Immediately after the Lord had subdued all the opposers and had spoken to them concerning Christ, He went on to give them a warning concerning the scribes. Mark 12:38-40 says, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and like greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at the dinners; who devour the widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater judgment.” Elsewhere the Lord had told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod (8:15). The leaven of the Pharisees was their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of Herod was his corruption and injustice in politics. With the scribes there was the matter of vain knowledge, even a vain knowledge of the Bible. The scribes taught theology or doctrine in a way that was vain.
In chapters eleven and twelve of the Gospel of Mark the scribes are mentioned a number of times. The scribes were among those who questioned the Lord concerning His authority (11:27-28). It was a scribe who asked the Lord a question concerning the interpretation of the Bible (12:28). Furthermore, in 12:35 the Lord inquired, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” Now in 12:38 the Lord specifically issues a warning against the scribes.
The scribes thought they knew the Bible and also doctrine and theology. Although they may have known the Scriptures in letters, they certainly did not know Christ. Therefore, in His teaching the Lord asked how it is that the scribes say that Christ is the son of David. The scribes taught vain theology, a theology without Christ as reality.
It is possible that we may be today’s scribes. Our teaching may be right, but it may be empty, that is, without Christ. The ancient scribes taught people according to the Old Testament, but they did not have the light concerning Christ. They did not have any understanding of Him as the God-man.
We need to discern whether a particular message or teaching has Christ as its center, reality, and living essence. Certain preachers and teachers are naturally eloquent and can present doctrine to others in a way that pleases the itching ears. Such teaching, preaching, or expounding of the Bible is according to man’s knowledge with human eloquence. We need to be able to discern whether Christ is the center, reality, and essence of each message. If Christ is not the center, then that message is empty. In principle, it belongs to the teaching of the scribes, and we should beware of it.
We should not think that as long as a teaching is scriptural, there is no problem with it. There is a means for us to discern all kinds of teaching, and that is to discern whether or not Christ is the center, reality, and essence of every teaching. In the Lord’s recovery Christ must be the center, reality, and essence of every message. A message or teaching may be scholarly, academic, scriptural, and eloquent, providing a great deal of Bible knowledge. Nevertheless, it is possible for such a teaching to be a teaching of today’s scribes. We need to follow this as a basic principle in discerning the teaching in the Lord’s recovery.
Today’s religion is full of scribes. Many teachings among Christians are scriptural and scholarly. Many who teach know Greek or Hebrew, and they are versed in different expositions of the Scriptures. But Christ may not be the center, reality, and essence of their speaking.
After the Lord Jesus gives the warning concerning the scribes, He appraises a poor widow in her loyalty (12:41-44). “And having sat down opposite the treasury, He beheld how the crowd was casting money into the treasury; and many rich people were casting in much” (12:41). The Slave-Savior was God living in His humanity. As such, He was concerned to see how God’s people expressed their loyalty in their offering to Him. In this way He appraised the widow’s loyalty to God. The Slave-Savior’s observation is more penetrating than man’s.
When the Lord Jesus saw “one poor widow having come cast in two small copper coins, which is a quadrans,” He called His disciples to Him and said to them, “Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than all those who were casting into the treasury; for they all cast in out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has cast in all, as much as she had, her whole livelihood” (vv. 42-44). Those who gave out of their abundance did not touch the Lord’s heart. However, the Lord was touched by the poor widow who cast in two small copper coins. He admired her for giving in such a way.