While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Beware! This is a stark warning Jesus issues. It might be similar to that of a captain going to the lookout at night in a battalion, and warning them of the sneakiness of the enemy. Or a shepherd might warn his sheep to be alert for signs of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

So let’s examine how these teachers of the law deceive the people: 1) They have fancy clothes which they use to signify their importance, 2) they have special titles and expect bowing and certain special treatment in the marketplace, and 3) They have the places of honor at synagogues and official banquets. Maybe they were announced upon entry too? In the same breath, they devour widows’ homes with their weighty obligations and yet say wordy public prayers to demonstrate their self-professed holiness.

In one of my favorite movies, Life is Beautiful (which is a comedic tragedy on The Holocaust), a woman school teacher is set to marry a good German soldier, and she is attending the engagement party. At her table, another school teacher poses a grotesque math story problem to her betrothed: the State spends $X per day taking care of the elderly infirm, cripples, deaf, and lame citizens of Italy. Suppose you took 400,000 of them and exterminated them. How much would this save the State? It was such a horrible question, but the betrothed man answered it matter-of-factly. This infuriated the woman so much that she married a Jewish suitor instead.

It is not hard to imagine similar conversations, gossiping and belittling the poor and oppressed in society by the teachers of the law and their wealthy friends. Except they would add religion and God’s name to the mix. “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬-‭19‬)

Evil men use fear and reproach to push people down. They rely on the fear of others and their conformity to rule. But when you stand up to them and replace fear with confidence in The Lord, they panic.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬)

When we fully recognize our identity in Jesus Christ and our citizenship in heaven as his followers, we have no fear of earthly reprisal or harm. We are so close to our Lord that the glory of the future age far outweighs the trials of the current one. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” ‭‭(II Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬)

So, my friends, we must daily prepare our hearts, refocus our minds and fix our eyes on the prize of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Father, thank you for the way you stood up to evil spiritual leaders who were full of deceit. You called them out and called people away from them. I want to be strong and bold like you today!