Beware of the Scribes

[1whirlwind]

Christ Himself warns us of the "scribes," many times. Do we listen? Are we aware of how they work?

• Mark 12:38 And He said unto them in His doctrine, "Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces. And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
  
  Mark 14:1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft, and put Him to death.
  
  Mark 15:29-31 And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ah, Thou That destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days. Save Thyself, and come down from the cross." Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
  • Scribe #1122 A writer, (professionally) scribe or secretary - scribe, town clerk
  .

From the few examples quoted above we see the purpose of these scribes, which is...to PUT HIM TO DEATH. They are most often affiliated with the "chief priests," who at that time had been appointed by Rome. These are Satan's workers and are not of our brother Judah. They are those Christ told...

• John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

This thread concerns "the scribes." They are those that want to kill Him by "craft," which is by deceit. And...they did. They continue to. How? They are professional writers and through that media they kill Him over and over. He is the Word:

• John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

As they helped kill our Saviour they continue to kill Him by changing His Word. Christ Himself warns us of this! "Beware of the scribes." These professional writers didn't go away at His crucifixion....they are alive and well today for not only did they wish to kill Him....they strive to spiritually kill all believers and....they are. The many translations of the Bible are proof of their continued work where His truth is diluted and changed. It isn't just in the Bible for it includes writers in today's papers, books, etc. who destroy His Word and spread Satan's poison and deception. That includes on forums for we too are scribes and both sides battle!

• Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
  
  Proverbs 6:12-14 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Add to the list the Strong's Concordance itself. In my Strong's Concordance the definition of air, as used in...

• 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

is......#109 aer ah-ayr' from aemi (to breathe unconsciously, i.e. respire; by analogy, to blow); "air" (as naturally circumambient):--air. Compare 5594)

In other words....it IS NOT in the atmosphere but is us, our living, breathing breath of life. When you search for the meaning of breathe and respire we find it means....SPIRIT, which is our life. This is our spirit being taught. So, when we meet the Lord in the air, it means...in our spirit bodies, not up in the sky.

Now I have been told that there is an addition to this definition....the new and improved versions have added....

• 1) the air, particularly the lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air
  
  2) the atmospheric region(Blue Letter Bible - Lexicon)

Why was it added? Who added it? This addition changes the meaning but how? If one believes in rapture then....it HAS TO BE the atmosphere for....aren't all good believers to be flown away? It cannot just mean in spirit bodies...as the original stated it meant. Which is right? You must decide.


Now, knowing why Christ warned us to "beware of the scribes" and we now see how they continue to work to not only kill Him over and over but to also spiritually kill those that love Him, will we so readily accept newly translated...new and improved versions...newer and easier to understand and....additions to the Strong's Concordance? I hope not. Know your enemy and know they, the scribes, are in high places and look so very holy!


Take heed lest any man deceive you....[Mark 13:5] and especially those in sheep's clothing, those that come in His name...Christ/Christian.


(The above is a thread I wrote over a year ago. I wanted to make an addition)



Mark 12:38-39 And He said unto them in His doctrine, "Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces. And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:


In reading back over the OP the above verse caught my eye. To further substantiate that the scribes Jesus warned about long ago now includes posters on forums today....please consider:

When we gather to learn and teach we are "at feasts." Here the milk and meat of His Word is provided. His bread and wine fill us but...there is also quail on the table. Flesh. Do we partake of the Manna or the quail for both are offered?

The deceitful scribes are at our feasts and the marketplaces. What does that word mean?

• Marketplaces - any assembly, especially of the people, the place of assembly, for public debating, for elections, for trials, for buying and selling, for all kinds of business, market place, street

Marketplaces are where public debating (forums) are held, where assemblies of people (forums) meet and discuss, and where buying and selling go on. What kind of buying and selling?

• Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Our souls! Not commodities but our souls are being bartered. Those doing that buying and selling in the market (great city of Babylon - the carnal world) aren't of God. Just as the false witnesses (deceitful scribes) are peddling their wares in the streets of the world...so are God's witnesses.

• Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

 

[bugkiller]

Nice sermon. I think there are a few here speaking out against the scribes and pharisees. There are a few Nicodemuses among them and I hope to help reach them for Jesus.

bugkiller

 

[Emmy]

Dear 1whirlwind. Yes, you are right, it does pay to be aware. We know that Satan roames around like a hungry lion, looking to devour the unwary. God gave us His 10 Commandments, and Jesus gave us 2 Commandments, they contain all what God told us in His 10 Commandments. 1) Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. 2) Love our neighbour ( all others, friend or foe) love them as we love ourselves. Jesus tells us: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Two Commandments, whirlwind, easy to remember and hard to falsefy. God is Love, and what does God want from us? Selfless Love/Agape, and to forgive as God has forgiven us. Not easy, but it can be done. We start by treating all we know and all we meet, as we would like to be treated. With kindness and love, with forgiveness and not always want to be right, ( st.Paul describes love to us in 1) Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4-8.) no envy or yealousy, rejoicing, not giving a false impression of the truth. Jesus also told us to REPENT, exchange our selfish and unloving character into loving God with all our being, and loving each other as Jesus taught us. Jesus died that we might live, Jesus reconciled us to God, and Jesus will give us His Love, His Joy and His Peace to share with each other. Love and prayer are our weapons, whirlwind, and Jesus The Way, will lead us home to our Heavenly Father, where we came from. Any deed, or spoken word which is without LOVE, is NOT from GOD. I say this humbly and with love. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[New_Wineskin]

Nice sermon. I think there are a few here speaking out against the scribes and pharisees.

Yeah . However , they are accused of infractions when doing so .

 

[bugkiller]

Yeah . However , they are accused of infractions when doing so .

So you have duly noted they are a very vengeful lot with very thins skins who dish it out and can't take it. It
is sad that they can't defend themselves with facts. Scribes and pharisees haven't changed much have they. Doesn't Jesus call them vipers?

bugkiller

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

'Scribes' is a bit of a misnomer. A scribe in Second Temple Judaism was a person who had certain skills in writing and copying. The scribes in Jerusalem were employed by the temple complex, and thus were well-versed in the law, but the scribes as scribes were simply a professional class.

 

[pehkay]

Immediately after the Lord had subdued all the opposers and had spoken to them concerning Christ, He went on to give them a warning concerning the scribes. Mark 12:38-40 says, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and like greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at the dinners; who devour the widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater judgment.” Elsewhere the Lord had told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod (8:15). The leaven of the Pharisees was their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of Herod was his corruption and injustice in politics. With the scribes there was the matter of vain knowledge, even a vain knowledge of the Bible. The scribes taught theology or doctrine in a way that was vain.

In chapters eleven and twelve of the Gospel of Mark the scribes are mentioned a number of times. The scribes were among those who questioned the Lord concerning His authority (11:27-28). It was a scribe who asked the Lord a question concerning the interpretation of the Bible (12:28). Furthermore, in 12:35 the Lord inquired, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” Now in 12:38 the Lord specifically issues a warning against the scribes.

The scribes thought they knew the Bible and also doctrine and theology. Although they may have known the Scriptures in letters, they certainly did not know Christ. Therefore, in His teaching the Lord asked how it is that the scribes say that Christ is the son of David. The scribes taught vain theology, a theology without Christ as reality.

It is possible that we may be today’s scribes. Our teaching may be right, but it may be empty, that is, without Christ. The ancient scribes taught people according to the Old Testament, but they did not have the light concerning Christ. They did not have any understanding of Him as the God-man.

We need to discern whether a particular message or teaching has Christ as its center, reality, and living essence. Certain preachers and teachers are naturally eloquent and can present doctrine to others in a way that pleases the itching ears. Such teaching, preaching, or expounding of the Bible is according to man’s knowledge with human eloquence. We need to be able to discern whether Christ is the center, reality, and essence of each message. If Christ is not the center, then that message is empty. In principle, it belongs to the teaching of the scribes, and we should beware of it.

We should not think that as long as a teaching is scriptural, there is no problem with it. There is a means for us to discern all kinds of teaching, and that is to discern whether or not Christ is the center, reality, and essence of every teaching. Christ must be the center, reality, and essence of every message. A message or teaching may be scholarly, academic, scriptural, and eloquent, providing a great deal of Bible knowledge. Nevertheless, it is possible for such a teaching to be a teaching of today’s scribes.

Today’s religion is full of scribes. Many teachings among Christians are scriptural and scholarly. Many who teach know Greek or Hebrew, and they are versed in different expositions of the Scriptures. But Christ may not be the center, reality, and essence of their speaking.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

'Scribes' is a bit of a misnomer. A scribe in Second Temple Judaism was a person who had certain skills in writing and copying. The scribes in Jerusalem were employed by the temple complex, and thus were well-versed in the law, but the scribes as scribes were simply a professional class.

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Strong's Number H5608 matches the Hebrew סָפַר (caphar), which occurs 161 times in 154 verses in the Hebrew concordance of the KJV

5608 caphar saw-far' a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune, (ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.

AV — scribe 50, tell 40, declare 24, number 23, count 6, shew forth 5, writer 4, speak 2, accounted 1, commune 1, told out 1, reckon 1, penknife + 08593 1, shewing 1, talk 1

Strong's Number G1122 matches the Greek γραμματεύς (grammateus), which occurs 67 times in 67 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV

1122. grammateus gram-mat-yooce' from 1121. a writer, i.e. (professionally) scribe or secretary:--scribe, town-clerk.

AV — scribe 66, townclerk 1

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Strong's Number H5608 matches the Hebrew סָפַר (caphar), which occurs 161 times in 154 verses in the Hebrew concordance of the KJV

5608 caphar saw-far' a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune, (ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.

AV — scribe 50, tell 40, declare 24, number 23, count 6, shew forth 5, writer 4, speak 2, accounted 1, commune 1, told out 1, reckon 1, penknife + 08593 1, shewing 1, talk 1

Strong's Number G1122 matches the Greek γραμματεύς (grammateus), which occurs 67 times in 67 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV

1122. grammateus gram-mat-yooce' from 1121. a writer, i.e. (professionally) scribe or secretary:--scribe, town-clerk.

AV — scribe 66, townclerk 1

Thanks for the lexical background, LLoJ.

I think it would be a mistake, though, to affiliate the scribes of biblical Israel with the scribes of Second Temple Judaism. The scribes of biblical Israel were simply the professional writing class, whereas during the Second Temple period the scribal class took on special political significance.

An equivalent would be the place of lawyers in colonial America vs. the place of lawyers in the contemporary United States. The lawyers of colonial America could not be said to act as a group, and could be divided on political matters. They also did not have nearly as much power as, say, the landed aristocracy of the colonial South. Lawyers today, however, are a political powerhouse and are generally on the political left (although, just as the scribes could be found in every political-religious camp or none at all, the legal class is not monochromatic).

The New Testament seems to talk about 'scribes,' meaning the scribal class in Jerusalem affiliated with the upper echelons of the temple authorities, including the elitist Sadducees, the Sandehrin, and the priests, in the same way that a lot of Americans today talk about lawyers: a bunch of trained professions scornfully associated with the political elite.

Actually, until writing this out, I never really caught the relationship between Second Temple scribes and contemporary American lawyers before.... There's probably a paper in there somewhere.

 

[New_Wineskin]

So you have duly noted they are a very vengeful lot with very thins skins who dish it out and can't take it. It
is sad that they can't defend themselves with facts. Scribes and pharisees haven't changed much have they. Doesn't Jesus call them vipers?

bugkiller

I will say "yes" to all of that .

 

[bugkiller]

Thanks for the lexical background, LLoJ.

I think it would be a mistake, though, to affiliate the scribes of biblical Israel with the scribes of Second Temple Judaism. The scribes of biblical Israel were simply the professional writing class, whereas during the Second Temple period the scribal class took on special political significance.

An equivalent would be the place of lawyers in colonial America vs. the place of lawyers in the contemporary United States. The lawyers of colonial America could not be said to act as a group, and could be divided on political matters. They also did not have nearly as much power as, say, the landed aristocracy of the colonial South. Lawyers today, however, are a political powerhouse and are generally on the political left (although, just as the scribes could be found in every political-religious camp or none at all, the legal class is not monochromatic).

The New Testament seems to talk about 'scribes,' meaning the scribal class in Jerusalem affiliated with the upper echelons of the temple authorities, including the elitist Sadducees, the Sandehrin, and the priests, in the same way that a lot of Americans today talk about lawyers: a bunch of trained professions scornfully associated with the political elite.

Actually, until writing this out, I never really caught the relationship between Second Temple scribes and contemporary American lawyers before.... There's probably a paper in there somewhere.

The scribes and pharisees became the real people doing the teaching of the religious group. Just as the professional recognized ministerial group are today. And we also have the laity acting in the same capacity as we find here on the forums. I do realize that there are some ministers that are inter acting here. The forum is a great leveling place.

bugkiller