Things Old and New

Introduction

Jack’s quote in the Christmas Letter to Anchor from Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Amazingly relatable because it is as hard to find something that is entirely bad as it is to find something entirely perfect. Find the worst person in the world, and the still bear the image of God. Every cloud has a silver lining.

This is the time when people consider and reconsider things, and there are two temptations involved. Either you want to forget everything that’s happened, put it behind you, and start fresh; or, you want to hold onto everything that is past, dwell on or relive it, and avoid change. Both of these deserve a place in your heart.

For instance, consider these three familiar passages and how they portray this tension:

Philippians 3:13–14 LSB

13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:11–12 LSB

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have arrived. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

On the one hand, we forget what lies behind but on the other hand, we dwell on what was written earlier. So which one is it? Do we forget the earlier things, or do we learn from them? Well, the answer is both.

I want to take some time to consider one verse with you from Matthew 13. Turn with me to Matthew 13:52.

This passage comes on the heels of a litany of parables. Seven of them in fact. The whole chapter is filled from start to finish with parables, and along the way Jesus inserts small discussions with His disciples. They talk about why He used parables and what two of the more difficult parables meant.

But there is a theme to the parables as well. The first one is the parable of the sower (vv. 1-9), then the tares among wheat (vv. 24-30), the mustard seed and leaven (vv. 31-35), a hidden treasure (v. 44), a costly pearl (vv. 45-46), and then finally a dragnet and fish (vv. 47-50). The theme through these parables is the kingdom of heaven.

There are a few reasons we can know that the kingdom of heaven is the theme in these parables:

It is explicit in the text: starting from the explanation of the first parable, the parable of the sower, onward, Jesus introduces every single parable with the phrase similar to “the kingdom of heaven is like...”

It is implicit in the number of parables: with seven commonly imparting significance, it is clear that Jesus is trying to get a point across. Jesus use of the same topic in all seven parables indicates that His topic is emphatic.

It is implicit in the final exchange: Jesus asks the disciples in v. 51 if they have “understood all these things.” They reply, “Yes,” and Jesus then explains to them what a “scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven” is like.

So, Jesus introduces each parable with, repeats seven times, and concludes the whole chapter with the phrase “the kingdom of heaven.” That concept is the dominant theme in the near preceding context. Now we want to figure out why that matters.

Let me read those last two verses, 51-52, that record Jesus’ final exchange with the disciples here:

Matthew 13:51–52 LSB

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

The key individual in this passage is the “scribe.” For once, the scribe seems like a good guy!

We’re used to hearing about the “scribes and Pharisees” in a negative sense. Jesus condemns them very severely and on more than one occasion. In Matthew 23, Mark 12, and Luke 11, Jesus accuses them of pride, selfishness, insincerity, hypocrisy, and obstruction of justice. Interestingly, He singles the scribes out in particular with those rebukes. The Pharisees are also rebuked, but they are rebuked for different (though sometimes similar) sins.

I think it’s helpful to learn what a scribe in the New Testament period was like. There is one unique reference in Acts 19:35 where the term “scribe” actually referred to the city clerk. Similar terms were used in the Old Testament to refer to the king’s scribe, or men who had a “ready pen” (Ps 45:1). This was the technical origin of the term: a position in government usually associated with the writing, locating, and reading of formal documents for a prominent ruler.

When the Israelites returned from exile, though, the term took on a new meaning. Very few Israelites remembered life before exile, and even then they only knew wicked kings. The result was a group of exiles returning to the land with very little spiritual heritage. Before the exile, the Israelites were rebellious, and after the exile, they were clueless. They were desperate for instruction in the law of God because they did not want to get sent back into exile again. It was quite clear they needed to turn over a new leaf.

This is when the new concept of a “scribe” was born. Ezra, in fact, was a scribe, and he is described as “skilled in the law of Moses” and “learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel” in Ezra 7:6, 11. The rabbis seem to have organized a guild or exclusive group called “scribes.” They were considered “fully qualified scholars” and apparently they were ordained in order to receive “the official spirit of Moses.” This is why Jesus says that they “seated themselves in the chair of Moses” in Matt 23:2. They were super highfalutin.

As a side note, their source of authority is fascinating. Today, the Roman Catholic popes claim what they call “apostolic succession.” That means they believe the authority of Peter as apostle has been passed down from one pope to the next, and so the current pope stands today as the spiritual head of the church. The scribes did something similar. Just like the Pope claims apostolic authority from Peter, the scribes claimed prophetic succession of authority from Moses. So just imagine all the pomp and circumstance that follows high-profile Catholic priests, and the scribes might be similar.

The root concept of a scribe was good, though. The term for a religious “scribe” originally referred to a “man learned in the Torah” or an “ordained theologian.” It’s not hard to see why we’d want to have wise and godly men like this. And that is Jesus’ point here in Matthew 13:52. This is the only time a “scribe” is referred to positively in the New Testament. Jesus is directing our attention toward the way in which we should all aspire to become spiritually-qualified scribes.

In this verse Jesus identifies the scribe with two figures: a kingdom disciple and a homeowner. Then He explains that if we want to be effective kingdom disciples like the apostles, then we need to be like experienced homeowners who bring out both old and new treasures. The idea is that we should be able to draw both old and new truth from Scripture. I think this is particularly relevant as we consider the passing of an old year and the beginning of a new one.

Be a kingdom disciple

First of all, notice that the scribe must “become a disciple.” Jesus is well aware that they were not typically disciples of the kingdom of heaven. If they were good scribes, then they would want to become a disciple, but most did not. This would have been quite the counter-cultural statement. The scribes were used to having disciples, not being disciples. They would follow certain schools of thought, but in public they were seen with a following, not as followers. The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” might have applied to them. They were salty old dogs with no interest in being told what to do. After all, they had inherited the prophetic authority of Moses himself!

But still, Jesus wants scribes who are disciples. To be specific, they have to be disciples of the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus has just explained in the seven parables that lead up to this statement, the kingdom of heaven is comprised of a very small subset of humanity. Most seeds, weeds, trees, loaves, fields, clams, and fish are plain and undesirable. Only a select few have value, and they are super hard to find. So it is with the kingdom of God. Most people are plain and undesirable from a spiritual standpoint. In fact, they are downright wicked. At the end of the age, Jesus says in verse 49 that the angels will come and take the wicked out and throw them into the fiery furnace. Discarded. The wicked are going to get shredded and burned just like old documents that no longer serve a purpose.

That is not the only point of the parables, though. Some of them explain the difference between the wicked and the righteous, and how they will be treated on the day of judgment. Others of them highlight the initiative that the righteous must show in order to obtain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. They have to search diligently, and they have to be willing to make great sacrifices. They can’t be like the rich young ruler who refused to pay the price.

If you want to be a godly scribe, then you need to be like this. You need to humble yourself and determine that you will become a student of the kingdom of heaven. You must learn what it is, how it works, and how you can obtain it.

Be like a homeowner

This means you should become like a head of a household. Do you know what it’s like to be the head of a household?

It means you have to spend money. You have to pay for the house, pay for the car, pay for the utilities, pay for the repairs, pay for the clothes, pay for the food, pay for the games, pay for the children, pay for the slaves. You have to pay for everything! You’re constantly watching money "make itself wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens” as Solomon said in Proverbs 23:5. And trust me, if Solomon felt like even his vast wealth could just fly away, yours will too. If you’re the head of a household or what we might call today the homeowner, you’re going to spend money.

Now, if you know that spending money is inevitable, what is the next best thing to saving money? It’s spending it on worthwhile stuff. There’s nothing worse than having to spend money, and then finding out you actually wasted it. You can feel satisfied about spending money on something meaningful, but we talk about “buyer’s remorse” today when people waste money on things that they live to very quickly regret buying. That’s the kind of sting you feel when you try to return holiday stuff after the sales are finished, only to discover that all sales are final and they don’t do returns.

But that’s not the head of a household that Jesus is talking about here. He’s not talking about someone who lacks discernment at the cash register. He’s just been describing—at length—how a kingdom disciple searches very diligently for treasure and then writes a blank check to get it at any cost. This homeowner buys with precision.

Bring out the treasure

The things that this homeowner buys don’t necessarily have to be antiques, they could also be cutting edge technology. Notice that Jesus describes this wise head of a household as one “who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” This person has both breadth and depth. They have the sense to make sure that the old stuff is used up first so that it doesn’t go bad and so the new stuff isn’t wasted. They have a well-balanced taste and can manage to be both functional and beautiful at the same time. They have the paper plates and the fine china.

Just this past weekend, we were with the Fergusons at the home of the individual that Raahail and I both have saved in our phones as “Aunt Grandma Marty Owens,” aka Beth’s mom. And she was the perfect example of one of these homeowners who can bring out treasures new and old. On the one hand, she has a beautifully renovated kitchen with custom wood cabinets and solid granite countertops. But she also has a garage attic with a shot put ball and a valentine’s day poem from Kelsi’s great-grandfather’s days as a competition judge in the 1930s. In fact, within the last 24 hours we were there, we went from talking about adding Alexa and surround sound speakers to the family room to looking at old family heirloom Bibles, one of which was printed in Dublin in 1762 and signed in 1765! And trust me, that is only scratching the surface of all the “treasures new and old” at grandma’s house.

That’s the epitome of being a homeowner. When you can invite someone over to your house and show them some things that are new and beautiful and some things that are old and full of stories. You don’t want a bunch of mediocre stuff that is just unremarkable and also unmemorable. You don’t want to be the hoarder packrat from the slums in New York. You want the stuff that’s worth showing to someone or explaining to your grandchildren. Sure, you have to spend your money on some boring stuff like the utilities, but do your best to spend the rest wisely. This is how to be a wise head of a household who builds treasure.

Conclusion

But wait, you think. Isn’t that a little odd for a Christian? Didn’t Jesus just say a few chapters earlier, in Mat 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…”? Well, yes, but remember that He only said scribes who become disciples of the kingdom of heaven are like heads of households who have treasure. He didn’t say they were or had to be homeowners! He did recognize, though, that we’re all familiar with the concept and probably have personal experience.

He was really just getting at what it means to be a scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven. That’s the main point. I think you’ve probably caught as we worked through this verse that having treasure doesn’t earn your status as a disciple. It is only those who are disciples that can build treasure of both old and new. In addition, scribes and disciples do not bring out treasure for their own consumption. They bring it out to present and to share. So we too should be focused on accumulating knowledge that is useful both to ourselves but also, and especially, to others.

For the disciples, Jesus’ point was that they were supposed to be like scribes who knew the Old Testament and the Torah like the back of their hand. They were supposed to be well-versed in Scripture. But then they also had to learn about the kingdom of heaven from Jesus and be prepared to teach both. The apostles would become stewards of the mysteries of God, bringing forth treasure from the Old Testament and producing the New Testament as well.

Today, I think this verse could be applied in several ways. First, we should aspire to become masters of both the old and new testaments. People who only have new stuff or only have old stuff tend to seem a little two-dimensIon and flat. Second, we should also be ready to share lessons we learned long ago in our walk with the Lord and things that we’re learning just now. The main idea in this verse is balanced resourcefulness. Stay organized and be prepared to teach others what you’ve learned from Scripture and from life’s experiences. Scribes were teachers, and the point of being a disciple is to become like Christ, who was also a teacher. Maybe most of you won’t aspire to teach in the context of corporate worship, but all of you should aspire to teach what you’ve learned on a personal level.

And as we transition from 2022 to 2023, remember that there is value in both the old and the new years. Don’t forget the things you’ve learned and experienced this past year in your haste to start a new one. Remember what happened to everyone who was so excited to forget 2019 and start 2020? They got COVID. Remember that the former things have happened for our instruction—specifically the things written in Scripture, but also the process of sanctification that God used in your life last year. Don’t discard His grace in your haste. At the same time, don’t hold onto the past too tightly. Often you end up repeating the same mistakes if they’re all you think about. You’re also not going to make progress in holiness if you keep doing the same old things in the same old way, as Don Whitney says.

Let me wrap up with this verse that summarizes Jesus’ example of balanced growth in godly maturity, which is the goal we’re really all pursuing every year:

Luke 2:52 LSB

52 And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

That’s about all we know of Jesus’ childhood and teenage years, but that’s good enough. He defined successful growth. Let’s pray that God would help us to go and do the same, that we would become more wise, more healthy, more godly, and more social in 2023 and that we would be able to teach others to do the same.