MARK 12:38 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“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,”
As he taught, Jesus said, watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces — the warning about the teachers of the law is the chapter's final section, transitioning from controversy dialogues to prophetic denunciation. The flowing robes and respectful greetings are the external markers of status that the teachers perform and seek. The desire to be seen and honored publicly is the opposite of the child-welcoming, servant-of-all kingdom standard.
Church Fathers on Mark 12:38
After confuting the Scribes and Pharisees, He burns up as a fire their dry and withered examples.
To walk in long clothing is to go forth into public clad in garments too much ornamented, in which amongst other things, that rich man, who fared sumptuously every day, is said to have sinned.
But they used to walk in honourable garments, because they wished to be highly esteemed for it, and in like manner they desired other things, which lead to glory.
Read all 7 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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