Matt 12:38 And in His teaching He said, Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and like greetings in the market places 39 And chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at the dinners, 40 Who devour the widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These shall receive greater judgment.
[Part 1 of 2]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. 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. 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 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. 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. (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Mark, pp. 332-333. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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