Beware of anyine in Leadership that has to be first

Mark 12:35-40

³⁵ And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ ³⁷ David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.

It seems as if the question is still debated, even when the evidence has been clearly laid out.  What is the issue; “Whose Son is the Christ?”  The Scribes were saying the Messiah would come from King David’s lineage and Jesus meets that requirement.  “The scribes identified Messiah as David’s Son, but David identified Messiah as his Lord.   Therefore Messiah was not just a descendant of David. He was David’s Lord.” (Taken from page 1709 notes in HCSB)

We are still sharing what Jesus had to say about the scribes in His day, and I believe it applies as much today.  I think today Jesus would say beware of the pastor who has a special parking place at the church building and where it is known as and called by his name.  Our pastor at Oakwood has a policy that applies to all staff, and they are called to leave the best parking for our members and park at the back of the lot.  He also asked them to be the last in line at a church meal and the last to leave all services unless they have a good reason.  Jesus is not referring to a man like Ray Still in this verse, but a pastor who believes he is the top gun and all others are blessed to be part of his ministry. 

This is what Jesus has to say about this kind of scribe. ³⁸ And in his teaching, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces ³⁹ and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, ⁴⁰ who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

But all of us that are followers of Christ should beware of putting ourselves first that is not the model Christ left us; it is a worldly model, not a Godly model.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice