New and Old Treasure

Today’s post concludes the series exploring the kingdom parables of Matthew thirteen.  I want to share some final thoughts in relation to the following parable (number eight?) that ends Jesus’ teaching.  Depending upon the translation, this one is either referred to as the householder, the owner of a house or the master of a house.  Normally, this parable rarely finds its way into the overall tally with the others in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew.   I think this brief one bumps the number of parables to eight.  By way of context, this one follows immediately after the Lord finishes the parable of the dragnet:

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:51-52, ESV).

My off-the-cuff observation may sound a little snarky, but the disciples’ affirmative response to Jesus’ question surprises me.  These men asked him earlier to explain to them the meaning of the parable of the weeds (Matt. 13:36, ESV).  It seems to be a little bit of a stretch to take the disciples at their word.  Now, I do not want to draw too much from this point.  After all, it probably reveals more about me rather than the disciples.   In no way do I want to read into the text what it does not say.  If I place myself in their shoes, would I behave any differently?  I think no is the honest response.  After all, if Jesus does not question or rebuke them for their answer, then it might behoove me to keep moving forward instead of making a mountain out of a molehill.

Now then, what does Jesus intend to teach his disciples with this parable about a master of a house?  Based on the context, it seems to me that the Lord expresses the view to the twelve that they are possessors of both old and new treasure.  He has entrusted to them the secrets of the kingdom, which they are to steward (Matt. 13:11-12, ESV).  I see this final parable as anticipating the great commission that the Lord commands his disciples before his ascension to the right hand of the Father (Matt. 28:19-20, ESV).  In this parable, he does not instruct them to venture out among the nations.  Instead Jesus lays the foundation for their future missionary efforts. According to his’ own words, he has trained the apostles for the kingdom of heaven in order to share the old and new treasures (Matt. 13:52, ESV).

Did the sharing of the kingdom’s old and new treasures end with the death of the apostles in the 1st century?  The answer is a resounding no.  Every person who came to faith in Christ under the original apostles inherited their same calling to bring out of their storehouse both the new and old treasure.  The Lord inaugurated this pattern during his earthly ministry, and established it with the Great Commission before his ascension.  All those who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior throughout church history had a responsibility to share the new and old treasures of the kingdom of heaven.  They are not to be hoarded nor buried deep within the earth.  The expectation of Jesus was that his followers would come alongside men and women in order to tell them about the good news of the kingdom.  Today, this remains the mission of each believer and the church.

Doctrinal Discernment

Today’s culture elevates tolerance to the point of being the standard by which to measure one’s integrity within society.  What has been defined as acceptable and tolerable is moral and ethical.  Laws must be amended, added, or removed in accordance with tolerance.  This perspective has worked its way into the church over the last century or more.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy raged like a wildfire throughout the United States.  Denominations split in two.  Seminaries were birthed to carry on the gospel training of ministers.  For example, both Westminster Theological Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary grew out of their founders’ commitment to the gospel contained in the word.  The public school system planted the seeds for marginalizing and removing the voice of Evangelicalism or those espousing Orthodox Christian beliefs from its camp.

J. Gresham Machen and J. Oliver Buswell rose to prominence during the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy.  They fought alongside each other to preserve the integrity of the scriptures and the church’s gospel witness.  Machen and Buswell founded seminaries and denominations with those two goals in mind.  For Machen and Buswell, the gospel meant everything. It served as the foundation of Orthodox Christianity.  Machen wrote an excellent book on this subject called Christianity and Liberalism from 1923.

Fast forward to our current day and this video clip…Pastor-scholar Mark Dever gives a clear and concise rundown of the gospel as the way to filter out bad theology.  Dever’s words are sorely needed for today’s church, which seems to have leaders and laity unwilling to exercise doctrinal discernment in their own lives and in the life of their church.  Tolerance is their excuse.  The New Testament is replete with warnings about false teachers and their false teaching.  Methinks the call is to be like the Bereans in the book of Acts.