“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”
Ouch. There he goes again …
In today’s Gospel, we read once again an encounter between Jesus and his critics. He had many critics in his day. Many today, too.
But who were these Scribes?
I wondered this because when you boil down what I do in my life, it would not be a stretch to call me a scribe.
Clearly, Jesus did not like the Scribes of his day. Would he have liked me as a professional journalist? Does he like me today?
Things I ponder on a Sunday afternoon when the weather is changing …
Let’s examine today’s definition, courtesy of my “old school” American Heritage Dictionary, which I keep on my desk. It tells us that a scribe is one who serves as a “public clerk or secretary” … a “professional copyist” … a “writer or journalist.”
Again … ouch.
I was a journalist for many, many years for the largest newspaper in Indiana. I’d like to think that I was a good writer who kept his objectivity, but also held to his Catholic faith. I pray that I never wrote anything that would cause condemnation by Jesus.
Today I am more of a “messenger” that conveys the true thoughts, beliefs, missions and messages of those who employ me. That includes private companies, individuals and political types.
So … ouch again!
Now let’s look at the historic definition of these Scribes who seemed to be a thorn in the side of Jesus and many of his followers.
Back at that time, the Scribes were those who were educated enough to read and write – transcribe if necessary – the letters, edicts, rulings, etc., of those who had come before them.
They were the select class of “intelligentsia” who advised the kings and queens of the day. In effect – as translators – they were the most powerful voices for the leaders.
Those voices helped the leaders of that day make decisions that would impact the country.
By now, it’s probably pretty easy to equate the Scribes of yesteryear to the journalism of today.
My social media feeds are filled daily with criticism of today’s media voices who are consistently blamed for the way they interpret history, culture, current events and politics. I understand the criticisms … I also feel sorry for the true scribes who look at their profession as one of high, objective importance to tell the truth and report the facts.
They are not the evil ones in this world. But … there are media voices today that stretch that basic element of reporting and objectivity to different levels of engagement.
We may all have quibbles with some of these. CNN is too liberal. FOX is too conservative. The New York Times is too liberal. The Wall Street Journal is too conservative.
Somewhere in between … the truth lies.
So what did the Scribes do way, way back then to make Jesus so upset?
They called Jesus’ claim to forgive sins nothing more than blasphemy. They consistently asked for proof, whenever Jesus made some outlandish claim. They objected to the way Jesus seemed to ignore some of the old rituals of the Jewish faith at the time.
They did not like the way Jesus was friendly to all people – he ate dinner with sinners for goodness sake! They questioned his exorcisms … wondered if He was in collusion with Satan, rather than opposed to him. And finally … in the end, the Scribes of that day plotted with others to put Jesus to death and then mocked Him while he hung on the cross.
So … where does that leave us today?
I’m not sure. The face of journalism – the essence of being a scribe – is rapidly evolving in many, many ways.
While many of today’s journalists seem to be anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, anti- Jew, anti-Muslim, anti-God, anti-religion … I can assure you that there are many newsrooms across America where good, honest men and women struggle daily to do their jobs and hold fast to their faith.
Not all journalists are evil.
Not all businesses and CEO’s are evil.
Not all politicians are evil.
We spend way too much time and energy today trying to paint each other into the extremes of the pendulum of public debate. There is a vast middle ground. And it is not all that bad.
It is made up of people who are searching – honestly – for the truth. For justice. They may be misguided. They may also be poorly catechized.
Jesus was, of course, right to challenge the Scribes of His day.
But we should not be so quick to condemn honest scribes of today who are simply searching for the truth and recording their journeys as they go.
