Show Over Substance
Luke 20:45-47 NKJV
45 Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, 46 "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
Jesus was dealing with the groups that opposed Him. The chief priests, scribes, and elders confronted Jesus regarding where He got His authority. Jesus asked them a question, and when they wouldn't answer, He refused to answer them. Then Jesus shared a parable that the chief priests and elders knew was slanted against them. They wanted to arrest Him but were afraid of the people. The Pharisees sent spies to act like they were aligned with Jesus in an attempt to catch Him in His words and turn Him over to the Roman governor. But Jesus perceived their deception and shut them down. Next up were the Sadducees questioning Jesus about the resurrection. They concocted some bizarre story about a woman marrying seven brothers. Evidently, the brothers kept dying, and the other brothers stepped in to marry the woman. I am thinking, instead of asking about who marries her in heaven, why have seven brothers died? This lady sounded dangerous. But when you come up with crazy stories. Anyway, Jesus shut down these guys also.
Then Jesus had a word about the scribes. He said beware of these guys. Jesus said this out loud so everyone could hear. The scribes were a problem. Jesus has reiterated His concern with the religious system of His day. It was a lot of show and not much go. In other words, there was pomp and circumstance, but what was lacking was heart and a genuine relationship with God. Jesus was warning about the scribes who loved the trappings of ministry without the concern for people. The long robes were supposed to prove how spiritual they were. The greetings in the marketplace were the show of respect these scribes believed they deserved. And of course, the best seats in the synagogues. No back row for these boys.
But Jesus said these scribes were the same ones who would take advantage of widows in the name of God. Showing a lack of concern for the hurting really got to Jesus. And these were the guys praying long prayers, but it was all for show, not for God or for the people. Jesus said, because of these things, the scribes would receive the greater condemnation. They knew better and had positions of leadership, but were abusing both for their own benefit. Because the Scriptures say that Jesus said this in the hearing of everyone, we can only imagine how the scribes reacted to this rebuke. And it wasn't repentance.
Application
Those of us who live in the church world have to be the most careful that what we do is not for show. We don't need long prayers, only sincere ones. We don't need special seating and attention. I once contacted a church in Houston regarding coming to hear a speaker they were hosting. I asked if there was special seating for ministers. When I asked about it, I felt bad on the inside. Like when you know you are not doing something right, my heart convicted me. And you should have seen Joy's face when I told her what I had done. She was not happy with me. We went and took a seat, not even asking about a special minister's section. I was hoping no one would remember that I had asked. I felt embarrassed that I had joined the ranks of the scribes. And so we learn. I have never asked again.
Prayer
Lord, how I look before You is the most important thing. It's not what people think that matters most.