Matthew 13:52 and Jeremiah 36
And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
A meditation by the Rev. Theodore Gill, senior editor, WCC Communication
One verse in the 13th chapter of Matthew contains a complete parable,
a parable with the most positive view of “scribes”
to be found in the gospel according to Saint Matthew.
Elsewhere, in Matthew 23, we encounter the series of denunciations that begin,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
Yet, it turns out, there is such a thing as a scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven,
and many New Testament scholars believe that this is how the author/editor who stands behind our canon’s first gospel understood the role of gospel-writer or evangelist:
The person who is called to tell the story, and record it, must balance
the impact on the community of contemporary developments and trends – “what is new” – with history, the lessons of scripture and tradition – “what is old”.
In the time of Jesus the position of “scribe”
had evolved to one of scholarship and pedagogy,
centering on interpretation and practical application of Torah, the law of Moses.
Luke uses a different term to describe the office of scribe: “a doctor of the law”.
But the word had other connotations at other times –
following the return from exile in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah,
the scribe was an official of the royal court in Jerusalem.
Earlier still, a scribe – sofer in Hebrew – was simply someone who was literate,
capable of reading and writing, and therefore of copying texts or taking dictation.
In the 36th chapter of Jeremiah, we see that Baruch is something more than that,
more than an office clerk or administrative assistant to the prophet.
In fact, Baruch was Jeremiah’s communication secretary –
not merely writing up the details of the boss’s visions but publishing them abroad,
representing the prophet in public, taking much of the heat for Jeremiah’s positions.
And in Jeremiah 36, Baruch does appear in public repeatedly – until
sympathetic courtiers advise him to go into hiding, if he and Jeremiah have any sense.
One of these courtiers, Elishama, is described as ha-sofer, the king’s scribe.
Baruch and Elishama, two communication secretaries, representing different interests;
one warns the other to lay low, if he wishes to avoid prison or worse.
So there was honour among professional communicators, at least in this case.
Of course, Baruch would have been interested in audience reaction to his release,
although reader surveys were not terribly sophisticated in those days.
He heard a variety of people insisting that his scroll was fit for the king,
and he conveys to us later reports of just how the king received his work.
After each three or four columns of prophesy were read,
the king took a particular type of knife that was one of the scribe’s own tools,
cut off the latest strip from the scroll, and threw it into the fire.
Some officials there in the royal winter apartment dared to object to this sacrilege,
and Baruch preserves their names for posterity.
A loyal audience is worth remembering.
The book of Jeremiah assumes that there was a proper response expected
after the scroll had been produced and presented to the people and to the ruler.
I suppose that all communication secretaries harbour such expectations,
and may even worry that doom awaits all concerned
when the world and its leaders turn deaf ears to the message.
But our focus has been on one particular chapter in Jeremiah,
telling of events that happened well before the dire ending of Jehoiakim’s reign.
The end of this chapter is less apocalyptic, but no less world-transforming:
“Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to his communication secretary,
Baruch son of Neriah, who wrote on it…all the words of the scroll
that the king had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.”
So the scroll of prophecy was not lost;
the task of communication was undertaken once more,
no matter how unwelcome the message or the messengers.
Inevitably, accounts of the latest events, new prophetic visions
“and many similar words” were added to the flow of information:
For every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like
the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
Let us pray.
Living Word,
give us true vision,
bless us with the skills and talents we require,
grant us persistence,
so that we may serve your church
and the world may seek your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
This meditation was given at the prayers which opened which opened the meeting of the press officers network of Euroepean churches - PONEC. The Meeting began in the Ecumenical Centre chapel and continued in the Cartigny Centre in the Genevan countrside.
copyright (c) Theodore Gill/WCC
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