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.
Jesus shares these words after reemphasizing the worth of the kingdom and the cost of discipleship: everything. He shares parables of those who sell everything to obtain the thing of the greater value: the Kingdom. Certainly, the point of the parable is not to say that we can purchase the Kingdom, but to say that we must value being a part of the Kingdom and having ownership in it above all else.*
That said, membership in the Kingdom cannot end the journey for the believer. The disciple of Jesus must share the treasure of the Kingdom with others.
As we walk through life, we pick up treasure through reading God’s Word and through allowing Him to speak to us through nature, experiences, wise counsel, a whisper to the heart, and others. This treasure includes what is new and what is old. It’s like discovering new territory in the Kingdom that we did not know existed. Often times, we reject the new thing God is saying simply because it is outside of the old things He said. Other timer times, we reject what is old because we have learned something new.*
In reality, the treasure of old will support the new treasure, and the new treasure will provide greater revelation of what is old.* The new will not reject or counter what is old, but it will work in concert with it to bring us closer to God. If this is not the case, then the thing we have found might just be a counterfeit not fit for our sacrifice or purchase.
When I went to purchase the engagement ring for my wife, I went to a reliable source that I could trust to sell me something that actually had worth. I saved for a long period, skipping meals and avoided entertainment expenses for months to afford the ring. The ring looked shiny, but it had to pass the test of being weighed against other diamonds of quality. No matter how shiny the new ring looked, if it did not align with the standards of the rings that came before it, it was not worth much at all. Without the old to compare it to, I might have purchased a counterfeit.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to value the Kingdom of Heaven above all else in your life. Perhaps God is asking you to begin to share the treasure that you have found in Him with others. Maybe God wants you to remember the treasure of old so that you can discern if the treasure of new is from Him or a counterfeit. Perhaps God would have you listen for new treasure that helps you understand the old.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 358-363, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 13:44–45) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).