Tag: Christ Warned about False Teachers/Leader - Mark 12:12

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 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Tag:  Beware of False Leaders

Jesus wanted the disciples to be aware of false teachers and leaders who have a desire to place themselves above the Lord.  He points out that they dress in a particular manner, for the purpose of being seen by men and impressing men.  False teaches and false leaders are controlled by the power of other men.   We have already seen two examples, just in this section, about how the leaders “feared men” and didn’t have reverence for God:

Mark 11:32

But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

Mark 12:12

And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

True leaders, who have God’s approval, fear God and follow the principals of God’s Word.    

These scribes in long robes also sought their own praise.  They wanted to be praised.   True teaches of God and true leaders of God do not promote themselves.   They are just sheep, like the rest of the sheep ... and they know it.  False teachers and false leaders find a way to be promoted and seek promotion.  

The last indication of a false leader is that false leaders and false teachers take advantage of others.   They find the weakest and find a way to exploit them and use them to their advantage.  False teachers/leaders love power.  The weakest among us allow them to exert power over them.   

Jesus warned us to avoid false teachers/leaders.  We should avoid listening to them, but also we should avoid becoming one of them.  Every teacher and leader has a temptation to promote self and to exert power over others.   That temptation can be checked when we submit to the Lordship of Christ and allow Him to rule our lives.   That was the real warning to the disciples.