Luke 20:45-47 - Be Genuine

Although some scribes, in Luke 20:39, praised Jesus, He was not impressed by them. What He saw from the behaviours of the scribes disturbed Him. So He highlighted them and warned His disciples about them. What He was saying was so needful that He wanted the wider audience to hear it as well.

The flaws of the scribes highlighted were:

·    They dressed in long robes outwardly to look impressive. It's not their dressing that Christ was concerned, it's the motive in the dressing. They did so to foster a sense of greatness.

·   They were position conscious. Always seeking to be acknowledged. Whether in public places, in religious or social gatherings, they must be seen in positions of importance.

·      They were exploitative. They eyed the houses of the poor, defenceless widows.

·     They were pretentious. They made long prayers without really meaning it. They were just merely religious words that were mindlessly rumbled off their lips.

Essentially, all these only boil down to three basic flaws: pride, greed and hypocrisy.  And Christ saw though them and warned His disciples about emulating those flaws. He warned of the ultimate end of those who practice such flaws.

Why was there a necessity to warn the disciples, and in a sense all of us, about these flaws? Man's basic tendency is to be prideful; to create showy impression; to eye positions of honor; to exploit the poor; and to be pretentious. These practices become more critical when people are in positions where they could influence others. Hence it's necessary for Christ to highlight them so that we, His followers, could avoid them.

Christ is saying one very important thing to us. Our character is more important than the impression we make. It is pointless to look religious and gain the applauds of men, when everything is but an empty, hollow shell. As believers, it behoves us to give our best to know Christ and to emulate Him in life and conduct. As people whom others are looking at, let us imitate Christ, so that others may emulate us. Let us be transparent and real through and through. Remember, heaven is our destination, Christlikeness is our goal!