Mark12:38-40 38And in his teaching he said, “Watch out for the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and give greetings in the marketplaces 39and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40who devour the houses of widows and for appearance make long prayers. They will receive greater condemnation.”
While Jesus was in the temple, he pointed out two different types of religious activity. On the one hand, certain people like the scribes looked religious to gain attention but lacked sincerity. On the other hand, there were genuine seekers of God who showed quiet faith. The next section begins with Jesus condemning the hypocrisy of the scribes. The scribes were the scholars of Scripture and were highly respected by people. Their problem, however, was that they used their honored position before others as a basis to flaunt their religiosity.
Jesus begins his warning about the scribes with four descriptions of how they sought the attention of others. Their long, flowing robes were prayer shawls with fancy tassels attached at the corners. Anyone could recognize them as people of wealth and in positions of power. They liked to strut around the market places to get people’s attention, like people today might do with their fancy cars. They took the seats of honor in the synagogues, which were often the seats up front facing the people. Likewise, the seats of honor at dinners and banquets were up front close to the host and the best food. When people saw a scribe coming, they were expected to stand up and give them honor as holy men and rabbis.
By wanting to be first, the scribes acted the opposite of what Jesus taught his disciples in 9:35. They acted like people of the world who jockey for position in the push to rise to the top where they hope there will be comfort and peace. As scholars of God’s word, they should have known better, and thus, they would be held accountable for their actions as compared to their knowledge. With knowledge comes responsibility. As Paul wrote, knowledge puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). In their religious fervor, their selfishness drove them even to take away the houses of widows, possibly by their requirements for offerings, which had become a form of taxation and not worship. This was all for appearance to help them gain and keep their positions of power.
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