SCRIBING FOR OUR LORD JESUS

SCRIBING FOR OUR LORD JESUS

Thursday, April 03, 2014

Matthew [KJV] 13:51 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. 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

Matthew [NLT] 13:51-53 Do you understand all these things?”“Yes,” they said, “we do.”52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

  Jesus taught differently than what the people were accustomed to. Instead of religiously teaching the law, He used illustrations that presented the application of that which God expects of us in the way of honoring Him in everyday living.

  After telling the parables of a Farmer Scattering Seed, Wheat and Weeds, the Mustard Seed, Yeast, Hidden Treasure and the Pearl, and of the Fishing Net, Jesus made sure His followers understood . . . and then impressed upon them a major responsibility of disciples.

  Using e-Sword I access Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible and find he interestingly commented:

“Jesus kindly asked them whether they had understood these things. If not, he was still willing to teach them. He enjoined on them their duty to make a proper use of this knowledge by speaking another parable.

Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven - That is, every man that is acquainted with the gospel or with the truth. As the disciples had said that they had understood the truth, he says that it should not be unemployed. They should bring it forth in due time, like a householder bringing out of his treasury, or place of deposit, what had been laid up there at any time, as it was needed.

Bringeth forth - As occasion demands; as sickness, or calamity, or the wants of his family, or the poor require.

Treasure - The word “treasure” here means a place of deposit, not for money merely, but for anything necessary for the comfort of a family. It is the same as “treasury” or a place of “deposit.”

    New and old - Things lately acquired, or things that had been laid up for a long time. So, said Christ, you, my disciples, are to be. The truth, new or old, which you have gained, keep it not laid up and hid, but bring it forth, in due season and on proper occasions, to benefit others. Every preacher should be properly instructed. Christ for three years gave instructions to the apostles; and they who preach should be able to understand the gospel, to defend it, and to communicate it to others. Human learning alone is indeed of no value to a minister; but all learning that will enable a man better to understand the Bible and communicate its truths is valuable, and should, if possible, be gained. A minister should be like the father of a family - distributing to the church as it needs; and out of his treasures bringing forth truth to confirm the feeble, to enlighten the ignorant, and to recover and guide those who are in danger of straying away.“

  This alone is a lot to think about and apply. Is it too much though? Considering those parables, the answer depends on how spiritually productive we agreeably want to be, doesn’t it?  EBB4