Mark 12:39 (DRB)

Passage

And to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues and to have the highest places at suppers:

Nearby Context

Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord. And whence is he then his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly.

Mark 12:38 And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes and to be saluted in the marketplace,

Mark 12:39 And to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues and to have the highest places at suppers:

Mark 12:40 Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer. These shall receive greater judgment.

Mark 12:41 And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. And many that were rich cast in much.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "chairs", "synagogues", "highest", "places", and "suppers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "first" and "chairs", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "And he said to them in his..." into verse 40's "Who devour the houses of widows under...", so "first" and "chairs" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "first" and "chairs" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.