…The Hard Truth with Dr. Kennedy Musonda, Ph.D
AMONG the reasons, Jesus rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees was taking advantage of the vulnerable, especially widows. In Matthew 23:14a, Jesus said, “woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses.”
This was the first of the eight woes. Even today, there is probably no similar vulnerability that a woman can experience as widowhood.
But the situation for a widow was worse in the patriarchal society of ancient Israel, where gender inequality was an accepted norm. Being widowed certainly meant vulnerability and certain poverty.
To make matters worse, some of them had their houses devoured. Barnes Commentary says the term houses in Bible Times, referred to any property or possession of any kind. Therefore, to devour widows’ houses meant ‘property grabbing’ from widows using trickery.
Scribes and Pharisees swindled widows in two ways. First, they “pretended to promote extraordinary justice toward the poor, friendship for the distressed, and willingness to aid those who were in embarrassed circumstances. They thus induced widows and poor people to commit the management of their property to them as guardians and executors, and then took advantage of them and defrauded them.”
Second, “they put on the appearance of great sanctity and induced many honest but naive women to give them much, under the pretense of devoting it to religious purposes (Barnes Commentary).
Matthew’s Poole’s Commentary adds that by “virtue of their ecclesiastical power or influence, Scribes and Pharisees persuaded silly women to give them their estates, or at least to give them a great part of them, to the service of the tabernacle, that they might pray for their souls.”
More than two thousand years after the Gospel of Matthew was written, well-meaning worshippers are still falling victim to the same crooked schemes of these Men of Gold. The advent of the prosperity gospel in the mid-1990s has worsened matters.
The author is a stronger believer in biblical giving but not in manipulative giving. Going by the high level of insecurity that some pastors exhibit, many churches today in Zambia are more economic than spiritual entities. In the past, doctrinal differences were the cause of conflicts and break-away in churches, but today’s differences are primarily financial in nature.
The women and the poor were taken advantage of by the Scribes and Pharisees because they trusted them. Trust in a wrong person can prove disastrous, if not fatal (Proverbs 25:29). Today different schemes have been invented to rob people of their hard-earned income in the name of God.
One such method is preaching messages that encourage people to give to be blessed as if they are not already blessed (Ephesians 1:3). There is no problem if the message on giving is preached in sincerity and according to the Bible (see 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
However, in many cases, messages are preached to manipulate people to give to the advantage of the preacher. Why is it that it is only church members that give to be blessed, but the prosperity preachers don’t give to receive. Instead, they are the recipients of the giving? Why don’t they also give to receive if giving is a panacea to being blessed?
Today, unbiblical methods are being used to obtain money from poor souls fraudulently. Some so-called prophets even charge for prayers.
A relative of mine took his son for prayers, and a receptionist gave him a price list of prayers. This Man of Gold refused to pray for my relative’s son because he did not have enough money that was demanded of him.
Someone told me that a prophet kept calling her to pay for the prayers he had made for her and even threatened her with curses if she did not send the money. And yet, Jesus talking to his disciples, said that “and as you go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE (Matthew 10:7-8). If they received the power of God freely, why are they charging for prayers?
These people are probably charging to pray for people because they use powers from another source other than from Jesus. Jesus commanded disciples to pray and heal people freely. Many people are being taken advantage of for two reasons: desperation and ignorance of the word of God.
The Bible is full of warnings to such preachers. In Micah 3:11, the Bible says, the priests teach for a fee, and the prophets won’t prophesy unless they are paid. 2 Peter 2:3 says, “in their greediness, they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money,” “whose God is their belly and whose glory is their shame” (Philippians 3:19).
They are men of corrupt minds and destitute of truth who think that godliness is a means for financial gain (1Tim. 6:5). For these people do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ but their appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people (Romans 16:18), and from such turn away (1Tim. 6:5). Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying (Revelation 2:7, 11,17, 29; 3:6,13, 22).
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About the Author:
Dr. Kennedy Musonda, Ph.D., is a Bible Scholar, Pastor, and International Consultant. He holds two bachelor’s Degrees in Theology and Social Work, a Post-graduate Diploma in Management Studies, Two master’s degrees in Social Work and Business Administration, and two Ph.Ds. in Business Administration, with one specializing in management. He is currently pursuing a Master of Theology.
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