Luke 20:46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

A coma only occurs in translations into other languages. It is placed there to give us pause.

Luke 20:47 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

It separates appearances from behavior. Wanting to look good is not the same as doing good. Along with the bad deed comes one more warning, the pretense of prayer. Saying what sounds good does not make it the Word of God.

Pretense in appearance or speech is self serving. One is intended to present oneself as something it is not, the other is to influence the thinking of others.

Mark 6:56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

John the Baptist wore camel skins, a beast of burden, carrying the message of repentance. There is no description of what Jesus wore, only what it meant to those who by faith touched it. Whatever He wore were robes of righteousness, no matter the cost or material.

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Jesus is that bridegroom.

John 3:29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

Those were the words of John the Baptist. What message do we bring?

Luke 18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

This is the opening verse of the parable “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector”. For the purposes of this segment, let us not talk about that example for a moment and concentrate on what Jesus said in this preamble to that parable.

Some people trust in themselves and treat others with contempt. The first part of this statement holds the key to the issue of sinners. It says nothing is wrong with me. They might very well love the life they live and are content enough not to contemplate a need for change. There is a medical term for that called narcissism.  That is name calling but so is calling someone a sinner. The second part of that statement is what I would like to focus on for a moment.

Why do people treat others with contempt? A simple answer might be they feel judged by others. Maybe they have. Society loves to point out unacceptable behaviors in their midst and sometimes they are unjust in their reproach. The Salem witch trials for example.

What if in spite of their love for their life, they have not found peace within themselves? Is it possible to love what you are doing without being in love with yourself? I think so. 

This is an area of life that can turn political so fast that it goes beyond the boundaries of ministering the gospel of peace. Finding those who do not have the peace of God is extremely difficult if they refuse to believe there is a God. Perhaps they refuse to believe because deep down they hate how they have been treated by those who profess they do believe in God.

In some regions of the world people are beheaded or stoned to death for believing something else besides the theocratic rule. Enforced religion is not choosing to believe, it is merely a fear of being persecuted and tortured. But that once again borders on politics.

What we, in Christ, would like to do is find those that are not at peace with their lives as they are living and offer them hope in discovering the peace of God which is found in repentance from a life of self interest. That is not easily done with a person who does not trust people who judge them openly.

John 12:47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

That is our example to live by faith. Peace be with you.