Fertilizer or Weed Treatment?

Jesus warned to watch out for the teachers of the law. What modern parallels come to mind?

It's pretty easy, living in Fort Mill SC under the shadows of the decaying PTL tower (remember Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker?) to identify fallen religious leaders as hypocrites. In Mark 12, it says these "teachers of the law" often "for a show make lengthy prayers." Elsewhere Jesus says to retreat to a private room to pray, presumably in contrast to those who make pretentious public prayer.

I am very self-conscious when I pray out loud, especially in public. When I'm self-conscious I cannot be very God-conscious. When Jesus warned against lengthy prayers for show, it must mean there's a third type--people-consciousness--to be concerned about. That must be the worst kind because he is not warning against being self-conscious but for making a "show" of it. Some seem gifted for public prayer. The words flow like water cascading from clear pool to clear pool over rounded rocks. But Jesus wasn't warning against praying like those leaders; he was warning about the teachers themselves, that pretentious prayer might be a sign or signal there is something deeply disturbing about their message.

This week during a neighborhood bible study, as we discussed the topic of grace, someone brought up Jesus' teaching about the sheep and goats. Wasn't that proof there is something more than grace, something like law? Today as I was preparing to fertilize my lawn, I thought I had better double-check something. Should I fertilize first or treat for weeds? Most answers recommended fertilizing first to stimulate the growth even though that might mean jump-starting the weeds as well as the fescue. Then, the advice continued, after a week or so apply the poison to kill the weeds. I wished I'd had that illustration in mind when we were discussing law and grace in the bible study. Grace first, then law. Fertilize--give life--first. Kill the weeds--apply the law--second. The order is important.