He mentions a scribe. Who is he talking
about?
Well, very often when we see the word
'scribe' in the Gospels, it's talking about those who are doctors of the
Torah, formal religious teachers. However, it doesn't have to be them. If we
look up the definition in a Greek dictionary we find the word 'scribe' here
translated from the Greek word grammateus. Here is the definition:
Thayer's Definition: Scribe, G1122,
grammateus
"In the Bible, a man learned in the Mosaic law (the Torah) and in the
sacred writings, an interpreter, teacher."
A scribe here is not just a writer or a
scholar. Rather, he is a man who knows the Torah and teaches it. So you
notice Messiah is tying in the Torah here, specifically a man who teaches
it. The Torah was at the center of all learning in Judea. In Yeshua's Day,
everyone went to the synagogue to learn the Scriptures, especially the
Torah. Why? The reason for this is very simple, because the Torah was the
covenant and constitution of the nation. It was recognized as the covenant
that bound Israel to YHWH. So this was the main thing that people needed to
learn and were required to obey. Thus, the work of the scribe as a teacher
of the Torah was very important. Now that we understand this we should also
notice that the scribe of this parable is not only knowledgeable of the
Torah, but also has been taught the Good News of the Kingdom.
Back to the verse now. It also mentions a
'householder'. What is that?
Definition: Householder, G3617,
oikodespotēs
Master of the house, head of a family
According to the Greek definition a
'householder' is the master of the house, the head of the family. Now I want
to read the verse from the New King James Version:
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
13:52 New King James Version NKJV)
In this version, it doesn't use the word
'disciple'. Instead, it says, every scribe "instructed concerning the
kingdom". If a scribe is someone who is knowledgeable about the Torah of
Moses, that describes just about everybody in Judea, particularly the
disciples of Yeshua, because he taught them from the Torah.
We already saw that, but he also taught them
about the Kingdom. So they already had the Torah knowledge, but they also
learned a lot of new things about the Kingdom from Yeshua. So He says of
them that they are like a head of the house who brings out of their treasure
things new and old. Well, this is very Biblical, that your treasure is the
Word of YHWH. That is your treasure. And yeah, this is all about
instruction. Sadly, many of us believers today have not had instruction in
the Torah. So in that sense, you may not be a 'scribe' because that
knowledge may not have been imparted to you. Beyond that, you might not have
been taught much about the Kingdom of Heaven either, even though you may be
a believer.
Really, a lot of us today don't fit into this
Biblical category of a 'scribe' at all - even though that is what a disciple
should be. This is because we don't have this emphasis on instruction in the
Torah, or even in the Kingdom. However, Yeshua saw this as normative for his
disciples to learn both the Torah and the Kingdom. Such disciples are like
the family heads who brings out of their treasure things new and old.
Well, where does that idea come from? That
comes from Deuteronomy 6:6-7. This is the last book, of the Torah. In those
verses it says this:
These words, [That is, the words of the
Torah of Moses] which I command you this day, shall be on your heart;
and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of
them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when
you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
This is a command to the head of the house to
diligently teach his children the Torah, but not only to teach them. But to
talk about them through the day, regardless of what people are doing. And of
course, what this is all about is instruction. So what does the head of the
House do with this? Well, he teaches the Torah. And perhaps you might say
the formal instruction, but then he is to make application of the Torah
through the day in all the things that the family does together. This
involves bringing in new applications for his family in order to help them
to grow according to the word of God. That's what this command really means.
Well, Yeshua, in the parable, is picking up
on this. His student is a 'scribe', in other words, a Torah teacher, who is
also instructed from Him about the Kingdom. Such a scribe is like that
family head of Deuteronomy. He is to bring out of his treasure things new
and old. Yeshua assumes here that the Torah continues on in the teaching of
His disciples. It's old, but it's still part of the "treasure". That means
it's valuable - not done away with.
Yes, the Torah is old, but it is still part
of your treasure that you have to draw from. Like the family head does with
his family, as part of what you live by - but you are also instructed in the
Kingdom. That Kingdom teaching is new. Really, as the Holy Spirit leads us,
we keep being refreshed with new revelation of His Kingdom. This is part of
our treasure too, that we bring forward with us.
Yeshua himself modeled this, right? He was
(and is) the Head of this group. He was the Head of those disciples, just as
a head of a family has this responsibility towards his family to teach them
both old and new. In Yeshua's case, he had this responsibility towards His
disciples and he did that. He taught them from something old, from the Torah
and something new, and that is what he had to bring forth regarding the
Kingdom.
The reason He asked them if they understood
the Kingdom parables before He told them this last parable was for them to
be sure they understood what He had just taught them, and modeled for them,
instruction in the Kingdom. When they answered in the affirmative that meant
they were ready to teach it. Thus, in giving them this final parable He was
telling them to be those scribes, teaching both old and new, just as He
taught them.
This is really very simple to understand. The
Complete Jewish Bible puts it in a way that is very understandable.
"Have you understood all these things?"
"Yes," they answered. He said to them, "So then, every Torah-teacher who
has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner
of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old."
(Matthew 13:51-52 Complete Jewish Bible CJB)
Recognize this is talking about a Torah
teacher, someone who has knowledge of the Torah, assuming this of Messiah's
disciples. What Yeshua is saying here is quite the opposite of assuming the
Torah is "done away." Yeshua is not saying: "well, the old is done away with
and now we have the new." Exactly the opposite is true. The old and the new
are both part of our treasure, and we bring forth both, and we teach both,
and we live by both. This is what you find in the book of Matthew.
This raises the question: "Where did the idea
come from that the "Old Testament" is "done away"?
Actually, Yeshua led the Nazorean movement.
This was considered a part of Judaism, a sect of the Jews. It wasn't a sect,
really. Actually, it was restored Israel, but it was considered a sect by
some of those Jews who did not follow Yeshua. This Nazorean movement is what
you are reading about in the "New Testament." This Nazorean movement
continued on through the first century, and continued on at least into the
fourth century, and probably later.
As you find in the book of Acts, Gentiles
were also admitted into renewed Israel through faith in Israel's Messiah.
After that the Good News spread far and wide. By the second century, the
Gentiles far outnumbered the original Nazoreans of Israelite stock. The vast
majority of those Gentiles separated themselves from the original Nazorean
movement established by Messiah. Along with that they discarded the Torah
and really, all things that were considered Jewish. Eventually those Gentile
Christians became institutionalized as the Christian Church and usurped
claim to the authority of the Nazorean movement Messiah had initiated - even
though that same Nazorean movement had continued on from Messiah forward.
Today most of those Christians are completely unaware of this history, and
my sharing these facts is not meant to be an attack on them.
As for me, I represent the original Nazorean
movement and I gladly share both old and new with all persons who want to
understand. Tsiyon.Org is
the place to find out more.
Our live stream tonight is on the
theme: Kingdom Treasure. Join us tonight at 8 Central, at
Tsiyon.Net or other video
platforms. See Matthew 13 in a new light.
In His Name, Eliyahu
Join our live stream
tonight! - 8 PM Central -
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