• Jacob Chanikuzhy

“The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr,” is a quote some attribute to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam of Shia Islam. The quote highlights the significance of the pursuit of knowledge and the sacrifice involved in it. While martyrdom is a great one-time sacrifice, the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge equals martyrdom on a daily basis. Such intellectual pursuits are held in high esteem for their long-lasting and wide-ranging impact on liberating society to a dignified future. Sometimes, scholars can become prophets too. If the ink of the scholar is holy, how much holier the ink of the scholar-prophet is! The ink the erudite prophets use not only gives information, but also inspires true transformation.
“The trouble with most of us is,” writes Norman Vincent Peale, “that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” Prophets are critics who save us from self-deception and perdition. They, like gentle rain, nourish our growth rather than destroying the roots. We need prophets exactly there, where rulers, surrounded by their admirers and supporters, are perennially tempted to abuse their authority for their personal goals. The mighty rulers tend to cover up their mistakes. Their die-hard supporters can go to the extent of making their evil master a hero, and all those who justly oppose him as villains. A despot never wants anyone to question or criticize him. Such rulers want their human friends to be like animals. George Eliot has this to say about animals: “Animals are such agreeable friends – they never ask questions or pass criticisms.”
The self-centred rulers think that they can control everybody and everything and that they have the last word. But a prophet is one who tells the ruler in the face that the last word is that of God and not of the ruler. Prophet Nathan, an inspiring example of the spirit of prophecy, had the courage to tell King David, his boss, that what he did was wrong in the eyes of God. When the ruler makes an offence, many compete to whitewash his offence. The case of David was not different. Although David himself wrote a Psalm in repentance of his sin of adultery with Bathsheba (The title of Psalm 51 admits the sin of David), enthusiasts of David never admitted the role of David in initiating the adultery. They have argued that it was Bathsheba who seduced King David by deliberately taking a bath near the Davidic palace. They argue that if she did not have evil intentions, she would have checked whether she could be seen by someone else. They further argue that she was more than willing to go to David’s palace and did not show any resistance to his sexual advances. The same scenario is repeated even today. When a woman is raped, especially by someone very influential, often the victim is blamed. It is her dress, it is the time, it is the place, it is her approach, it is her going all alone, etc. that invited him to violate her! What surprises one about such interpretations that blame Bathsheba for her distress is that the Book of Samuel never blames Bathsheba for the atrocity committed, rather, the book holds David himself accountable for the crime (2 Samuel 12:9-10). The staunch supporters turn blind to God and his Word, when it comes to shielding their evil masters.
But, Prophet Nathan was different. He was not afraid of the personal losses, the anger of the king would incur. Through a parable, he made it clear that what King David masqueraded as the casualty of war was actually an act of murder. The church today needs to play the prophetic role of Nathan by rebuking the power structures of society about the iniquities they commit. The positive thing about David was that he heeded the criticism of Nathan and repented. However, in the Bible we have other rulers like Ahab, Jezebel, Manasseh and Jehoiakim, who, instead of listening to the prophets, hunted after them. Even today, there are scholar-prophets who have to mix their blood with their ink for the creation of a new earth characterized by social justice, moral integrity, and spiritual renewal.