Daily Devotional • September 21
St. Matthew the Evangelist
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Meditation
St. Matthew, on his feast day, recounts Jesus telling us a little something about the business of writing. “every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Our hypothetical scribe is only missing something borrowed and something blue (and perhaps a sixpence? I digress).
Jesus loves speaking in cryptic language. The kingdom of heaven is like trespassing to hide some treasure and then buying the field where you hid it. The kingdom of heaven is like selling everything you own to buy one pearl. The kingdom of heaven is like going fishing, catching everything you find, and throwing out the trash when you get back. Thus it will be when the angels separate the righteous from the evil.
Scribes trained for the kingdom of heaven know what to keep. They bring out the treasure from old and new, they go through the treasure and they write down what they see: the desire of nations, the one whom my soul loves, the lily of the valley, the pearl of great price.
Scribes trained for the kingdom of heaven are not particularly good writers (thank God), nor are they good sifters. They don’t have to be. Scribes trained for the kingdom of heaven simply go to the treasure and bring everything out they see — old and new.
Chase Benefiel is a friend, Tennesseean, preacher, and student (in that order) currently finishing his M.Div. at Duke Divinity School.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Isiala-Ngwa South – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lynchburg, Virginia