Nice hymns vicar

Last week, we had Jesus in a political debate with the Scribes, just after a conversation with the Sadducees. Was it heart, soul and strength which mattered, or could we now include our mind, our intelligence as well? – says Jesus. We are at Mark 12:38-44. Jesus is teaching in the Temple itself, and a large crowd gathered around him. There’s no indication whether the crowd formed in lines to get in, whether it was ‘so large’, or whether people left before Jesus finished… Jesus speaks of those Scribes – who?

Well, in brief: “The Sadducees wanted to protect traditional Jewish values and customs. The Elders (or Pharisees) were community leaders and judges who applied the Law. The Chief Priests were members of the Priestly families. The Scribes were the lawyers who interpreted Jewish Law.” They would become the Rabbinic sages after the Temple had been razed to the floor by the Romans: which, if Mark’s Gospel was written as scholars believe in the early 70s, had just happened.

“Those scribes who walk around in long flowing robes“…who in our churches would do that?

“are greeted with respect in market places, and who sit in the best places in the” places of worship…would we associate with that?

It was the Roman’s, with Emperor Constantine’s astonishing revelation that God was on his side – just prior to a battle which he won and then permitted Christianity to be accepted across the Empire – whereupon the clergy of the day took on Roman garb, such as the toga. Cue the various priestly vestments.

They devour – what a word – widow’s houses.  According to the Law of Moses, the spiritual leaders were supposed to be taking care of the widows and orphans in the community, and providing for their needs (Deut 26:12). They take what they might not own, they might be a bit underhand – is it saying that? What rights did a widow have when compared to a Scribe, or their equivalent today.

So, come back at what the minister says : on the blog here, by email,
face-to-face over coffee afterwards. It’s so much better than “nice hymns vicar”.

They watch what the treasury is doing as it collects the money. But then Jesus throws in an example of a poor woman with two small coins. She does more than ‘they’ do.

So, this Sunday, ponder whether the fine garb some might wear is beneficial – and to whom? Consider the worth that we, ourselves, give possibly compared to our budget, how many within our family, and/or how vulnerable this donation may make us in the coming days. And don’t trouble ourselves over what others are giving – that’s up to them, and outside of our control.