THINGS OLD AND NEW

Matt 13:51-52

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

KJV

Let no man or woman resign themselves strictly to the New Testament study of the Kingdom of God and Christ “…for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10: For the instructed scribe should communicate truths proceeding from both the “law and the prophets” (Old Testament) as well as the New Testament. Quite telling, Jesus is not speaking to scribes and Pharisees when he utters these remarks, but his disciples.

The Hebrew word for “scribe” is caphar (saw-far) and it means to mark, record through recounting and/or celebration. And for all of Christ’s disciples (including ourselves) one’s recounting and celebration of the gospel may prove infinitely more valuable to others (and ourselves) when we can convey both Christ’s ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, as well as, those things that foretold (and confirmed) him before he appeared through types and testimonies that prefigured him. One of his disciples John even revealed him since his resurrection and ascension through the book of Revelation. And the Apostle Paul did as much.

While imprisoned in Rome, he called an assembly to come to him and there “he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets” (Acts 28:23). Paul would have been keenly aware that the Christ himself exhorted, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17). Thus, he confirmed that every “jot” (the smallest Hebrew letter) and “tittle” (a Hebrew pen stroke) “shall in no wise pass from the law, til all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18).

It is no small wonder then that Moses and Elijah would be the representatives who appeared to him and “talked with him” on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:29-30). For in so doing, both the testimony of the law and the testimony of the prophets (all the prophets in the Old Testament) received great honor in pointing to the coming of Jesus. And just think how many more “treasures” shall we “bring forth” when communicating “things old and new” concerning the fullness of Jesus’ testimony in the earth and the heavens?

Notwithstanding, bringing forth things old and new will not convince many-including testimonies of the resurrection of Jesus Christ-which was the response to Paul, the disciples and scribes of all ages. The Lord testified as much when he relayed the testimony of Lazarus and the rich man when the latter desired that someone be sent back to his brothers so they might not come to the place he had been sent in the afterlife. Jesus relays the following in Luke 16:29-31:

“Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent. And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”