Mark 12:38
In His teaching Jesus also said, "Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
In His teaching
This phrase indicates the authoritative role of Jesus as a teacher. The Greek word for "teaching" is "διδαχή" (didachē), which implies not just imparting knowledge but also moral instruction. Jesus' teachings were not merely academic; they were transformative, aiming to change hearts and lives. His role as a teacher was central to His ministry, and His teachings were often counter-cultural, challenging the status quo and calling for a deeper understanding of God's will.

Jesus also said
The use of "also" suggests that this teaching is part of a broader discourse. Jesus often used parables and direct teachings to convey His message. The Greek word "λέγει" (legei) for "said" implies a continuous action, indicating that Jesus was actively engaging with His audience. His words carried divine authority, and His teachings were meant to be heeded as the very words of God.

Beware of the scribes
The word "beware" comes from the Greek "βλέπετε" (blepete), meaning to see or perceive with caution. Jesus is issuing a warning to His followers to be vigilant. The scribes were experts in the Law, respected for their knowledge and interpretation of Scripture. However, Jesus warns against their hypocrisy and pride. This caution serves as a reminder to discern the true character of spiritual leaders and to be wary of those who seek self-glorification rather than God's glory.

who like to walk around in long robes
The phrase "like to walk around" is translated from the Greek "θέλοντες περιπατεῖν" (thelontes peripatein), indicating a desire or preference. The "long robes" were a symbol of status and authority, often worn by those in religious or official positions. These garments set the scribes apart, making them easily recognizable and revered. Jesus criticizes their love for outward appearances and the honor it brings, highlighting the danger of valuing external recognition over internal righteousness.

and receive greetings in the marketplaces
The "greetings" refer to the public acknowledgment and respect given to the scribes. The Greek word "ἀσπασμούς" (aspasmous) implies a formal salutation, often accompanied by gestures of respect. The "marketplaces" were central hubs of social and economic activity, where such greetings would be highly visible. Jesus points out the scribes' desire for public admiration, contrasting it with the humility and servanthood He exemplified and taught. This serves as a call to His followers to seek God's approval rather than human accolades.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is teaching in the temple courts, offering wisdom and warnings to His followers and the crowds.

2. Scribes
Jewish religious leaders and scholars of the Law. They were respected for their knowledge but criticized by Jesus for their hypocrisy and desire for public admiration.

3. Marketplace
A public area where people gathered for trade and social interaction. It was a place where the scribes sought recognition and honor from the people.

4. Temple Courts
The setting of Jesus' teaching in this passage, a place of worship and learning in Jerusalem.

5. Disciples and Crowds
The audience of Jesus' teaching, including His followers and the general public who were present in the temple.
Teaching Points
Beware of Hypocrisy
Jesus warns against the hypocrisy of the scribes, who seek honor from men rather than God. Believers should examine their motives and ensure their actions align with genuine faith.

Seek Humility
The desire for public recognition can lead to pride. Christians are called to humility, valuing God's approval over human praise.

Authentic Worship
True worship is not about outward appearances but a sincere heart devoted to God. Believers should focus on their relationship with God rather than seeking validation from others.

Guard Against Pride
Pride can lead to spiritual downfall. Christians should cultivate a spirit of humility and service, following Jesus' example.

Discernment in Leadership
Jesus' warning serves as a reminder to be discerning about religious leaders, ensuring they exhibit genuine faith and humility.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we guard against the temptation to seek recognition and approval from others in our daily lives?

2. In what ways can we cultivate humility in our personal and spiritual lives, following Jesus' example?

3. How does the warning against the scribes' behavior challenge us to examine our own motives in serving God and others?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure our worship and service are authentic and pleasing to God?

5. How can we apply the principle of discernment in evaluating the teachings and actions of religious leaders today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 23:5-7
Jesus criticizes the Pharisees and scribes for their love of outward appearances and public recognition, similar to His warning in Mark 12:38.

Luke 20:46-47
Parallel account of Jesus' warning about the scribes, emphasizing their exploitation of the vulnerable and their hypocritical behavior.

1 Samuel 16:7
God looks at the heart rather than outward appearances, contrasting with the scribes' focus on external recognition.

James 4:6
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, highlighting the danger of seeking human praise as the scribes did.
Long Prayers. -- Prayers Judged by Weight, not LengthJohn Trapp.Mark 12:38-40
Recklessness of AmbitionChristian AgeMark 12:38-40
Traits of the ScribeE. Johnson Mark 12:38-40
Warner Against the Scribes and PhariseesJ.J. Given Mark 12:38-40
Yielding the PreeminenceChristian AgeMark 12:38-40
People
David, Herodians, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Beware, Bowed, Clothing, Course, Desire, Doctrine, Flowing, Greeted, Greetings, Guard, Law, Love, Market, Marketplaces, Market-places, Moreover, Places, Pleasure, Public, Resort, Respected, Respectful, Robes, Salutations, Saying, Scribes, Teachers, Teaching, Walk, Watch
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 12:38

     5177   robes
     5328   greeting
     5402   market

Mark 12:28-40

     7552   Pharisees, attitudes to Christ

Mark 12:35-40

     7464   teachers of the law

Mark 12:38-39

     2363   Christ, preaching and teaching
     5379   law, Christ's attitude
     5514   scribes
     5554   status
     5849   exaltation
     7462   tassel
     8822   self-justification

Mark 12:38-40

     5348   injustice, nature and source
     5480   protection
     7759   preachers, qualifications
     8767   hypocrisy
     8804   pride, examples

Mark 12:38-44

     5743   widows

Library
God's Last Arrow
'Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them.'--Mark xii. 6. Reference to Isaiah v. There are differences in detail here which need not trouble us. Isaiah's parable is a review of the theocratic history of Israel, and clearly the messengers are the prophets; here Christ speaks of Himself and His own mission to Israel, and goes on to tell of His death as already accomplished. I. The Son who follows and surpasses the servants. (a) Our Lord here places Himself in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Dishonest Tenants
'And He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Not Far and not In
'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.'--Mark xii. 34, 'A bruised reed He will not break, and the smoking flax He will not quench.' Here is Christ's recognition of the low beginnings of goodness and faith. This is a special case of a man who appears to have fully discerned the spirituality and inwardness of law, and to have felt that the one bond between God and man was love. He needed only to have followed out the former thought to have been smitten by the conviction of his own sinfulness, and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Marvels of Holy Scripture, --Moral and Physical. --Jael's Deed Defended. --Miracles vindicated.
Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God. ON a certain occasion, the Son of Man was asked what was thought a hard question by those who, in His day, professed "the negative Theology [588] ." There was a moral and there was physical marvel to be solved. Both difficulties were met by a single sentence. The Sadducean judgment had gone astray from the Truth, (planasthe our Saviour said,) from a twofold cause: (1) The men did not understand those very Scriptures
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Obedience to God the Way to Faith in Christ.
"When Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."--Mark xii. 34. The answer of the scribe, which our blessed Lord here commends, was occasioned by Christ's setting before him the two great commandments of the Law. When He had declared the love of God and of man to comprehend our whole duty, the scribe said, "Master, Thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He: and to love Him with all the heart, and with
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Unity of the Divine Being
"There is one God." Mark 12:32. 1. And as there is one God, so there is one religion and one happiness for all men. God never intended there should be any more; and it is not possible there should. Indeed, in another sense, as the Apostle observes, "there are gods many, and lords many." All the heathen nations had their gods; and many, whole shoals of them. And generally, the more polished they were, the more gods they heaped up to themselves. But to us, to all that are favoured with the Christian
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

For the Candid and Thoughtful
It strikes me that this scribe was half-hearted in the work of tempting our Lord, even at the first. I should imagine him to have been a very superior man amongst his fellows, a man of greater light and discernment than the rest, and of greater ability in statement and discussion. Possibly for this cause his brother scribes selected him, and put him forward to ask the testing questions. Now, it will sometimes happen that a man is thrust forward by others to do what he would never have thought of
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880

The First and Great Commandment
It is "the first commandment," again, not only for antiquity, but for dignity. This command, which deals with God the Almighty must ever take precedence of every other. Other commandments deal with man and man, but this with man and his Creator. Other commands of a ceremonial kind, when disobeyed, may involve but slight consequences upon the person who may happen to offend, but this disobeyed provokes the wrath of God, and brings his ire at once upon the sinner's head. He that stealeth committeth
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Observing the Offerings and Widow's Mites.
(in the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^B Mark XII. 41-44; ^C Luke XXI. 1-4. ^b 41 And he sat down over against the treasury [It is said that in the court of the women there were cloisters or porticos, and under the shelter of these were placed thirteen chests with trumpet-shaped mouths into which offerings might be dropped. The money cast in was for the benefit of the Temple. An inscription on each chest showed to which one of the thirteen special items of cost or expenditure the contents would
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

A Serious Persuasive to Such a Method of Spending Our Days as is Represented in the Former Chapter.
1, 2. Christians fix their views too low, and indulge too indolent a disposition, which makes it more necessary to urge such a life as that under consideration.--3. It is therefore enforced, from its being apparently reasonable, considering ourselves as the creatures of God, and as redeemed by the blond of Christ.--4. From its evident tendency to conduce to our comfort in life.--5. From the influence it will have to promote our usefulness to others.--6. From its efficacy to make afflictions lighter.--7.
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

The Cross as a Social Principle
Social Redemption is Wrought by Vicarious Suffering DAILY READINGS First Day: The Prophetic Succession And he began to speak unto them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Whether to the Words, "Thou Shalt Love the Lord Thy God with Thy Whole Heart," it was Fitting to Add "And with Thy Whole Soul, and with Thy Whole Strength"?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was unfitting to the words, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart," to add, "and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength" (Dt. 6:5). For heart does not mean here a part of the body, since to love God is not a bodily action: and therefore heart is to be taken here in a spiritual sense. Now the heart understood spiritually is either the soul itself or part of the soul. Therefore it is superfluous to mention both heart and soul. Objection
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Tribute Money
"And they send unto Him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch Him in talk. And when they were come, they say unto Him, Master, we know that Thou art true, and carest not for any one: for Thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye Me? bring Me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Christ and the Sadduccees
"And there come unto Him Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection: and they asked Him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed; and the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him; and the third likewise: and the seven left no seed. Last of all the woman also
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Discerning Scribe
"And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

David's Lord
"And Jesus answered and said, as He taught in the temple, How say the scribes that the Christ is the Son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit,-- The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, Till I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet. David himself calleth Him Lord; and whence is He his son? And the common people heard Him gladly. And in His teaching He said, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and to have salutations in the marketplaces, and chief
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Widow's Mite
"And He sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And He called unto Him His disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than all they which are casting into the treasury; for they all did cast in of their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." MARK
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

Talks with Bohler
I asked P. Bohler again whether I ought not to refrain from teaching others. He said, "No; do not hide in the earth the talent God hath given you." Accordingly, on Tuesday, 25, I spoke clearly and fully at Blendon to Mr. Delamotte's family of the nature and fruits of faith. Mr. Broughton and my brother were there. Mr. Broughton's great objection was he could never think that I had not faith, who had done and suffered such things. My brother was very angry and told me I did not know what mischief
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

The Room was Like and Oven
Sunday, 8.--We were at the minster [21] in the morning and at our parish church in the afternoon. The same gentleman preached at both; but though I saw him at the church, I did not know I had ever seen him before. In the morning he was all life and motion; in the afternoon he was as quiet as a post. At five in the evening, the rain constrained me to preach in the oven again. The patience of the congregation surprised me. They seemed not to feel the extreme heat or to be offended at the close application
John Wesley—The Journal of John Wesley

The Morality of the Gospel.
Is stating the morality of the Gospel as an argument of its truth, I am willing to admit two points; first, that the teaching of morality was not the primary design of the mission; secondly, that morality, neither in the Gospel, nor in any other book, can be a subject, properly speaking, of discovery. If I were to describe in a very few words the scope of Christianity as a revelation, [49] I should say that it was to influence the conduct of human life, by establishing the proof of a future state
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Prophecy.
PROPHECY. Isaiah iii. 13; liii. "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

In Reply to the Questions as to his Authority, Jesus Gives the Third Great Group of Parables.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) Subdivision C. Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. ^A Matt. XXI. 33-46; ^B Mark XII. 1-12; ^C Luke XX. 9-19. ^b 1 And he began to speak unto them ^c the people [not the rulers] ^b in parables. { ^c this parable:} ^a 33 Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder [this party represents God], who planted a vineyard [this represents the Hebrew nationality], and set a hedge about it, and digged a ^b pit for the ^a winepress in it
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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