Different Directions
Preached by Jason Abbott
May 18, 2014
I want you to consider two falls with me for a moment.Fall # 1: My middle school had a narrow cafeteria with one long isle splitting two long rows of tables which daily brimmed full of students eating lunch. It was a catwalk or runway down which you could strut all your junior high glory. On one momentous day, I stepped onto that walkway ready to wow the crowds: best stonewashed jeans: check, favorite Polo shirt: check, acne minimized: check! I was looking good for the Jefferson Junior cafeteria catwalk!In fact, I was so enamored with my prowess that I did not even see the sign: it was on the floor; it was yellow with black lettering; it said, Caution: Wet Floor. In my life, I’ve not often been parallel with the ground while suspended in midair, but, when that happens, your hands will attempt to drop whatever you’re holding. In this case, I was holding a tray of food that went higher than I did and landed directly on top of me as I landed directly on top of the cafeteria floor!Indeed, I wowed the Jefferson Junior High crowd that day.Fall # 2: About 10 years ago, Natalie and I hosted my best friend, his wife, and their infant daughter as they were moving from St. Louis to Jefferson City. Our old house was an old house and had a long steep and straight stairwell of particularly rigid, wooden stairs.One day my friend, Tyler, was walking up the stairs with his daughter in his arms when he tripped on a step and immediately tumbled forward up the stairwell. I watched in horror from the top of the steps as he fell headlong like a toppled tree toward where I stood.Suddenly, just before he hit the steps, Tyler did something I’ll never forget. He thrust his arms, while still holding his daughter, straight above his head and took the full brunt of the wooden stairs directly across his face and upper chest. Tyler got whacked, but his daughter never felt a thing.So, what’s the difference between these two falls—these separate wipeouts? The real difference between them is a difference of the heart—of the motivation. One represents selfish vanity, the other loving devotion!Here’s the point. In a sense, a fall is a fall; someone winds up on the ground. Yet, in another sense, these two falls are heading in completely different directions. One is beautiful before God and Man while the other’s condemnable and laughable before God and Man.And, the only difference between the two is a difference of the heart!Today, rather than compare two kinds of falls, Jesus is going to compare two kinds of fallen people—the scribes, or religious lawyers, and a very poor widow. The first he will condemn and the second he will commend.And, the ultimate difference between his condemnation and commendation is a difference of the heart or motive of the fallen person.Yet, before we go any further, let’s read this passage together and then pray.
Mark 12:38-44
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. A condemnation (vv. 38-40)
Last fall, as some of you may remember, I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Air Force Academy’s Protestant Retreat. This was a completely new experience for me. I had never spoken at this type of gathering before let alone been flown sixteen hundred miles to do so. To speak at the retreat was a great honor for me, but it came with its own set of great temptations.Often, when you speak at such events, they rollout the red carpet for you. Thus, I was given a very nice room at a most awesome retreat center and was given money to book a Jeep Liberty so as to get around the Rocky Mountains. Consequently, these are not things on which I would normally spend my money. So, for me, I felt like I was living the highlife!On top of that, when you speak at these kinds of retreats, you are sort of in the spotlight for much of the time. All the staff and all of the students know you, and they tend to treat you with a great deal of respect. And, at a service academy, as you can imagine, the respect level goes way up! (I’ll likely never again be called sir so many times over the course of a weekend.)This is all to say that, when I was shown such respect, honor, and attention, it was tempting for me to primarily focus on bringing myself glory, instead of—first and foremost—bringing God the glory!In this context, Jesus’ warning here was especially appropriate for me!
Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation (vv. 38-40).
These long robes were “not…everyday” garments.1 This is the equivalent of dressing up in one’s Easter best when it’s not Easter. It’s equivalent to me meticulously picking out my hippest clothes to impress the retreat’s college-aged population.
These marketplace greetings were “a mark of social standing” for a scribe.2 This is like me wanting everyone to go out of their way to greet me at the retreat, or like me wanting everyone to eagerly make a spot at their table for me during meals—because, after all, I’m kind of a “big deal.”
These best seats “were reserved for teachers and persons of rank” to sit in.3 This is the equivalent to having the wireless headset at the weekend retreat. See, these seats faced the audience so the “wise” teacher could be heard.
But, what do we make here of the language—devouring widows’ houses? Widows, in the Ancient Near East, were especially vulnerable members of society. The Bible, consequently, demands repeatedly that they be protected and cared for by God’s people (cf. Deuteronomy 10:18; 1 Timothy 5:3-16; James 1:27).Now, it’s unlikely that Jesus is condemning all the scribes here of doing this. It is almost certainly not true that all scribes swindled widows out of property. Rather, when Jesus condemns scribes for devouring widows’ homes in verse 40, he’s using the image as an illustration for how they have taken advantage of society’s most vulnerable for their own gain or benefit. That is their sin!Let me be super clear at this point. On the outside, the scribes looked good. They looked a lot like the 7th grade me (before my wipeout) as they strutted down the runway of 1st century Israelite society; over and again, they wowed the crowds: look of wisdom: check, appearance of piety: check, look worthy of honor: check! They looked good!Yet, Jesus says to them:
[You]…outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:28).
Their hearts, their motivations, are wicked! So, Jesus says:
They will receive the greater condemnation (v. 40).
At this point, we must pause and ask ourselves (if we are followers of Jesus) a very difficult question. How is my own heart like the hearts of these scribes? How are my own motivations worthy of condemnation?
Who are you dressing up for? Who are you fashioning yourself to impress?
Is it God or someone else?
Whose recognition do you long for? Whose attention do you want?
Is it God’s or someone else’s?
What seat of honor do you vie for? What prominent position do you covet?
Does it bring you nearer to God, or is it pushing you away from him?
Let’s move on to consider:
2. A commendation (vv. 41-44)
We might be tempted to think these two passages have nothing in common. Or, to think, Mark has just randomly placed these vignettes next to one another. However, nothing could be further from the truth.Mark follows Jesus’ warning against the hollow dramatics of the scribes with another dramatic event—a parade of offerings—so as to contrast two hearts: the selfish hearts of the scribes with the selfless heart of a poor widow.In this portion of the passage we are given another kind of runway scene. The temple offerings were presented in a procession that’s easy for Jesus to watch. So he sits down on a bench to take it all in. Look at what Mark records:
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 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. 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” (vv. 41-44).
There’s the commendation. There is Jesus’ positive affirmation: Well done! Unlike these scribes (whom most would suppose worthy candidates of such praise) this poor widow (whom most would suppose an unlikely candidate for such praise) is, in fact, the one who receives the expression of honor from Jesus.This widow doesn’t appear especially noteworthy to most who are watching. In fact, she was probably thoroughly forgettable for most everyone who was there. What, after all, was there to remember about her when she’s placed against the backdrop of all the rich and affluent Israelites making extravagant offerings?Who pays attention to the bum on the corner when Bill Gates walks by? Jesus does! Jesus sees the bum and sees Bill Gates, and Jesus doesn’t play at favorites based on exterior factors—bank accounts, cars, clothing, or status!Jesus looks far deeper into us than that!And, this brings us to the most important piece of the puzzle.I’ve already noted that the scribes would have looked great on the outside. I’ve also just noted that the widow wouldn’t have looked especially noteworthy. Most importantly I noted at the very beginning of the sermon that Mark is juxtaposing two kinds of fallen people!The scribes are sinners, and this widow is a sinner! We must not forget that. It would be easy for us to wrongly conclude that the scribes receive the condemnation for not giving enough and that the widow receives the commendation for giving everything. But, that would be absolutely wrong!As we’ve already established, the difference between the falling people and the difference between the fallen people is about the heart or about the motivation. Consequently, this is precisely how Jesus is differentiating between the scribes and this poor widow in this passage. The Bible tells us:
[The] Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
Jesus doesn’t merely look upon outward appearances here but at the heart. Outward appearances wouldn’t have told Jesus there was any real difference between the widow’s offering and the other offerings taking place in the temple. Outward appearances wouldn’t have told Jesus the scribes had selfish motivations. But, Jesus doesn’t look merely at the outward.Jesus, by his judgments, is saying I’m the one who sees you fully. I’m God!He’s condemning the scribes for having selfish motivations which is foundationally a problem of the heart. They are worshiping self rather than God! They have faithless hearts.He’s commending the widow for having a selfless motivation which is primarily an indicator of her heart. She is sacrificially giving all she has to God! She has a faithful, trusting heart.But, both need a sin-free heart! Neither heart is fully acceptable to God. Despite the condemnation and commendation, all hearts need purification, and this is exactly what Jesus, who sees the heart, has, through faith, come to provide!
1R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, 490.2Ibid.3James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, 378.
