51Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52Then 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.”
Having concluded the discourse on the interim present kingdom with seven parables, Jesus probed His disciples about their understanding of what He said (13:51-52).
13:51
Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Jesus finished His parabolic discourse on the interim present kingdom and asked His disciples whether they understood all these things. They replied that they did understand them.
13:52
Then He said to them, “Therefore [because you understand] every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven [the interim present kingdom] is like a householder who brings out of his treasure [storehouse] things new and old.”
This reference to the owner of a house is a simile, not a parable.
Because the disciples understood the discourse on the interim present kingdom, Jesus challenged them to become conduits of this message. They were to be scribes displaying truth like householders who bring out valuables to show to neighbors.
The disciples were to be like householders who display treasure of things new and old. The Old Testament contained a rich deposit of truth about the kingdom. The new does not displace the old but supplements it. The teaching of Christ was something new in that He fulfilled the promises of the kingdom. His disciples were to expound the whole counsel of God that the King had come.
PRINCIPLE:
Understanding brings responsibility.
APPLICATION:
Teachers are to teach out of the storehouse of truth. Understanding is fundamental to Christianity. We cannot grasp or apply the Word of God without the understanding of its principles. Disciples of Jesus are to be like scribes who go to the Word to learn revealed truth. Christianity is not a constant search for truth; Christians are to find truth and come to conclusion about what God says about truth. With understanding comes responsibility about what we understand. Communicators of God’s Word reveal God’s treasures for all to see.
