Treasures Old and New

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:51-52).

A good teacher’s responsibility does not end with helping students discover knowledge. The teacher must help students go beyond discovery and into understanding. A good student’s responsibility does not end with discovering knowledge. The student must seek to understand the knowledge he/she has discovered. That’s the dynamic of teaching and no one did it better than Jesus.

Jesus asked the disciples if they understood His parables. If they had not, He was still willing to teach them. He then encouraged them to make a proper application of this knowledge by speaking another parable - The Parable of the New and Old Treasures.

A Scribe was a person who was an expert in the Mosaic Law. They were often called lawyers because they knew the Torah inside and out. These men, according to Jesus, should have known God’s truth, and in knowing God’s truth they would have known the Gospel.

In the parable the Scribe represents the disciples of Jesus. The disciples said they understood the Lord’s truth. The ‘treasure’ is God’s truth. Jesus said they had a responsibility to the truth they came to know. So what is the ‘new’ and the ‘old’? All of God’s Word is truth - the Old Testament (Mosaic Law) and the New Testament (Gospel). The Scribe of the Pharisee was responsible in/for the Old Testament. The disciple of Jesus is responsible in/for the Old and New Testaments because you can’t have one with out the other. The Old Testament is the spiritual foundation of the New, the New Testament is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old.

Christians are disciples of Jesus. We are like bankers supervising the treasury of God - His Word, the Bible. As God gives us opportunity, we speak His truth to the occasion: sickness, disaster, trials, needs, etc. Our ministry is to make the Word of God understood and applied by/into the lives of those we minister to. We cannot be like the Dead Sea where fresh water enters but never leaves, where truth enters and stagnates. We must be like the Sea of Galilee where fresh water enters and exits, where truth lives and produces.

“Father, the responsibility of supervising Your treasury is an awesome responsibility but it is also a joy and privilege of sharing Your truth with those in need. Continue to help me understand Your Word so that I may minister in those situations and to those persons Your Holy Spirit leads me. All to the honor and glory of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.”

Pastor