Devotional Thoughts for Today
Mark 12:38-40
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.”
I remember going bouldering for the first time with a group of friends. It was fun learning the basics and trying to figure out how to climb the different parts of the wall. As we were resting, my friends shared funny stories of experienced climbers who loved to show off their skills by climbing the part of the wall that others failed to do. It would be in such a way to make sure everyone saw that they could do something no one else could. For them, it was not enough to be good at something; they had to make sure others recognized their abilities. It was not enough to climb the wall, but they had to look good doing it for others.
We find something similar in this passage. Jesus condemns the type of religiosity that the scribes practiced. It was not really about God and loving people, but they used their piety to draw attention to themselves. They seemed godly but there was no actual substance of godly character. They prayed long prayers to show off their knowledge and oratory abilities. They took the best seats during meals and in the synagogues and walked around in long robes in order to be seen. Jesus did not approve of such practice of flashy religion—He rightfully condemns it.
The temptation to be ostentatious about our relationship with God and religious practice still exists today. Many of us use ministry and the church to draw attention to ourselves—we desire positions of leadership to feel important and superior to others. In other words, we can have ungodly intentions that are fulfilled and masked with ministry. It happens all the time. And for this reason, we have to remain vigilant about our motivations. We must intentionally remain tethered to God and abide in Christ as we do ministry. Without intimacy with God, ministry can often devolve into something ungodly. In prayer, come before God and ask Him to help you to minister and live out your calling with the right motivations and with much humility.
Prayer: Father, I want to confess that my desires and motivations are often a mixed bag, even when it comes to ministry and service in the church. Purify my heart and help me to serve with pure intentions and motives. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Thessalonians 3
Today’s passage is a well-known story that most of us are familiar with, and it serves as a helpful reminder of what is central to our lives as Christians. Jesus is once again tested by the scribes and religious leaders about the Torah. They are desperate to ruin Jesus’ reputation among the Jewish community in order to put a halt to His ever growing movement. This time they ask Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” to which Jesus rightly answers, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” However, it is interesting that Jesus also tells them what is the second greatest commandment, which is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The common thread to each commandment is love: love of God and love of neighbor.
Ernest Becker, a Jewish-American cultural-anthropologist in the 60’s and 70’s, is famous for writing The Denial of Death. Its thesis states that human civilization is essentially a complex defense mechanism in the face of its own mortality. In other words, humanity is terrified of its inevitable death and attempts to structure life in such a way as to find meaning, in spite of our inescapable mortality. Becker wrote this Pulitzer-winning book while battling colon cancer and facing his own imminent death. And the book was praised for its insight as many related to his conclusion.
The Enlightenment marked a profound change in human history. No longer was God central to the grand narrative of culture; that place was now taken by men and their optimism for humanity’s potential and ability to create meaning apart from God. People began to invest into the sciences and philosophies not as a way of discovering the wonders of God but to gain autonomy apart from Him. This began the secularization of the world in which we find ourselves today; where society has sought to maximize individual freedom and to write its own narrative script. In some sense, it has attempted to kill off God and take over the course of history – seeing it as its own project.
Recently, I had dinner with a missionary who I’ve known for a very long time. And one of my favorite things about meeting with him has always been the stories he would share about how God has been moving in his ministry. Although each story is different, the underlying thread is the faith that the missionary has in God to do the impossible—whether it’s reaching out to someone who seems hopelessly lost or the huge financial deficit that needs to be resolved by a certain deadline. Each challenge isn’t met with anxiety, fear or trying to work harder to overcome the roadblocks; instead, he chooses to go to God and ask for mountains to be moved.
The story of Jesus cleansing the temple has always been one of my favorite stories in the Gospels. It’s a picture of Jesus unlike any other. Oftentimes, we imagine Jesus to be someone who is always peaceful and calm, and yet, here, in Mark we see a display of Jesus’ anger—not only communicated through words, but by the overturning of tables and physically driving people out of the temple! I remember being shocked when I first read about the temple cleansing. Was Jesus even allowed to react this way? Why is this story in the Gospel accounts?
The AMI QT Devotionals from April 16-22 are written by Pastor Andrew Kim at Tapestry Church. Andrew, a graduate of Eternity Bible College, is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary. He and Jessie were married in 2014
Growing up, I was the type of kid who would try anything. And I would always begin with much enthusiasm and excitement, whether it be learning a new sport or instrument. However, as time passed on, my commitment and passion for my new endeavors would quickly wane. It was because I began to realize what it actually meant to acquire these new skills—the hours of practice needed and the amount of focus necessary for improvement. I wanted fast results and it was not going to come easy, so I quit. And this happened over and over again. Looking back it is easy to see that initial excitement for something does not necessarily lead to a lifetime of commitment, nor is it a sign of real passion or love.
Growing up, I used to love going over to my best friend’s house to play. However, I wasn’t allowed to go over to his house until his parents came home. Being an impatient child, I would call his house up to 10 times a day to see if they were home. While most parents would probably be annoyed by my constant calling, my friend’s parents found it endearing that I wanted to play with their son so desperately.
I’m learning that there is a huge difference between vulnerability and insecurity in the journey of faith.
Growing up, I suppose I was like most kids, and my parents were like most parents. And I had several manipulative ways to get what I wanted. Direct attacks didn’t usually work—my parents would win every argument because they wielded the authority. But, if Mom was in a bad mood, I knew to tip toe around the corner to ask Dad and that would increase the chances of achieving my goal. The sneakiest of all was this: when I knew they both opposed what I wanted, I would try to tell Dad, “But Mom said I could…”—my plan would usually backfire shortly thereafter.