Mark 12:40 “They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
We live in a selfie world. Social media has created a monster, or should I say social media has uncaged the monster that has always been there. Self-absorption is a problem that most humans face during their life here on earth. We have all had moments when it was about us.
When a baby is born or a wedding is happening, it is about us. But if the “us” period extends too long, it is annoying. You can tell who is self-absorbed. They are the ones who have hundreds of stories about themselves and they are always the hero in the story! No one is always the hero. We all fail sometimes.
Jesus is warning His followers about the dangers of the religious leaders. They would have fit in nicely if they lived today. They would be celebrities, always in the news, in front of the cameras, proclaiming how great they are. Their opinions would be sought after, even though they have no expertise in the field being questioned.
But Jesus puts His finger right on their gaping wound. When they are in the spotlight, their arrogance leads to other’s destruction. Since they don’t notice those around them, they end up doing damage to the very people they claim to be helping.
Think about the “War on Poverty” here in the States. Hundreds of billions of dollars spent presumably to raise the poorest out of poverty, but the percentage of people in poverty hasn’t changed much. In fact, in some groups it is worse than ever.
Now, we might not dress up in our religious outfits and show off our position to the public, but they did. Public Relations firms love this kind of person. They make for great photo covers on magazines and online platforms. They are more than happy to hold the fake check or cut the ribbon if it raises their social credit score.
But Jesus says that this type of behavior by someone who claims to be a follower of God is unacceptable. He says they will be punished most severely. This level of hypocrisy gets its due in the end. They might be able to fool some people now in this life, but it won’t sneak past the Judge.
I think the lesson for us is this: do things for the LORD with as little fanfare as possible. And when you can’t avoid the fanfare, make sure to direct the adulations to the LORD. Do everything you can to deflect away from yourself and reflect well on the LORD.
Jesus gives us an example of the correct approach in the following verses. Mark records an incident with a poor widow who put everything she had in the offering basket. There was no fanfare, no photos taken, we don’t even know her name. And yet Jesus commends her over and against the rich people who put in much more than she did.
I know I would rather be commended by the LORD than have all the earthly spotlights turned on me. If there is anything of value in my life, it is Jesus.
The Arnold Journey 