Check Your Motive
Mark 12:38-44
In March 2009 Bernie Madoff pled guilty to running the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Bernie’s last name is appropriate, because he literally “made off” with billions of dollars belonging to his investors. A Ponzi scheme is pretty simple in concept: you convince a few people to invest their money, and you ensure they get a good return. Then, as word spreads, more people give you money, and you acquire a lot of cash over time. Those ready to get out get paid from the money of more recent investors. And all is well, until the whole thing comes crashing down.
In Madoff’s scheme, thousands of people lost money, including some entire life savings. Prosecutors estimate the size of the fraud to be nearly $65 billion! Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowable, even though he was 71 years old at the time. His incarceration brought an end to a terrible reign of hypocrisy, pretending to be one thing while delivering an entirely different thing altogether.
Jesus too dealt with hypocrisy, in his last public teaching recorded in the gospel of Mark. Throughout chapter 12 he has endured testing at the hands of the scribes or teachers of the law. In today’s passage, he lashes out at them and their hypocritical ways. The word “hypocrite” in the Greek means “two-faced,” alluding to early Greek actors who would hold up various facemasks and pretend to be one thing while really another.
It would be easy to simply condemn these hypocrites of Jesus’ day, to consider their folly so extreme to be almost laughable if it wasn’t so sad. But what about us? Perhaps each of us should ...
1. Take the hypocrite test:
Let’s check our motives, to ensure we would not be right there alongside the Teachers of the Law. I am indebted to the fine commentary on the gospel of Mark called, “A Ransom for Many,” for several of today’s ideas. So the first question the Teachers of the Law point us to is this:
a. Are you obsessed with your appearance?
Verse 38 describes these fellows, saying, “They like to walk around in flowing robes...” Oh, they liked to look good, and to be seen looking good! We know historically that they favored fine white linen robes, when everyone else had colored ones. There’s nothing wrong with dressing in style, unless all you care about is impressing others. Sometimes it might be helpful to consider: “Do I care more about the opinion of others or of God?”
It might be wanting to be seen in the finest clothes. Or it might be something subtler, like always projecting a happy front, letting people think you are someone you’re not. Sometimes we put on our happy face when we come to church, and we never let anyone see the real us. Consider the next test:
b. Do you care too much about your status?
Listen to the rest of verses 38 and 39: “They like to ... be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.” These people thrived on the attention of others. They not only liked to look good, they liked to be seen. They liked to be noticed, admired. They liked to be called, “Teacher,” “Rabbi,” “Master.” They sat right up front, next to the Torah scrolls. Why? So they could learn? No, so they could be seen by everyone else. They wanted the place of honor at the banquet table. They sought out respect of people, and in so doing, lost the respect of God.
This is a temptation for anyone who is respected by others, certainly those in leadership, either in the church or in the community. Do we serve as a leader to help others? Or do we sometimes let it go to our heads, somehow imagining we are a better person than the average Joe blow? How about the next question?
c. Do you fake it spiritually?
Verse 40 says: “And for a show [they] make lengthy prayers.” There’s nothing wrong with a long prayer ... unless it’s for show. Do you have a special voice and style you use for public prayers, to sound more religious? Do you carry an extra large study Bible so people can't miss it? On the other hand, is church the only time you listen to scripture or say a prayer? Is this the only hour of the week you think about God? Sometimes we can put on a front just like Bernie Madoff, acting all spiritual when really, we are as dry as a hot Texas drought. Don’t fake it spiritually. And then, lastly, ask yourself...
d. Do you have a heart full of greed?
Verse 40 also tells us these Teachers of the Law “devour widows’ houses.” Now we know, historically, they did not receive a salary for their work; they depended solely on donations. You might think most would be poor, but we know they weren’t from Jesus’ words. They tended to use their authority, as God’s scribes, to intimidate people and guilt them into giving them money. A widow in Jesus’ time was among the most vulnerable of the population. In a male-dominated society, she would be left destitute if not for the generosity of her neighbors, allowing her to glean leftover wheat in the fields. (Remember the story of Ruth?) So a God-fearing widow might offer a Teacher of the Law a free lunch, to honor his position. And next thing she knows, he’s moved in and taken over the house! Her house has been devoured!
We might not be as greedy as some of these Scribes, but what do we invest our money in? What priority would be revealed through a quick perusal of our credit card statements? Has our purse or wallet been saved, along with the rest of us? Are we sending our treasures on to heaven by investing in eternal things, or are we hoarding them here on earth?
So these are the things NOT to do! The Believers Bible Commentary sums them up as this: the scribes “loved peculiarity (long robes); popularity (greetings); prominence (best seats); priority (best places); possessions (widows’ houses); and mock piety (long prayers).” Jesus says, if you love these things, and especially if you go after them in the name of religion, you will be punished most severely (v. 40). You say, “Pastor, you’re telling us what NOT to do. So what SHOULD we do?” And that’s part two on your outline. Very simply,
2. Keep it real.
Keep your spiritual life authentic. And to illustrate this, Jesus has the disciples follow him into the Court of the Women. Jewish men could come into this court area, but no Gentiles were allowed. Around on the dividing wall were 13 trumpet-shaped funnels acting as offering collection containers. Instead of dropping your money in the offering plate, you dropped it in one of these receptacles, where it would make a loud clattering noise depending on the size of your gift.
Jesus set up camp there with his disciples and said, “Watch!” And as they watched, several rich folks came through and dropped bundles of coins down the trumpet’s mouth. You can imagine the sound that would make. And then this widow came up and dropped in her two cents. Jesus noted that she gave everything she had! She didn’t stop at ten percent. She gave 100 percent! Now you might think, “What foolishness! Why isn’t she planning ahead? Why isn’t she saving some for food, or rent, or Netflix, for goodness sake?” And that’s a good question. I don’t know. What I do know is that this lady was so in love with God that she would have put herself in that offering container if she could fit! She understood that everything she owned actually belonged to God, including herself! And in her generous gift, she topped all the rich people, in Kingdom math. Jesus said, in verse 43: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.”
Where is your heart today? I always laugh when someone says they don’t want to go to church because it’s full of hypocrites. I usually say, “You’re right, and why don’t you come on, because we certainly have room for one more!” You see, if we’re honest, we all have a hypocritical moment every now and then. We get caught up in our looks, in our status. At times, we care more about people’s opinions or the size of our bank accounts than we do about God. And today’s story reminds us, God cares about our hearts. God wants all of us, and he wants us to keep it real with him. This was Jesus’ last teaching, and his very last visit to the Temple. Until he would give all of himself in his dedication to his Heavenly Father, on our behalf. Let’s pray about it.
Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus’ object lessons here between the Teachers of the Law and the poor widow. They still ring true to us today. Help each one of us to check our heart against your values, and with your help, to put you first. Help us to live for you each and every day, not to wear two masks anymore. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
