Scribes

Mark 12 38-44 v v40″ They (scribes) rob widows by taking their houses and then say long prayers to make themselves look good. The scribes will receive the most severe punishment.”

Jesus is a great teacher. He teaches not only the good but the things to watch out for , the bad. In the gospel of Luke the very same words are said about scribes and in Mathew the words are more expansive about the evils of what was a high ranking official with considerable power in the culture of the time. In Mathew 23 v 23 Jesus said” How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God one tenth of your mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” The final illustration Jesus uses here is that of the widow giving her two small coins, everything she had to live on whilst the rich gave only what they could spare.

Jesus sees past the fancy clothes that some people wear and the large amounts of money given by very rich people and looks at the impact of the giving on the person and the heart of the person in what they are doing and he warns about the consequences of actions not done with the right heart.

Make sure the decisions you make today are just, show mercy to others and most importantly be faithful to God. Amen