Sovereign Grace Church

The Abuse of the False Teacher

Truth Taught- Jesus told His followers to avoid the Scribes who look impressive but who are actually thieves and liars.

Please Stand in honor of God’s Holy, Inspired, and Inerrant Word

Gracious and Glorious Father, this is Your word,

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

So, Father we ask that You would equip us then by Your Word to see Christ, to love Christ and to follow Christ for Your glory…Amen.

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.”

1.  Jesus’ Description of the False Teacher (12:38-40)

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.”

Here’s what false teachers looked like in Jesus’ day.  The Scribes were the portrait of a false teacher.  They were easy to spot. 

They wore long white robes.  These robes were long extending down to their sandals.  They had fringe all the way down and ha tassels also extending all the way.  They were easy to spot because of their white robes. 

These white robes popped up at all the important events and were seated at the important places.  The Scribes loved it when people would give them their greeting which was a greeting of distinction.  They were often called Rabbi, Master, or Father. 

They had reserved seats in the Temple and Synagogues.  They were seated with their backs to the chest that contained the Torah facing the congregation.  When they attended a celebration or a feast, they were given the best seats. 

The Scribe was Israel’s teachers of Scripture.  When they spoke, their words were considered to contain divine sovereign authority.  So, they could say what they wanted and the people considered it to be God’s Word. 

The Scribe was the visual picture of godliness and holiness.  They looked the part.  They were easy to spot by their long flowing robes and seating arrangements…you just needed to look at the front and there they were.

They looked the part so it was easier for them to mislead the people because they were so impressive you just assumed that what they had to teach was true.  That’s where Jesus warns us to beware of the Scribes because they are false teachers.

Acts 20:28–31 (ESV)

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

2 Peter 2:1–3 (ESV)

2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

It is interesting that as you read and study the Bible you discover some common character traits of the false teachers.  They make up their own teaching or twist the Bible to serve their own purposes.  They also, seek to draw followers to themselves.  And they most often do it for money.

A big part of their lust for goods came as a result of their religion of works.  They had developed over the years a system of religion that did not resemble much at all God’s original law found in the Bible.  Their system was a religion of works that kept them on top and their pockets full of money.  They were made wealthy and everyone else kept poor. 

This is what Jesus tells us about these Scribes.  He highlights one specific way they were getting rich…

40 who devour widows’ houses

Pure religion – James says that you care for the widows and orphans; that’s an Old Testament command reiterated over and over and over in the Old Testament.

What do these men do? They consumed them – that verb means to plunder them – it means literally to eat them up – how did they do that? Well, a little bit of historical study will provide an answer for that; there are records about how they did it – their own records, by the way. These false leaders would take support, ask money from widows for themselves – though that was forbidden. They would cheat widows out of their estate, while they were offering them legal protection.  The Scribes served as legal representatives/attorneys in Israel.

In other words, a widow would have an estate, she would want to make sure that it was secure and safe, and so she would bring in a scribe to take care of the legal work to protect her estate, and while pretending to protect her estate, he would take it. They would mismanage the property of widows. They would abuse the hospitality of widows – living in their houses, taking up space in their houses, eating their food in a gluttonous fashion, making excessive demands, leeching off of them.

They would take money from older widows with deficient mental powers – as the older women lost the ability to reason and think what was going on, they would steal them blind. Then they would take the house of a widow in pledge for the debt that they were owed for their legal services; then when the widow died, they would own the house – nothing would be left if she had children. They demanded that the widows give to purchase blessing from God – as they demanded that from everybody in their system.—MacArthur

and for a pretense make long prayers.

The Scribes were also known for their long prayers.  This was nothing more than to parade their false piety before the people.  The long white robbed guy likes to pray very long prayers so that the people would assume that he is more holy than anyone else.

Matthew 6:5 (ESV)

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

2.  A Widow the False Teachers Consumed (12:41-44)

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.”

It’s not difficult to know what has happened to this poor widow.  The reason Mark places this account here is to show us what a poor widow looks like after the Scribes have gotten through.  Her husband died and then a Scribe stepped in promising her security.  He would represent her and take care of all her finances and she is now left with nothing.  Well, not quite nothing…she still has a penny.

Because they had created a system of works, one that you basically had to buy your salvation she gives her last two small copper coins.  The false teachers had taken all she had.  She will now go away and die alone, completely destitute.

I have heard teaching on this passage before.  Usually, this text is taught in terms of how we are to give to God.  Some will say, see she gave all she had.  That’s how we are to give…give until it hurts.

The context shows us that she was a victim of a false religious system.  She was greatly abused by the very people that were supposed to take care of her.  This is not teaching Christian giving.  God does not want all the money you have.  This text is showing the abuses of the Jewish system

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.”

God does not want all your money but He does want all of you.  He wants a complete commitment to Him.  He is a jealous God and commands us to have no other gods.  He wants all of you. 

He does not want all your money.  This poor woman had been robbed by the religious leaders of the day.  Because she believed their corrupt message of salvation, she gives her last two coins…she has nothing left.

If you read the commentaries, most overlook the fact that Mark has just told us what the Scribes were famous for.  They took all she had and their corrupt system had taken the rest.

Jesus does mention the fact that by comparison, she gave more than anyone else because even though the amount she gave was less than what the rich gave, she gave from her poverty not from her wealth. 

Application:

Four things seem to surface by way of application from these verses.

1.  Jesus said beware of the Scribes.  There are people God commands us to avoid.  Here it is people who seek to look the part but their lives and teaching are not godly.  The Scribes looked religiously impressive.  They did things so that people would see them and praise their piety.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 (ESV)

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

2.  We must live our Christian lives before God and not before others. 

The Scribes desired to be seen when they functioned as leaders.  Jesus condemns their practice, so we must be careful that when we practice our faith, we don’t do it to be seen by others.  Often times we will be seen by others and that’s fine but don’t practice your faith to be seen.

and for a pretense make long prayers.

Here, pretense means a hoax or a deception.  They prayed really long prayers so that they would come across as more spiritual than they really were.  There is nothing wrong with really long prayers at home in your place of prayer but not standing up to be seen by others.  Jesus also said things like when you fast don’t stand up and announce it to everyone but do it between you and God. 

3.  We are to care for widows and not take advantage of them.

This really ties to the second application point because when you help a widow, you’re not going to have a hundred people stand up and praise you.  It is a service that is behind the scene.  Caring for the needy within our midst; the widows, orphans and the elderly is true service to God.

4.  Christian giving is commanded and it comes from a person who is saved not from someone trying to buy their salvation.  We do give abundantly and joyfully.  We praise God that we can give. 

2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Resources Used:

Mark 12:38-44 Sermon by John Macarthur

Mark by William Lane

Mark by James Edwards

Words of grace