"Beware of the scribes... Which devour widow's houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation."
Matthew 12:38-20
Part 1
Today: Beware of the Religious “Show-Offs!”
To God, prayer is serious work. It ought to be of critical importance to us as well. We never should make light of prayer or treat it like it does not matter. The entire Godhead is involved when we pray. We bring our requests to God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, by the authority of Jesus Christ, God the Son. Prayer was never meant to make us look good. We are weak and humble creatures in need of help from our great God. Unfortunately, in the Gospels, we find people praying with the wrong motives, and God has no interest in their prayer. Jesus called these people out.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense, make long prayer: therefore, ye shall receive the greater damnation” (Matthew 23:14).
“Beware of the scribes… Which devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation” (Luke 20:46-47).
Jesus’ confrontation in our verse is centered on the hypocritical “scribes.” Jesus warned the people of His day –
“Beware of the scribes….”
The scribes were supposed to be the Bible professors of Jesus’ day. These were the men everyone went to with their Bible questions. These men were highly revered.
“They were entrusted with preserving, learning, and teaching the Word of God to the world. These are the men that the people of God should have been able to trust, but Jesus says instead they should beware of the scribes”[1] (Guzik).
Why? Why did Jesus warn people against the scribes? There are three primary reasons for His concern.
1. The scribes were glitzy “show-offs!” They were the original “hot dogs” of their day.
Jesus said,
“Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts” (Mark 12:38-39).
These things may not mean much to us until we understand what Jesus is saying about them. They love to show off and be noticed by people:
“Long clothing” – their long robes were meant for festive wear, unreasonable for daily clothing. “The scribes were men of leisure, who watched while others work” (Guzik).
“Salutations in the marketplaces” – the recognition they received (demanded) of people to stand up for them when they came near. Many people could see them in the markets.
“Chief Seats” – in their synagogues, the best seats were in front and facing the congregation. To sit there meant you were somebody, a recognized teacher and distinguished. They also like the best seats in banquets, to show off their reputation. They seemed to convey an attitude of, “I am somebody, and you must recognize me as being somebody!”
“Long Prayers” – for a show, standing in front of the people to be seen by them when praying long prayers. The longer the prayer, the more “spiritual” (they must have thought).
These men looked good, sounded good, smelled good (I’m guessing here). Until their sugar-coated outer shell could be cracked open, their evil hearts lay hidden. Their arrogance was not at all like Jesus. He saw beyond their actions to their heart motives. His disciples and those called to serve Him are warned against the scribe’s kind of life.
Come back tomorrow, and let’s learn the following two reasons that Jesus warned His people against the scribes.
Quote: “[Jesus was] saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not” (Matthew 23:2-3).
[1] Guzik’s quote is from the Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Mark 12:38-40.