Teachers of the law
This week is on Mark 12:38-40:
Such men will be punished most severely. If you looked at the men, or if the men looked at themselves from the outside, none would probably guess it from what they saw. You would probably think it unnecessarily harsh. I mean, here are good generous men, pillars of their community, wise teachers, wealthy, successful, popular, charismatic men. Yet these great men are to receive severe punishment. Why?
We don't really have 'teachers of the law' like they did in Jesus' time. Our church is not the centerpiece of our culture. The best analogy we could offer is a combination of a bunch of people. The teacher of the law Jesus is talking about is kind of like the politician who taxes his constituents into poverty so that he can fund a stadium with his name on it. He's the celebrity who is famous for being famous. He's the guy who monopolizes the prayer meetings with mini-sermons to God about how righteous he is, begging people to acknowledge his superior spirituality. He's the official who promises publicly in every press conference to solve the problem he's privately the cause of. He's the board member who, on his way out, gives himself the four billion dollar bonus while the company files for bankruptcy, because he really is that good.
The 'teacher of the law' is easily distinguished from the 'obeyer of the law.' He's selfish and self-centered. He's a whore for honor, wealth, and power. He doesn't even know how selfish he is, because nobody else matters enough for him to notice. Everything is about his comfort, his needs, his goals, his reputation, his fears, and his unshrinkable standard of living. He joins the military for the uniform and the education benefits, not to defend his countrymen. He runs for office in order to get clients for his business, and stays in office, not to serve, but to be reelected. He volunteers for ministry in order to be called 'pastor' and have people listen to him talk, not to care for the flock or impart any real godly wisdom. He wears a suit to the groundbreaking because he has no intention of digging. He kisses the babies and ensures they'll have no future, shakes the hands and breaks his promises, all to secure his legacy.
The world exists for the selfish teacher of the law. God is his enforcer and his cupbearer. Women exist to be deflowered, retirement funds exist to be embezzled, the company jet is his hot rod, your taxes are his trust fund, and the environment is his trash can. Nobody else matters but him. You exist to praise him. You were born to serve him. The only reason you don't act like him is that you aren't clever enough, or strong enough, or brave enough. He is the star of the show. You are the audience and it's time for you to applaud.
In real life, these people gut the organizations they're part of. They take the benefits for themselves and leave the work and the sacrifice to others. They're expert actors, decoys of righteousness, pretending to serve, while stuffing their pockets with the rewards of the saints. It would be better for them to do nothing and remain in mediocrity than live as they do. They steal glory from God, discourage honest men from striving to better themselves, and replace hope with cynicism. Does anyone remember the televangelists from the 1980s? The adulterer's famous air conditioned dog house paid for by the tithes and labours of the poor was as good of a symbol of this effect as any. Whenever anyone sees a famous Christian, people already begin to assume the worst. And does anyone trust politicians and C-level executives anymore, even though many of them are honest hard-working servants? Thank you very much, teachers of the law! Great job!
These people, despite their cleverly spun illusions, are the exact opposite of what Christ modeled. Jesus didn't focus on seeking his own glory or wealth or power. He focused on serving, on being vulnerable, and on staying out of the spotlight. There's nothing wrong with being wealthy. Some of Jesus' companions were wealthy. Jesus didn't freak out because the perfume the lady put on his feet was expensive. It just wasn't his focus. There's nothing wrong with being served or praised sometimes either. People do things for Jesus. It just wasn't his focus on earth to gather a large crowd of adorers and servants. Sometimes he did draw a crowd, but it was despite his preparations, not because of them. It's a question of where his heart was.
Once you get on the path of the selfish man, it's very hard to get off of it. The more self-involved the man gets, the less he looks outside of himself for direction and meaning. Soon, he's living only for himself, asking "How would this look" or "What's in it for me?" You may find yourself agreeing to commitments you know you'll never keep, because doing them is less important to you than the praise you get for agreeing to them. You are no longer serving others, but yourself. It may take a long time for you to realize it, because part of the show is fooling yourself.
So, you just woke up in the middle of trying to photoshop your face onto Jesus' picture and steal his glory. What do you do now? Be honest. Ask for humility. What really motivates you? How are you treating others? It isn't about what Jesus would look like, but what his heart would say. (Not his physical heart, because they just pump blood.) Be willing to be invisible and unjustly compensated for your labor. Be willing for your standard of living to suffer a bit, if it means getting closer to fulfilling your purpose. Don't just say it in order to get Jesus to praise you for being obsequious. Actually be willing.
Be a obeyer of the law that gives life. Don't just be a preacher of the law.
As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."
Such men will be punished most severely. If you looked at the men, or if the men looked at themselves from the outside, none would probably guess it from what they saw. You would probably think it unnecessarily harsh. I mean, here are good generous men, pillars of their community, wise teachers, wealthy, successful, popular, charismatic men. Yet these great men are to receive severe punishment. Why?
We don't really have 'teachers of the law' like they did in Jesus' time. Our church is not the centerpiece of our culture. The best analogy we could offer is a combination of a bunch of people. The teacher of the law Jesus is talking about is kind of like the politician who taxes his constituents into poverty so that he can fund a stadium with his name on it. He's the celebrity who is famous for being famous. He's the guy who monopolizes the prayer meetings with mini-sermons to God about how righteous he is, begging people to acknowledge his superior spirituality. He's the official who promises publicly in every press conference to solve the problem he's privately the cause of. He's the board member who, on his way out, gives himself the four billion dollar bonus while the company files for bankruptcy, because he really is that good.
The 'teacher of the law' is easily distinguished from the 'obeyer of the law.' He's selfish and self-centered. He's a whore for honor, wealth, and power. He doesn't even know how selfish he is, because nobody else matters enough for him to notice. Everything is about his comfort, his needs, his goals, his reputation, his fears, and his unshrinkable standard of living. He joins the military for the uniform and the education benefits, not to defend his countrymen. He runs for office in order to get clients for his business, and stays in office, not to serve, but to be reelected. He volunteers for ministry in order to be called 'pastor' and have people listen to him talk, not to care for the flock or impart any real godly wisdom. He wears a suit to the groundbreaking because he has no intention of digging. He kisses the babies and ensures they'll have no future, shakes the hands and breaks his promises, all to secure his legacy.
The world exists for the selfish teacher of the law. God is his enforcer and his cupbearer. Women exist to be deflowered, retirement funds exist to be embezzled, the company jet is his hot rod, your taxes are his trust fund, and the environment is his trash can. Nobody else matters but him. You exist to praise him. You were born to serve him. The only reason you don't act like him is that you aren't clever enough, or strong enough, or brave enough. He is the star of the show. You are the audience and it's time for you to applaud.
In real life, these people gut the organizations they're part of. They take the benefits for themselves and leave the work and the sacrifice to others. They're expert actors, decoys of righteousness, pretending to serve, while stuffing their pockets with the rewards of the saints. It would be better for them to do nothing and remain in mediocrity than live as they do. They steal glory from God, discourage honest men from striving to better themselves, and replace hope with cynicism. Does anyone remember the televangelists from the 1980s? The adulterer's famous air conditioned dog house paid for by the tithes and labours of the poor was as good of a symbol of this effect as any. Whenever anyone sees a famous Christian, people already begin to assume the worst. And does anyone trust politicians and C-level executives anymore, even though many of them are honest hard-working servants? Thank you very much, teachers of the law! Great job!
These people, despite their cleverly spun illusions, are the exact opposite of what Christ modeled. Jesus didn't focus on seeking his own glory or wealth or power. He focused on serving, on being vulnerable, and on staying out of the spotlight. There's nothing wrong with being wealthy. Some of Jesus' companions were wealthy. Jesus didn't freak out because the perfume the lady put on his feet was expensive. It just wasn't his focus. There's nothing wrong with being served or praised sometimes either. People do things for Jesus. It just wasn't his focus on earth to gather a large crowd of adorers and servants. Sometimes he did draw a crowd, but it was despite his preparations, not because of them. It's a question of where his heart was.
Once you get on the path of the selfish man, it's very hard to get off of it. The more self-involved the man gets, the less he looks outside of himself for direction and meaning. Soon, he's living only for himself, asking "How would this look" or "What's in it for me?" You may find yourself agreeing to commitments you know you'll never keep, because doing them is less important to you than the praise you get for agreeing to them. You are no longer serving others, but yourself. It may take a long time for you to realize it, because part of the show is fooling yourself.
So, you just woke up in the middle of trying to photoshop your face onto Jesus' picture and steal his glory. What do you do now? Be honest. Ask for humility. What really motivates you? How are you treating others? It isn't about what Jesus would look like, but what his heart would say. (Not his physical heart, because they just pump blood.) Be willing to be invisible and unjustly compensated for your labor. Be willing for your standard of living to suffer a bit, if it means getting closer to fulfilling your purpose. Don't just say it in order to get Jesus to praise you for being obsequious. Actually be willing.
Be a obeyer of the law that gives life. Don't just be a preacher of the law.
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