April 21st
God's Law required that widows were taken care of and not taken advantage of. Apparently in Jesus day, the social situation led to abuses against widows.
Luke 20:45-47
Beware of the Scribes
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “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, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (ESV)
The ESV Study Bible notes:
Luke 20:45-47 Beware of the Scribes. Luke concludes the preceding “debates” with a warning about the hypocrisy of the scribes. Beware of the scribes. Although not all scribes deserved the following condemnation (cf. v. 39; Mark 12:34), the majority of them did (cf. Luke 11:45–53; 12:1). They walk … in long (ostentatious) robes (cf. note on Matt. 23:5); they love greetings and places of honor (cf. Luke 11:43; 14:7-8; notes on Matt. 23:6; 23:7). While doing this, they devour widows’ houses (probably while serving as executors of their estates) and for a pretense make long prayers (cf. Matt. 6:5–6). As a consequence, they will receive the greater condemnation (cf. Matt. 23:13–36; Luke 11:37-52).
The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible states:
"20.47 devour widows’ houses. Widows often had debt and normally lacked influential advocates; people of status, if unscrupulous, could thus seize their property more readily, often through legal means. Scripture demanded special consideration for the defenseless, including widows"
As for the section on widows, the NLT makes its interpretation plain:
Luke 20:47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
However, there is a slightly different take on the scribes taking advantage of widows, saying:
"Since the teachers of the law were not allowed to be paid for their services, they were dependent on the gifts of patrons for their livelihood. Such a system was vulnerable to abuses. Wealthy widows especially were preyed on by the greedy and unscrupulous among these men. Jesus particularly condemned the hypocrisy of their long prayers that were used as a mask for their greed. Jesus promised punishment to all such people—a reference to God's judgment in the Last Day."
Whatever the truth is (perhaps both views), widows were being taken advantage of by some of the scribes, most likely in a legal capacity, as their station involved. Certainly in their pride, they felt themselves entitled to things, as Jesus teaches in the passage above.
Deuteronomy 10:17-19 reminds us:
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow.... (ESV)
God's Law required that widows were taken care of and not taken advantage of. Apparently in Jesus day, the social situation led to abuses against widows.
Luke 20:45-47
Beware of the Scribes
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “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, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (ESV)
The ESV Study Bible notes:
Luke 20:45-47 Beware of the Scribes. Luke concludes the preceding “debates” with a warning about the hypocrisy of the scribes. Beware of the scribes. Although not all scribes deserved the following condemnation (cf. v. 39; Mark 12:34), the majority of them did (cf. Luke 11:45–53; 12:1). They walk … in long (ostentatious) robes (cf. note on Matt. 23:5); they love greetings and places of honor (cf. Luke 11:43; 14:7-8; notes on Matt. 23:6; 23:7). While doing this, they devour widows’ houses (probably while serving as executors of their estates) and for a pretense make long prayers (cf. Matt. 6:5–6). As a consequence, they will receive the greater condemnation (cf. Matt. 23:13–36; Luke 11:37-52).
The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible states:
"20.47 devour widows’ houses. Widows often had debt and normally lacked influential advocates; people of status, if unscrupulous, could thus seize their property more readily, often through legal means. Scripture demanded special consideration for the defenseless, including widows"
As for the section on widows, the NLT makes its interpretation plain:
Luke 20:47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
However, there is a slightly different take on the scribes taking advantage of widows, saying:
"Since the teachers of the law were not allowed to be paid for their services, they were dependent on the gifts of patrons for their livelihood. Such a system was vulnerable to abuses. Wealthy widows especially were preyed on by the greedy and unscrupulous among these men. Jesus particularly condemned the hypocrisy of their long prayers that were used as a mask for their greed. Jesus promised punishment to all such people—a reference to God's judgment in the Last Day."
Whatever the truth is (perhaps both views), widows were being taken advantage of by some of the scribes, most likely in a legal capacity, as their station involved. Certainly in their pride, they felt themselves entitled to things, as Jesus teaches in the passage above.
Deuteronomy 10:17-19 reminds us:
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow.... (ESV)