seats. Here the charge turns from vanity to two hard facts: homes taken from widows, and long prayers used as a display. And the sentence is not simply judgment, but greater judgment.
The list of faults is not random. One writer finds a single motive behind every setting the scribes moved in.
Their typical sin was self-seeking in the things of God. In the market-place, the business centre; in the synagogue, the religious centre; at feasts, the social circle — everywhere they had to have the leading place, and they wore their special dress to get it. Once they held that leading place, they used it to line their own pockets at the expense of widows, the most defenceless people in the community. Getting power and money was the whole aim of their religion.
"Devour" is a strong word. One writer shows what it looked like in practice: men reaching people at their weakest point.
They do more than this: they devour widows' houses. That is, they take advantage even of people's sorrows, which left those people more completely under their influence.
Their standing among ordinary people is what opened the door to the money.
They used their spiritual standing, as many do today, to squeeze money out of the public. Even widows were among their victims, and they suffered under such oppression.
The long prayers are wrong not because they are prayers, but because they are a cover. One writer turns this into a warning for us.
They also used their position to rob the poor, defenceless widow, and they covered up this outrage with a show of long prayers. So they would receive a severer judgment. Long prayers may impress the crowd, but they did not impress the Lord! Let us remember this and avoid them ourselves. We are bold to say that no one with deep desire, truly aware of God's presence, can wander about in a maze of words.
One writer applies this to how Christians pray together today.
Keep it clearly in mind that "long prayers" are not the rule in Scripture. Mark 12:40 and other passages speak of them with crushing disapproval. Short, warm, pointed prayers bring real freshness and interest to the prayer meeting. Long, rambling prayers, as a rule, have a very depressing effect on everyone.
Older translations end the verse with the words "greater damnation." One writer explains what that older word meant.
The English New Testament often uses "damnation" to mean judgment, as in Matthew 23:14; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47; Romans 3:8. Now, even if this "judgment" is everlasting condemnation, the word itself still means judgment.
The comparative word matters too. What is greater is the weight of the sentence, not the length of it.
He did not speak of a longer damnation, as if judgment were limited by time and not eternal. But He did speak of a greater damnation, showing that judgment will differ in its severity.
The size of the sentence matches the size of the claim these men made.
Their one motive was to exalt themselves: self-advancement, even at the expense of widows, and religious show, when "for a pretense" they "make long prayers." How solemn are the Lord's words: "They will receive the greater condemnation." The greater the pretence, the greater the judgment.
Right after this warning comes an account of a widow's giving. One writer sets the two scenes side by side.
They kept the form of godliness, and they wanted their own glory and other people's money — even the money of widows, whom they reached by pretending to be devout. For this reason their judgment would be all the more terrible. But God does not forget His own in the middle of all the hypocrisy of the seemingly religious. The rich had given much, but the widow offered herself as a living sacrifice to the Lord; she gave everything she had.
- Pretence — the scribes' religion had one aim: the commanding place, in business, in worship, and at table. Everything else served that.
- Plunder — pretence needs access, and access to widows came through spiritual prestige. They reached people at their weakest and took what was theirs.
- Prayer — plunder needs a cover, and long public prayers were it. Length impressed the crowd; it did not impress the Lord.
- Punishment — the cover fails. The older word "damnation" simply means judgment. And that judgment is "greater," not "longer" — the same eternity, a heavier sentence. The greater the pretence, the greater the judgment.
- Protection — while pretenders were devouring widows, one widow gave everything she had. God does not forget His own in a crowd of hypocrites.