Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Okay. Welcome back to the Corona Chronicles. We are in Mark chapter 12. In the last session, Jesus asked a question back to a to a large crowd who, for the sort of past chapter, had been asking him lots questions. So there's question after question after question against Jesus.

What about this? What about that? And then there's silence because they had no more to say. Then Jesus asks a question back And then there's still silence. There's delight, but there's silence so he carries on and he's sort of pushing harder now.

And reversed 38 of chapter 12. As he taught, Jesus said, watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seat in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers these men will be punished most severely. Yes.

Well, I mean, it's it's interesting, isn't it? Because Jesus has been teaching those in the temple courts and has been addressing the teachers of the law and pointing out their hypocrisy, and now he just spears them, doesn't he? Yeah. And shows that all of their questioning and they're very way of doing religion is just a sham. And just the way Jesus stacks up the images here is is amazing, isn't it?

They, you know, flowing roads -- Yeah. -- greeted with respect. Most importantly, places them on a banquet marking places. And, you know, they just love it and and for them, they've they've recognized that religion. Is the door to a very opulent life where they can have status and respect and honor and -- Mhmm.

-- and yet that is as far as it goes. I mean religion is just the vehicle to take them where they wanna go, which is their own glory. Yeah. And you know Jesus is calling them out there, isn't he? Yeah.

Absolutely. And none of these things are it's interesting because marketplaces, fine. You can go there. Roads, you can go. Yeah.

You know, sit in the synagogues, go to banquets of honor, but and pray as well. None of those things are necessarily bad bad in and of themselves. But they, as you say, they they take every element of what was meant to be you know, a godly position to lead the people and glorify God and in every element they self glorify. Yeah. So even when they're praying, which is meant to be on behalf, you know, if you're a teacher of the law, you are in a way, the mouthpiece of the people to God.

You're meant to sort of pray on behalf of people. But instead, you know, we were just chatting before you were saying that the parable of the tax collector and the pharisee praying. And he says, thank you that I'm not like -- Sorry to kill each other. Yeah. So instead of praying on behalf of him and saying to give him his sins, which is his rightful, you know, position, He's turning it into a self glorifying -- Yeah.

-- which is which is really the essence of sin, isn't it? Yeah. So this is sin but clothed in religion. Yes. Absolutely.

And that that's what religion tries to do. I mean, that is a very good point that it it it tries to distance religious people from sinners. Yes. You know? So I thank you that I'm not like.

Mhmm. You know, is trying to say, yes, let everybody know there is a world of difference between us 2 -- Mhmm. -- whereas a true servant of God is trying to say, no. We're more alike with different. Absolutely.

You know, we're both sinners. We both need God's grace. There isn't a big distinction between us. Yes. Whereas religion always wants to say, you can't come to the bank that you can't have the most important seat.

Yep. And, you know, it's you know, there's plenty of examples of that in the world. But you know, there's the seeds of this in all of our hearts, isn't there? And and there there is something attractive about it. This is the thing.

If if it if it did nothing for people, no 1 would do it. Yeah. There is something heady and lovely about this sort of treatment -- Yeah. -- and people revereting you and honoring you and And, you know, that's why Jesus says they, you know, they have had their reward already. There is a reward.

Yeah. Yeah. It's You know, that that that's what it is. But But actually, you know, the the reality is just so is just so so fake and so different, isn't it? And and Jesus just goes on to say that, doesn't he?

Yeah. And not not just that they've received their reward now, but actually, they're gonna be punished for this later. Yes. Exactly. And if you are in a position of authority over God's people, and he's given you responsibility for their souls in many ways.

You will be judged more harshly because you've it's like you're driving the car and you've got the lives of other people in your responsibility as well as your own. And so not only are these men harming themselves but they're completely harming others. Mhmm. Not just in neglecting to teach and and people properly a good example, but also in verse 40, they devour widows houses. Yeah.

I mean, that is a widow is is 1 of the most vulnerable people in society. And and God is all about the weak and the undermined and and the vulnerable. And so God's people should be the ones who support them. Know, in Seoul, we were looking recently at Ruth and how Byways was her guardian Rediba because she was a widow. She'd known to look after her, but boaz sort of saved her and her family lying in a sense from which Jesus came.

That's great. You know, so this is you know, God set that up because he is our guardian redeemer. He wants to look after the widow. And here, the people who are meant to be representing God are devouring widows' houses. That's right.

And you know, that just exposes what they're really like, isn't it? And, you know, it's apparently, the teachers of the law would would often act on behalf of with those. So whatever little they had, the teachers of the law could could perform duties to help them with their estate and to manage their estate or sometimes apparently widows would actually, once they'd lost their fact, their husband would devote themselves to the temple to be servants temple. And the teachers will all exploit them, you know, exploit them as those lower lower workers. And so Jesus is saying, look no matter that they look the real deal, but actually this is what they do to people.

And as you point out, the it's the opposite of what God intends So all the way throughout the old testament. I mean, Amos is just full of this. It's it it is just a disgrace for people who are in the position of authority to be to be so trampling the poor and and and so publicly oppressing people. It's just abhorrent to God. It is a stink in his nose.

Yeah. And And that's why the punishment is so is so severe, really. And so this is a this is just this I mean, this is just a warning, isn't it? It's just a warning against religious hypocrisy and, you know, wherever we find that in our own hearts. Yep.

We've we've gotta rip it out by the root as soon as we can, haven't we? Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.