Scribes, Technology, and Labor
Today is Labor Day in the US. Today, we reflect on the great strides men and women have taken throughout history to protect workers and bring about social reform and justice in the marketplace.
In the Eastern Rites, it is the liturgical New Year. Glory to Jesus Christ! In Matthew 22:35-46, Jesus responds to a question from a Pharisee about the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus reveals that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. He then adds that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Yesterday, in the Western Rites from the Gospel according to Mark on 1 September 2024, in the Western Rite of the Catholic Church, we get a glimpse of a teaching of Jesus that we can apply to our world of work and labor. Most especially as we experience the cause/effect of Artificial Intelligence evolving globally and impacting labor.
Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
“He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from the outside can defile that person, but the things that come from within are what defile.
From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly.
All these evils come from within, and they defile.”
There were two types of Jewish religious law: the Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). The Pentateuch lays down broad moral principles about how one should live life, especially the liturgical laws, and like all laws, regulations, and guideposts, there are unanswered questions.
In the first century of the Roman Empire, we had Jesus living in Judea, a province of the Roman Empire under occupation. At the time, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes understood with the Roman Empire which side of their bread was buttered. Five centuries before Jesus, a new class of religious leaders emerged. The leaders were called scribes. The scribes were those who would interpret religious law. Think of modern-day Canon Lawyers in the church and in a pluralistic society think of Judges.. Scribes in the first century were not too concerned about broad religious principles. No, they were passionate about definition. All things black and white. And these people came up with rules about how one was supposed to act at the table. This was all about washing.
The typical working-class person could not follow such rules. Fishermen, field workers, masonry workers, and day laborers would not have the “special water” and eggshells at their disposal as they did their jobs. Jesus was more than likely a day laborer, a masonry man during his time. The niceties, rituals, and practices of the religion could only be observed by those who were wealthy and did not earn their living by the sweat of their brow—men of the time who never got dirt under their fingernails.
Today, and especially since Leo XIII, we see various encyclicals written to defend those who earn a living by the sweat of their brown. In Jesus’ time and like today, some could not keep elaborate religious laws for practical reasons and were often attacked, belittled, and dismissed by the affluent, the ruling class, and those in powerful positions. This happened to Jesus and his followers, who struggled daily to earn their daily bread. The masses of people were considered unimportant in God's eyes. Jesus, one of the people with low incomes, disagreed. He emphasized religious laws that stressed the broad principles of the law, like loving God and neighbor and loving yourself and, in turn, sharing that love with those you encounter in your daily life.
The world of emerging Technology, especially the growth of artificial intelligence, is bringing new levels of awareness of how we live our lives, whether you are a day laborer or a CEO. The world of work is changing and will continue to change as Technology evolves. What makes us human is the same. That is where the critical focus must center. We need to remember the people Jesus enjoyed hanging out with and eating meals with were not professional religious people or CEOs living in an ivory tower. No, he was a man living amid the world. Jesus did not fit the mold of what a religious person was. No, he broke the mold. In a world of emerging technology and where the working lives of many are beginning to feel threatened, our job as followers of a simple method of See-Judge-Act needs to be front and center. Our role in working with workers and students is to help those most impacted by emerging Technology innovate, educate, and above all, collaborate in society to bring about the greater good, to focus on people, our planet, the purpose in life as human beings and a realization of prosperity for all human beings, not just the ruling class.
Reflection Questions:
What does a follower of Jesus look like in a world of emerging Technology? Do I measure up?
Living the gospel message in a world of artificial intelligence, do I measure up to Jesus in the gospel story, or am I more like the scribes?
Is emerging Technology reshaping business and the skills required and focusing on preserving the working class?
Is Emerging Technology creating new jobs and displacing people without regard for what it means to be human?
Are the modern-day scribes and Pharisees siding with the ruling class, even in the church?
Does emerging Technology emphasize that what defiles a person comes from within, from the heart, rather than from external sources?
So think about what Jesus teaches: it is not what enters a person from the outside that defiles them, but what comes out from within (Mark 7:15). See, judge, and act.
Photo: International Labor Movement 2023.