From Fragile Human Approval to Stable Divine Authority (Mark 12:38-40)

In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts: those who devour widows’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” (12:38-40)

Appearance and power have always been a temptation and have always led to idolatry and condemnation. The foolishness of such idolatry is that often someone will seek power through a good appearance, even a ‘holy’ appearance. Yet, this very appearance implies that it is the people who look at him who give him power, and if these same people change their mind, this person loses all power. In a very practical sense, in such case their god is the people who give them their power. As they develop their greed for human power, they will also develop other types of greed, sometimes it will be money, sometimes it will be seducing women. In the case of the scribes, they ended up creating wicked rules for allowing people to give them money so that they could deprive widows from their houses, and all that with the appearance of holiness. 

Don’t look for such wavering power because it does not last with men, it does not lead you to eternal life but only to a bitter death. You cannot have two masters. Learn to look into the heart of the Father before seeking to please men. Don’t seek titles or a beautiful appearance, don’t try to demonstrate an external holiness. Holiness is rooted in love, in my love, in this love that fills you and spreads through you. Then, once you are rooted in my love, you will follow my directions and you will share this pure love with many. You will shine with our holiness, and people will open to you because they will recognize that you are not seeking a selfish power but that you have love in you. 

Don’t fight for acquiring a human power made of appearance and deception, but rather seek the power that flows out of our love. The power of the Holy Spirit flows well in you only through love, not through a selfish search for human respect. As long as you try to please people, you will see divisions around you and tensions, because people are from different opinions and different characters. Seek first the kingdom of heaven and you will receive all you need, and you will receive an authority that is not from men but from God. 

The paradox is that many seek to find respect and authority by following narrow human rules of power, by getting titles, by being elected by men or other tools of human power; yet stable power and authority always comes from the Father. I did not study in a renowned Jewish school, I did not hold a human position of authority, I did not own impressive houses or impressive garments, yet the Father in me was shining with His love and truth in a way that commanded respect. When I was arrested, the guards could not help but recognize the authority of the Father in me, so that they even moved back when I spoke. When I was before Pilate, I was weak and humiliated, yet he recognized the authority of God and was frightened by this power in me, he who was the person of highest power and authority in all the country. When I came to teach in synagogues, people sensed the authority of the Father in me, an authority that was evident both to men and to impure spirits, and they wondered about the fragile authority that they saw in their teachers. 

In the same way, I invite you to stop being seduced by fragile and shaky human authorities, whether in the world or in your churches. Respect your leaders, because God has delegated a part of his authority to them, to bring some order on earth, but seek first the kingdom of God. Learn the lesson of the centurion, who had realized that authority must be received by obedience to a higher power in order to be manifested, and the highest authority is from God (see Matthew 8:5-13). The authority of God in you can be received only through a loving obedience to us. Then you will manifest our authority in this world, then love and authority will be united in you, then you will be free from the prison of pleasing people. The Father does not change in his love, he is so much more stable than humans. 

Receive our love and follow me, learn to walk as a child of the Father, so that you can be released from all these idols that tear you heart apart and crush your spirit. Seek this stability in us, and you will be freed from the wavering approval of inconsistent humans. Seek this stability in your relationship with me, and you will have my peace that surpasses all understanding. Then, you will not fear even if you go through the valley of the shadow of death because I will be with you, and you will join me and be forever in the place prepared for you in heaven. 
By learning to welcome your identity of child of God, you will find the only deep stability and peace that can be found in this wavering world. You will then participate in our loving authority as a son or daughter of the Heavenly Father.