Hypocrisy and religion

Studies in Mark

8 November 2009

Mark 12:38-44

It has been said that everyone enjoys a good sermon on hypocrisy! In itself that is one of the best illustrations to demonstrate that we do not understand the nature of hypocrisy.

At the 1993 Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association in Atlanta, three hundred thousand doctors, nurses and medical researchers came together to discuss, among other things, the importance a low fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy.

Yet, during the meal breaks, they were reported as consuming fat-filled fast food, such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries at about the same rate as all the other major conventions held in the city. When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied, ‘No, not me. I took my tag off!’

Our passage this evening is Mark 12:38-44 and it falls into two sections. The first is a warning against the Teachers of the Law and the second a delightful account of a widow’s offering, gathering up the themes of the chapter – which, to say the least, have been tough and direct. I want to suggest that the two accounts need to be considered together … the gospel reminds us that Jesus is engaged in a process of observation, watching others, which should warn us all about our own living.

I believe it to be appropriate to link the verse preceding this section as a good entry point into the two small aspects of teaching. We read that ‘the large crowd listened to him with delight.’ Was it to such people that Jesus gave his words of warning?

Text – Mark 12:38 –
‘As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out …”’

Let us put the passage into context. The Gospel of Mark continues to portray the conflict between Jesus and the scribes. He warns against their prideful hypocrisy, so characteristic of their behaviour. They love to go about in long robes, pray pretentious prayers and delight in being seen in the places of honour. They act piously, but their behaviour does not square up with what they say. A key verse is v. 40 – ‘They devour widow’s houses.’ For such attitudes they will receive a greater judgement than others.

By contrast, Jesus observes a destitute widow, who puts all her money in the Temple coffers. The comparison is remarkably striking.

I propose to make five observations:

The danger of playing to the gallery – v.v. 38-40

Jesus accused the scribes of being actors, playing a part, not living life to the full extent of their religion. As Clark H Pinnock pointed out, hypocrisy was ‘originally a technical term in Greek drama, designating the act of playing a part…’ It came to mean ‘… feigning or pretending to be what one is not.’

In the bible, it comes to mean far more than mere pretence, though this is undoubtedly present. Jesus opposed outward religious ostentation, which so often existed apart from real God-centred and genuine piety (Matthew 6:2, 5 and 16).

Many religious leaders acted in a way calculated to impress the audience, to bring down the house with applause. The very clothes they wore were bound to draw attention to themselves – they had identifiable robes which singled them out in public places and they believed that people should give them respect.

Reward has already been received in applause

The danger of wanting too much applause is that it becomes a reward. The bounty of recognition is not the most important aspect of life … life is more.

The office of ‘scribe’ has a long history in Israel (cf. Jeremiah 8:8). At the time of Jesus’ ministry, their numbers had greatly increased until such a point where their responsibilities had grown to include interpretation of matters of law, being jurists and involved in other practical aspects which amplified their influence in Judaism. They held a position of real standing in the community.

They made financial profit out of widows

A powerful social statement is being made by Jesus. Religion should never provide an ultimate profit line. When you are out boating, you must be aware not only of what you see on the surface, but the dangers that lurk beneath. The minefield of hypocrisy is greater than all of us imagine. We must be careful if we are pointing the wrong out in other people, when it is most prevalent in ourselves. That counts for us all … not just leaders!

There was a two-fold expression of their activity. We are told they prayed ‘long prayers’ which were but ‘a cloak for greed’ (1 Thess. 2:5) and they devoured the properties of widows by setting exorbitant fees or through the abuse of hospitality or generosity. Such activity is linked together … that is a pretence of piety and improper dealings for self-gain.

The weakness of wanting only the best – v. 39

Our generation has seen a rise in the number of magazines around the world, which pander to our voyeuristic culture – articles and photographs peek into the social occasions of the rich and famous.

One of the most offensive titles belongs to a North American television program – ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’. I am told that the program showcases the over-the-top lifestyles of celebrities. Millions of people drool over the possessions and lifestyle of such people.

For many of the scribes to whom Jesus refers, the best was also what they pursued. It meant quality clothes, the choicest seats and the ultimate in admiration.

There is nothing actually wrong in wanting quality

Desiring something to be of good quality is not in itself wrong – but who decides what is good? I have a friend who loves a nice tie … as I do! Whenever he received one, I used to enjoy watching him move his fingers up and down the tie and the question in his mind was, ‘Is this good quality silk?’

The difficulty lies not in appreciating the better quality of life, but in letting it become the goal … at the expense of caring for others. It is important that we do not view the teaching of Jesus as a cause for accepting poverty as we meet it in such as the widow, but realise that the poor have so much to teach us. At Wesley Mission, we are daily confronted by the need to speak out about the poor circumstances in which people are almost forced to live. We want quality for such people also.

The desire for material things, however, can disqualify us

When it comes to the table of humanity, what matters is that you eat at the table – not that you have special seating arrangements or a better menu.

When I was a Premier League football chaplain, at home matches invariably I was asked to sit in the Directors’ Box, which was well furnished but reasonably quiet compared to the rest of the seating. When I used to travel with the team away from home, I would often choose to be with our travelling supporters and I much preferred that. It is not the quality of the seating that counts!

Mark Twain wrote A Revised Catechism, which was loosely based on the old Westminster Confession:

‘What is the chief end of man?
To get rich.
In what way?
Dishonestly if we can; honestly if we must.
Who is God, the one only and true?
Money is God. Gold and Greenbacks and Stock – father, son, and ghosts of same, three persons in one; these are the true and only God, mighty and supreme.’

All of us must take seriously the ministry of Jesus which had about it a balanced view of ‘material things’ … this does not deny that meals and homes are necessary for life, but perhaps the greatest lessons are taught by the poor.

The wonder of going beyond the best – v.v. 42-44

The widow did not merely give her best to the Lord, she gave her all. This goes a step further. Some gave much in this public place of giving … far more than she, as a widow, ever could. But, from all appearances, she was giving all she had. What she gave may not have appeared to be much, but it was wonderful in the sight of God … and isn’t this what really matters?

It is significant that these stories are recorded together, for they speak to each other. If hypocrisy includes a radical opposition to the ways of God, embroidered by self-righteousness, then the step that liberates us, sets us free to live life, is to be found on the generous edge.

During John Wesley’s life (1703-91), the country in which he ministered experienced rapid urbanisation. This damaged the rural economy, saw the overcrowding of cities, the rise of substance abuse and also a fearful increase in the level of crime. A small, select upper class distanced themselves from the growing problems.

Wesley, for the most part, interacted with a different kind of people, who owned far less and were never certain of their financial future. But he eventually became well known as both a preacher and writer … so much so that he earned £1,400 a year, which would be much nearer to half a million dollars today. Yet he chose to live simply but comfortably on £28 a year. He donated everything that came his way and said, ‘If I leave behind me ten pounds … you and all mankind can bear witness against me that I lived and died a thief and a robber.’

Real giving and caring is marked out by sacrifice

So much of the work we engage in at Wesley Mission is about caring for people … and I can testify to the nature of that caring in relation to sacrifice. Jesus did not condemn the Temple Treasury, for he knew the Temple (like any other institution or community) could not exist without support. It was the way the Treasury was set up and how it became a public display of people’s so-called ‘generosity’.

C T Studd wrote, ‘No sacrifice can be too great to make for him who gave his life for me.’ In fact the only way we can have any meaningful conversation about sacrifice is when we see it as but a response to the gift of Christ.

Real giving has a healthy recklessness about it

The woman could have kept one of her coins … after all that might have been the advice you would have given her. A great truth is communicated in her action. One writer commented, ‘It is our tragedy that there is so often some part of ourselves which we do not give to Christ. Somehow there is nearly always something we hold back. We rarely make the final sacrifice and the final surrender.’

When we give to another or to a cause, if it is in the spirit of this context, then the gift is meant to come from a heart moved and engaged with the person or the cause. It can appear shockingly reckless to one who does not understand.

The reality of Jesus seeing all – v.41

Jesus seats himself directly opposite the place where the offerings were being given … and watches the crowds placing their money in the Temple Treasury.

People often say that what they give is between themselves and God. There is a great degree of truth in this, but God is not indifferent to what we actually do. It is a rather discomforting thought that Jesus is watching our every action throughout life.

In the Treasury there were thirteen metal receptacles, with great trumpet heads to receive the several kinds of offering. It could be that Jesus sat looking into a room where the trumpets were situated and it was not just what he saw, but what he heard that made all the difference. The widow’s offering hardly made ‘a clink’ of a sound! The coin she would use was called ‘a lepton’ which was the smallest Temple coin.

In the USA, it will soon be Thanksgiving. You may have heard the story about the Butterball Turkey Company which has a hotline where you can ring and receive advice about preparing your turkey – or ideas about what you can do with the leftovers. One man called to ask if it was alright to roast a turkey that had been in his freezer for three years. The representative explained that if the turkey had never been defrosted, it would probably be safe enough to eat, but the meat would certainly not taste fresh. There was a long silence and then the man said, ‘I know what I’ll do, I’ll give it to the church!’

Our prayers and not our offerings are judged by weight

The length of a person’s prayers is not necessarily a sign of their ‘weight’. Prayers can be a parade – like those who displayed the size of their gifts. The ‘all-seeing’ sense of Jesus’ insight into our lives is also an encouragement. It can remind us that it does not matter that others don’t offer recognition … what matters is that ‘he sees’.

The long prayers of the religious leaders of the day were notorious. Some have said that they were not so much prayers as displays of self-importance in the sight of others. Likewise greeting in the marketplace and expecting the best seats at the synagogue and feasts all communicate the same message.

Our offerings and not our prayers are judged by length

Just as prayers need not be lengthy to be real, offerings need not be weighty to make a difference. Our gifts have a journey in two directions: inwardly, so they tell of a genuine commitment from the heart; and outwardly, as the offering goes on to achieve far more than one could ever imagine.

In the past year, I have signed hundreds and hundreds of letters to people who support our work in the extremely difficult context in which we seek to help people today. The great majority of people will never know just how precious those gifts are:-

Maintaining support for a person made homeless.
Offering counsel to someone addicted to gambling.
Helping someone to deal with their addiction.

The quality that catches his eye – v.v. 43-44

In the teaching of Jesus, hypocrites could clearly see a splinter in another’s eye, but failed to see the log in their own (Matthew 7:5). What Jesus observes in this woman, a widow, is the exact opposite of show for show’s sake. She gave everything she had. It’s ironic that those who wanted to catch God’s notice (and everyone else’s!) only received condemnation … and the widow who gave almost secretly was commended.

The real quality of giving is not value, but cost to the giver

Few of us will hear this story without a touch of shame. The person who is held up before us is an example of real giving. She gave far less than most of us … yet her means were so meagre.

We can only begin to see the significance of Jesus’ commendation by understanding that widows were amongst the poorest of people:-

Special arrangements to help were exercised in families.
Such arrangements might involve marriage.
There was no natural provision for widows.

It is important to recognise that the issue of widows was not a socially compassionate issue alone; it was a matter of justice … and the fact that Jesus uses the example of one of the most excluded groups in the community speaks volumes.

The real quality of living is not other people’s judgement or self-assessment, but God’s

The comparison of commitment for all of us is against our own ability to give or to do … and not what someone else is able to do. The cost of living the way of Jesus is always going to test us, if we do not feel any pain or hurt in the doing so.

Peter Marshall was probably the most famous chaplain of the US Senate and he died relatively young in life. His ministry, and that of his wife Catherine, has been used by God the world over.

A man came to Peter with a concern about tithing (one method of giving to support the work of the church). “I have a problem,’ he said. ‘I have been tithing for some time. It wasn’t too bad when I was making $20,000 a year; I could afford to give up to $2,000. But now that I am making $500,000, there’s no way I can afford to give away $50,000 a year.’

Peter Marshall reflected on this wealthy man’s dilemma but gave no advice. He simply said, ‘Yes, sir. I see you have a problem. I think we ought to pray about it. Is that alright?’

The man agreed, so Dr Marshall bowed his head and prayed, ‘Dear Lord, this man has a problem, and I pray that you will help him. Please reduce his salary back to the place where he can afford to give generously.’

Christian Life