“Beware of the scribes.”

Jesus is being serious — dead serious — when he issues this warning in today’s passage from Mark (12:38). In fact, he says the word “beware” only twice in this gospel, and both times he is about as solemn and severe as we ever see him. But this warning leads to an important question, one that I wondered about myself: “Just who are the scribes?”

You’d be hard-pressed to find a job listing for “scribe” in the Washington Post classifieds.

I went to the Internet and clicked on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. It revealed that a scribe was a member of an ancient profession, made up of people who could read and write. It also said that “Scribe” is the stage name of a New Zealand rapper, but I don’t think Jesus is talking about him.

You’d have a hard time finding rap music anywhere in Holy Scripture. Bruce, am I right?

According to Wikipedia, scribes originally acted as secretaries of state, but later turned their attention to matters of the law. In the time of Jesus, the scribes were allies of the Pharisees, who supplemented the ancient written law with their traditions. Throughout the New Testament, the titles “scribe” and “lawyer” are virtually interchangeable.

“Beware of the scribes,” says Jesus. Beware of the lawyers.

Wikipedia is a terrific resource when you need a quick answer. In fact, the name “wiki” means quick — it comes from Hawaii, where the “wiki wiki bus” is the fast bus from the airport. Wikipedia is a free open-source encyclopedia, which means that anyone can log on to it, add to it, or edit it. I’m not kidding: Anyone can contribute. You, me, young, old, well-schooled or street smart. The encyclopedia now has more than two million entries in 76 languages, and it is getting bigger every day.

But is it any good? Some people are saying, “Beware of Wikipedia.”

Academics are upset because they see it as an example of information anarchy — they criticize it for a lack of reliability and authority. But while some experts issue stern warnings, others are saying “Wiki is the way.” There’s good reason to believe that a large group of people is actually smarter than a few elite individuals.

Jesus had a problem with the elite scribes of his day, men who liked to strut around town in long robes, enjoy places of honor at banquets, grab the best seats in the synagogues, and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces (vv. 38-39). They seem to care little about the truth of God, or the welfare of poorer members of society, and Jesus condemns them in today’s Scripture lesson for saying long prayers for the sake of appearance, and devouring “widow’s houses” (v. 40). He slams the scribes for turning away from their role as experts in religious law, and putting their energy into acquiring social power and influence.

Then the scene shifts to the temple treasury, where many rich people are dropping in large sums of money. A poor widow comes in and deposits two small copper coins, which are worth a penny (vv. 41-42). Jesus senses a teaching moment, so he calls his disciples and says to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury” (v. 43).

The disciples nod, but they don’t really get it. They wonder, How can two copper coins equal the gold coins that the rich are dropping? That’s like saying that the entry of some middle school student on Wikipedia is as valuable as an article written by a Ph.D.

Jesus continues by saying that all of the rich “contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (v. 44). What matters is not the size of your gift, according to Jesus — it’s the seriousness of your commitment.

I’m afraid that we Americans are closer to the scribes and the rich people of Jerusalem than we’d care to admit.. Like them, we tend to do charitable giving out of our abundance, after we’ve paid our mortgages, our utilities, our car payments, our tuitions, our club dues, and our credit card bills. Sure, we may put large sums of money into the congregational treasury, but we don’t do it at anything approaching a sacrificial level — it’s fair to say that none of us puts in everything we have, all we have to live on.

I know I don’t.. And I doubt you do, either.

We Midlife Men on a Mission returned last Sunday from eight days in Honduras, and once again we were moved and inspired by the faith and the joy of our Christian brothers and sisters there. We saw Joseph, an American missionary who moved to the Plan Escalon School with his wife and children — each of them traveling with only 70 pounds of personal possessions. 70 pounds. That’s just one large suitcase apiece.

We saw our Honduran friend Henry the Welder — not to be confused with me, Henry the Pastor. Henry and his wife had just moved with their children into a new home, a cinder block structure with five small rooms and very little furniture. We helped the family by pouring concrete over what had been a dirt floor in one of the bedrooms. Henry’s wife was so happy that she killed a chicken and made a pot of soup for us.

We saw Lisa Armstrong, an American nurse who has spoken here at FPC.. We delivered medicine to Lisa’s mountain-top clinic, and visited her ever-expanding mission operation. Lisa feels called by God to help her neighbors with health, education, housing, and employment, and she is determined to move her community toward self-sufficiency — she is doing this by running a coffee operation that pays field workers a decent daily wage. Lisa inspired us with her vision, and then she surprised us by saying, “I think it may be time to open another medical clinic.”

These Christians know the meaning of sacrifice. Like the widow at the temple treasury, they give everything they have. But what is amazing is that these sacrifices do not leave them feeling deprived and depressed. Instead, they all feel incredible joy.

Talk to any of the 18 men who were part of the trip to Honduras this year. I think each one would tell you that they were inspired by the joy of our friends at the Plan Escalon School, at Camp Rancho Vida, and at Lisa’s clinic.

The sacrifices of such faithful people teach me that Jesus doesn’t want our money — he wants our life. All of it. Every bit of it. What matters is not the size of your gift, according to Jesus — it’s the seriousness of your commitment. He wants us to put everything we have into a life of faithful service.

If we do, we will not feel deprived. Instead, we will feel incredible delight.

I am calling today’s sermon “Wiki-Christianity,” because I want us all to contribute — every one of us. I want us all to join together in passionate commitment to the work of Jesus Christ. Like contributors to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, we are challenged to offer our energy, intelligence, imagination and love without compensation — Wikipedia has had hundreds of thousands of contributors, and only one paid employee. We are invited to contribute time and talent and money because we are totally devoted to our subject, and because we want the world to benefit from what we have discovered and learned. Like the writers of Wikipedia, we are asked to create something great by freely sharing the best of what we have. Like the widow at the temple treasury, we are invited to put in everything we have.

Let me give you some examples of Wiki-Christianity, already at work here at FPC. A group of members gathered to discuss plans for a service to replace the old fourth Sunday Jubilee. None of them started the meeting knowing what this worship experience was going to look like, but they engaged in a free exchange of ideas and insights under the influence of the Holy Spirit. By the end of the evening, they discovered that God had placed before them the challenge of offering a new service called Encounter — a service in which God would be encountered in innovative ways, through music, arts, and drama. By all accounts, the first two Encounter services this fall have been experiences of real joy and delight.

Last winter, Wiki-Christianity was lived out when you FPC members responded to the need to get the homeless out of the cold on freezing winter nights. You opened Fellowship Hall and the Multipurpose Room as a hypothermia shelter, and committed time and energy to serving meals and providing hospitality. In conversation around dinner tables, you learned the stories of our homeless neighbors, and you began to see them as people instead of as problems. In addition, you discovered the truth of Jesus’ promise that he will meet you in the form of “the least of these who are members of my family” (Matthew 25:40).

The power of Wiki-Christianity is found in all of God’s people using all of their gifts, as they give everything they have to the work of Jesus Christ. A large group of people really is smarter than an elite few — and a large group is more faithful and loving and creative and effective, as well. Keep this in mind as you make your pledge to the 2007 church budget — today, if you have not already done so, or certainly by the end of the month. Keep this in mind as you give your gifts throughout the year, as you volunteer to lead worship, and as you offer your time and talent to various mission projects. God wants you to put in everything you have. He wants your life — all of it.

Contribute in this way, and God will help us to create something great here at FPC. Our gifts of time and talent and money will be transformed into truly inspirational ministry and mission, and we’ll be amazed by what God can accomplish through us.

Giving in this way, you won’t feel deprived, I promise you. Instead, you’ll feel incredible joy. Amen.

Sources:

“Scribe.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scribes
Taylor, Chris. “It’s a wiki, wiki world.” Time Magazine. June 6, 2005.
Utne, Leif. “To wikifinity and beyond!” Utne Magazine. January-February 2006. 9-11.