Mark 12:38-40, Beware of the Scribes

³⁸ And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces ³⁹ and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, ⁴⁰ who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” [The scribes and religious leaders loved the outward show of religious observance, which is pride. They also loved money, which is covetousness. The widows and orphans should above all others receive their compassion and benevolence. Yet they robbed them. These expert teachers of the law loved all the fame and honor that their unquestioned intellectual mastery of Scripture brought them. However, as Jesus points out, when one does not live by the law, they are without excuse and will be judged by the law.]