Thursday 17 October 2019
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
And he said to them, ‘Therefore 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.' (v. 52)
Psalm: Psalm 77
Background
Jesus’s injunction that the Jewish religious leaders called the scribes should be enriched by both tradition and modernity is a fascinating insight. He affirms a foundation of inherited tradition which is open to renewal and development. This might not have gone down with the strongly traditionalists who claimed that nothing must change. Nor would it have found favour with the zealots who wanted immediate and rapid change. Jesus could not please everyone!
The Wimbledon tennis championships are for many a treasure ‘which is old’. But it would be wrong to assume that nothing has changed since 1922 when Centre Court was built. Much has! Retractable roofs, integration of technology and the development of the grounds have kept pace with modern times. The skill of Wimbledon has been to combine tradition with change, mixing ‘treasures that are both old and new’.
Jesus is inviting his hearers to appreciate all the heritage and richness of wise traditions. But he is also encouraging them to experience Spirit’s freeing energy to bring new and exciting insights. The kingdom of God is deeply rooted in the past and yet ‘new every morning is the love’. Praise God – we are invited to explore the best of both worlds.
To Ponder:
- What treasures old or new have you yet to discover in the hymn book?
- How do you hold the different expectations of traditional and modern together?
- What might the church learn from the Wimbledon tennis championships commitment to both tradition and modernity?