Millstones

Millstones are mentioned in the bible at least eleven times. Their qualities are used as examples of issues that writers were talking about. There are some things we cannot explain in words such as trying to define the differences between red and green to a person born blind. In bible times everyone knew what millstones were. So they were used for several lessons. Mills had two stones. The bottom fixed one was very hard and flat. The top one could be a small hand held stone or a large round wheel that was often dragged about by a donkey or slave. In early bible times every household would have had some sort of a mill for grinding. Possession meant the difference between survival and starvation, life or death. Wheat and other cereal crops contain much of the nutrients we need for life, but they must be processed. That processing involves crushing or grinding and then cooking to make bread or similar. Grinding was done by rubbing the grains between the two flat stones until they became flour. To get the two stones with flat faces without iron or other tools available was difficult. Possession was so important that the Mosaic law said that a millstone may not be taken in lieu of a debt. That could be equivalent to murder.

Hard. That bottom stone was very hard and did not wear away quickly or the flour was full of sand. In modern times we might say “as hard as iron”. But then Jeremiah talks about the enemy monster which has a heart as hard as a bottom millstone. That gave the immediate picture of someone who could not be persuaded by high level talks or similar “diplomacy”. Paul says in Galatians that if anyone preaches anything different to what he has said, let him be accursed. Anathema is the original word he used. That is strong. Jesus said to some church people “depart from me for I never knew you”. These are hard quotes and need thought.

Precious The Bible records an incident where an enemy invaded a city and the inhabitants took refuge in a tower. The attackers piled branches around the tower which, if ignited, would be the end of those inhabitants. We read that a woman, in desperation, grabbed her precious top millstone and dropped it on the head of the leader of the attackers which cracked his skull. The attackers were so upset they gave up and went away. That one woman was prepared to forfeit her life by hunger by sacrificing her precious millstone rather than all her fellow townsfolk being killed by the enemy. It was the only thing she had to hand. In the event the only one who died was the man with the cracked skull. However, in the Bible account, the cracked skull did not immediately kill that leader. But he was so ashamed that he might have been killed by a woman that he commanded his servant to stick a sword through him which proved to be terminal. Is pride precious?

Fatal. A millstone had to be heavy enough to grind the cereal grains but light enough for someone to push it round and then lift it off to sweep up the flour. Everyone knew what a millstone was like and Jesus used that knowledge when He says “If you give one of these simple childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone draped around your neck”. Fatal. Just like the woman on the roof of the tower treated the obvious attackers. Jesus follows this warning saying if your hand, foot or eye distract you, cut them off in Mark chapter 9. He is not saying that the things you might do or go to or even see are bad in themselves. It is when they cause distractions. Jesus did not say a millstone was bad. It could be used badly.

Conclusions. Words have limitations. Ezekiel says “I saw the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”. He was just lost for words. Millstones here are used to illustrate lessons which may not be otherwise defined. Jesus uses lots of parables in the gospels to illustrate points. Some of them must have been hilarious to the people then. Does the Christian faith have hard limits? Is the Nicean creed the basis of our belief? The dropped millstone is recorded in two of the bible books. Jesus’ condemnation of inaccurate teaching is in each of the first three gospels. So these things must be important to avoid the millstone treatment. What is understood to be precious to people now, a computer, TV, mobile, front garden? Rowan Williams has said that the CofE could almost be idolatrous with its fixations on procedures and rituals and missing its target. A good thing round the neck is a good thing proving fatal.

Bob