Reflecting on Mark 12:38-40
"Watch out for the teachers of the law." (Mark 12:38)The teachers of the Law in Jesus day were what we would call pastors today.
Those who step out in front to explain what the bible means.
Those who have special titles of respect, or need to dress a certain way.
Those who get the better seats, or prime parking spots.
Those whose voice speaks louder and longer in the church.
Those whose job is to get more funds for their churches (widows).
Not all teachers of the Law were like this (see 12:28-34).
Not all pastors today are like this.
But sadly more than enough to lead Jesus to warn: WATCH OUT!
Sadly this has not changed.
The Law was put in place to prepare the people for the coming Messiah.
The Temple was put in place to draw people to God, and grace, and hope.
The Leaders were assigned to help the people find God, and grace, and hope.
They were servants of the Lord, and servants of the people.
They were not servants of the Law, nor of the Temple, nor of their positions.
The same is true for the bible, for churches, and for church leaders.
They do not serve the bible, the church, or the church leadership.
They are to serve (go beneath) God and the people, like Jesus did.
In my experience the bible is centered in the churches.
And the church (as a building or denomination) is centered more than the people.
And the church leaders, not the people, are the center of the ministry.
Jesus and the Jesus Way are displaced by these secondary servants.
Widows (and other ordinary sheep) are a means to an end.
More ‘widows’ in our pews, contributing to our ministries, makes our church better.
Budgets, Buildings and Butts in the Pew are the benchmarks of success.
And front and center is the ‘teacher/preacher’, the key to that success.
The better the teacher/preacher we have, the more success we will have.
Again, not all teachers/preachers are like this.
But sadly more than enough to lead Jesus to make this warning.
Why does Jesus say such teachers/preachers will be punished most severely?
Because they are responsible for taking the focus away from Jesus.
They are putting the bible, the building and the budget before Jesus.
They are failing to be servants of Jesus and the people.
They are turning a place of prayer for the nations into a business.
They are putting the needs of the institution before the needs of the people.
Their bible interpretations put up barriers between Jesus and Jesus seekers.
They’re more concerned about being right than about being gracious.
Now I can hear the defensiveness kicking in:
I am not like that! or Our church is not doing that!
That is exactly what the teachers of the Law were saying to Jesus!
They were convinced they were being faithful, they were doing right!
I tried to convince myself of this too, for years.
But there was a constant nagging within me that the focus was off.
The people in the church elevated me, deferred to me, depended on me.
Everyone insisted that we be bible-focused, bible-centered, bible-based.
I was building the church, focused on church planting, or church growth.
Yet this was more about the building and institution, and not about discipleship.
There seems to be a gravitational pull away from Jesus.
As if there were an Enemy trying to subtly shift our focus to lesser things.
History shows that this is always the case, something to watch out for.
What are the Jesus-like great churches in our community today?
Who are the Jesus-like great church leaders in our community today?
Not the bigger churches with the bigger buildings, budgets and attendees.
Not the bigger-name teachers/preachers that draw the crowd, get the acclaim.
It is the Jesus-like people who humbly share God’s grace with their neighbours.
It is the two or three people who gather in Jesus’s Name, for Jesus’s sake.
It is the Jesus-like servant leaders who lift up the widows and orphans of our day.
“These men will be punished most severely.” (Mark 12:40)
If you listen in the church, it is church leaders who speak most about ‘hell’.
They are constantly warning the people are being and doing right, or else.
They use God’s judgment and punishment to keep the sheep under control.
Yes, Jesus did talk about God’s punishment (Gehenna).
But notice WHO Jesus centers our for His warnings and woes.
Not the sheep, harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).
Jesus’s warnings and woes are for the shepherds that fail to care for the sheep.
For those who should know better, yet do not know what they are doing.
I do believe in warnings about punishment, but I believe they are directed to the shepherds.
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1)
The Lord has released me from my position in the church.
But He has not released me from my responsibility to serve.
He has not called me to serve the bible, or the church, or the denomination.
I am not called to build churches, I am called to make disciples.
Jesus calls me to focus/center on BECOMING and BLESSING Jesus followers.
Jesus and the Jesus Way… this is WHO and WHAT I am called to serve.
Jesus-seekers and Jesus-followers… this is WHO I am called to serve.
I can use the bible, and the church, and an assigned role with them.
But these are subservient to Jesus and His Way.
These are secondary tools for serving Jesus seekers and Jesus followers.
And I must continually beware of the subtle shift that inevitably occurs.
Where protecting my position or my interpretation of the bible displaces Jesus.
Where serving my institution or my church replaces serving the people.
Jesus is saying, shepherds beware, I am watching how you treat my sheep!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You are speaking to me, and to all who have been assigned roles with your sheep, both those in the fold and those that have wandered. Keep my focused on You and Your Way, and help me to be more devoted to serving than leading. If there are sheep under my care, help me to put my care under Your sheep, to put them and their needs before mine.
Help me to watch out for how I treat Your sheep!