51 Jesus
saith unto them, Have ye understood all these
things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth
forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matt 13:52)
The
Collect
Trinity
Sunday
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A
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession
of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the
power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou
wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all
adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.
By what
measure does Christ desire that we study His Word? He compares those in the
Kingdom of Heaven with the Scribe. There are certain characteristics of the
Scribe which must also characterize the serious Christian professor:
First
of all, the Scribe was diligent in his work. He was considered a master teacher
of the Word because all of his labors dealt with copying and transmitting the
exact Word to others. He could not make even the slightest mistake in the
manuscript copy (I wonder about those today who carelessly change God's Word in
new versions), so diligence was a must. Jesus desires that we too be diligent
in His Word. If we hand-copied every jot and tittle as did the Scribe, we might
retain more than if we casually read a verse here and there. If we read as the
Scribes, we will read from beginning to end, and not haphazardly. Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14) and this: Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for
they will increase unto more ungodliness. (2 Tim 2:15-16) I hope that
you will understand the shunning of profane and vain babblings, Mr.
Charismatic.
Secondly,
the Scribe, being learned in the Word, was a teacher of the Word. If we have
found the treasure of our souls in God's Word, should we not share the benefit
with those who perish without it? If the bridge is out around the mountain
bend, should we not warn every highwayman we meet along the way? There is no knowledge
and wisdom lost in sharing that wisdom and knowledge with others. In
fact, when we teach others, we find that our own hearts and minds are made more
keenly informed of the same. For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles
of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of
strong meat. (Heb 5:12) When we sat, long ago, in our calculus class
daydreaming of things not convenient, we may have actually heard important
principles expounded on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite
series, but the boy or girl of our daydream was more important to us and we let
knowledge slip away. Does this same process not take place every Sunday at
worship? Who limited, as well, Bible learning to one day in seven pray tell?
Thirdly,
the conduct of the Scribe must match the dignity of his office. As Christians,
our conduct must be above the reproach of the world. Is it? We are princes and
princesses. Have we quitted ourselves as the same?
51 Jesus
saith unto them, Have ye understood all these
things? They
say unto him, Yea, Lord. Notice the patience of Christ in insuring
that His apostles understood the lesson He was teaching. Jesus is a Master
Teacher and is the Father of the science. He spoke calmly and directly. He
taught from the known (Dragnets, Mustard Trees, Seeds, Pearls, etc) to the
unknown (Kingdom of Heaven). Here, He employs another excellent teaching
technique of asking questions to insure comprehension. His question
allows for the entire spectrum of parables taught thus far and invites further
questions if the parables have not been understood.
52 Then said he unto them,
Therefore every scribe which is
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Christ would have us be as devoted to the perfect knowledge of the Word as were
the Scribes, but He does not desire us to be as devoted to religion. He would
rather have us to be devoted to Him and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven,
which He illustrates here, is comprised, not only of evangelists and ministers,
but all professing Christians. The reference to the Scribe is a general
reference to the manner in which the professing Christian should ardently
pursue his faith. The Scribe is like a householder who brings things old and
new out of his treasure. The Scribe was just as learned in the first five books
of the Bible as the minor prophets of more recent origin.
Remember as far back as your memory will allow. What occupies the center stage
of your existence that long ago? You were a child, perhaps even a baby! Your
whole world revolved around two very important people – your parents. They
meant more to you than any other persons on earth. You depended on them for
your security, for your food, your clothing, and your shelter. They were the
ones who established absolute limits on your behavior. They remained so for the
longest time, it seemed. Then, one day, as if out of the blue, a gorgeous girl,
or handsome boy, who was amazing beyond belief, entered your life. It was as if
twenty years of memory of previous mentorship had disappeared – you were in
love! Now your loyalties would turn to that mate (husband or wife) that God had
given you. But you never forgot the old, either. Your parents gave you life and
sacrificed to give you every remunerative opportunity in life. Without them,
you would never have met that special one, would you?
It is
unlikely, in fact impossible, to understand the sacrifice of Christ without an
understanding of the demands of the law of righteousness. If we know nothing of
the Passover, how can we understand that Christ has become our Passover? Purge
out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for
us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and
truth (1 Cor 5:7-8) If we know not of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
how shall we keep it now to Christ? So we must remember that which came before
in order to appreciate that which came after (Christ). If we would know better
who we are, we must remember what evil David did, or Cain, or Herod, or even
Judas. Our old characters are mirrored in the Bible. Look not for the identity
of the woman taken in adultery, or the woman at Jacob's Well – it is you and me
ere we came to know Christ as Lord and Savior! Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But
after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye
are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:23-29)
If you
will appreciate the Grace offered in Christ, you must remember the bondage of
Egypt and the law. Do you?
