Through the eyes of Jesus
The Parable of the Scribe & Householder
Matthew 13:51 – 52
May 8, 2011
Today we come to the conclusion of Matthew 13 and the eighth and final parable. It seems such a long ways from the first parable that Jesus told the crowd that before we begin I think it is best to do a quick review of the preceding seven.
If you remember the events in this chapter actually start in chapter 12 with Jesus going to the synagogue in the morning. Upon leaving the synagogue he moves over to a private house. It is while at the house that Jesus starts His teaching and the speaking in parables. In fact this speech pattern took even his disciples by surprise and they even have to ask Him why He is speaking in such manner.
If you remember Jesus spoke in Parables for three basic reasons;
Matthew 12:18- 21
Parables are designed to reveal and conceal the truth at the same time.
Matthew 13:11
Parables will ultimately prove your allegiance.
In the Parable of the Sower we can see a picture of the apostolic age of the church. The seeds that are being spread to all walks of life and the result of the spreading.
In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares we can see the early church springing up in the midst of all kinds of various heresies.
The Parable of the mustard seed is a seed that has taken on a form other than what it was designed to do and the resulting chaos that comes because of it.
The Parable of the leaven is a result of the heresies or pagan rituals that were being mixed into the church during the mediaeval ages.
At this juncture, Jesus separates Himself and His disciples from the crowd.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure deals with the period of the church as it comes to realization during the reformation period.
The Parable of the Great Pearl deals with the contrast between Christianity and the modern culture and secularism.
The seventh parable, the Parable of the draw net deals with the final separation of the church from the world.
As we move into this final and eighth parable great expositors like RICHARD CHENEVIX TRENCH (1807-1886AD); Siegfried Abraham Goebel (b.1844); Dr. Alfred Taylor Schofield (1846-1929); Isaac Taylor (1759-1829) and other less known seem to miss or overlook this parable with no apparent reasoning.
Personally I think that this parable here is not just some tag parable that Jesus just seemed to throw out at the very end, I think that it is really just the beginning.
Look with me if you will at 2 verses in this chapter;
At the very end of the first parable of the sower Jesus says these words,
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
At the very beginning of the eighth parable Jesus says these words,
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
What is happening here?
Let’s step back and take a look at the big picture for just a moment. As we had discussed in a previous message, some reason that most Bible expositors see only seven parables in this chapter as they see these as a form of completeness or perfection as the number seven so aptly represents. The number eight also carries significance of its own in scripture.
Lev 14:23
23 And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the Lord.
Ezekiel 43:27
27 When those days are over, on the eighth day, the priests must sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept them, declares the Almighty Lord.”
John 20:26
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
1 Peter 3:20
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
The number eight in scripture carries with it an idea of Cleansing or New Beginnings.
So just how does this apply to this parable you may ask?
Before I answer that question, let’s look at the previous question and answer.
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
The disciples have just spent the day listening to the greatest teacher that they have ever heard. Been filled with parables and He has only fully clarified some of them and left the others up to their own resolve to get the answers, do you really think they really understood everything that day? Probably not, but as you look at their lives later on, you do get the sense that they did come to understand what Jesus was teaching them that day.
Peter learned that it was not his responsibility to convert the world but to spread the message of the salvation.
James learned that it was through the working of the Gospel message that God was going to take out a people in His name.
Jude remembered that Jesus had spoken of the mockers that would come.
Can we sit here today and say that we have fully understood all of these parables? I think not, but through time it will be revealed that we have all taken something from these parables.
In the music world, there is only seven basic notes that are used; A – G, but to get an Octave, you must include the first note again, only this time it is a full step higher or lower. In essence an Octave runs from 1 to 1.
This eighth parable is in essence an Octave which in many ways is not just an ending but a new beginning. So instead of returning to the first note, let’s take a look at the Octave note that Jesus is talking about here.
As in previous parables, this one to contain three parts to it.
Scribes
Greek word used here is GRAMMA for which we get our word GRAMMAR.
These men were originally men of letters, teachers of the law and therefore qualified to teach.
During the times of Jesus, these men had taken this idea of expounding the word of God which was designed to help the people it into a party that prevented true access to God except through their traditions and teachings.
As the chief scribe, Jesus went and transferred this authority from this group of people to His disciples. In reality, Jesus through His instructions to the apostles was giving them the ability to understand and thus interpret the true and clear meaning of the law.
Householder
Our understanding of house holder today is one who owns or occupies a house, but the term that Jesus uses here was a house despot. We have come to associate the word despot with a negative connotation.
The word despot in Biblical times was more closely associated with the term of manager or steward. Joseph in the Old Testament was one of the more well-known house stewards or despots. He was an individual that served in the capacity of management.
What Jesus says in this parable in Matthew 13:52 is in essence the same thing he says in Luke 12:42
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
In essence a householder had authority and who controlled the treasure store or household goods.
Treasure
In the New Testament there are two words used for treasure,
Thesaurizo (thay-sa-rizo) to store up
Suggesting a miser or spend thrift
And
Aikonomos (oi-con-nomos) manager of Household; administrator
To spend or to give away
There is an old adage that goes like this;
There was a man, some thought him mad. The more he gave the more he had.
As a householder, it was their responsibility to bring out the items that were needed for the daily substance of those that were in his charge. In so doing this meant that when he brought these things out he was to bring them in such a way that despite being old they would and could be seen in a new light.
The Bible is filled with truths that are so old, but they are constantly new and refreshing. Divine principles that are old, but when practiced become new.
What is this final parable all about? It’s about coming full circle, back to the beginning, not on the same old note but the same note on a higher scale.
If you recall the first parable was about a man standing in a field spreading seed. In the discourse of these parables Jesus identified the man as none other than Himself. What was he doing, spreading the gospel message of hope?
Jesus knew then that not all the people that heard this message was going to accept it and he knew that it was going to get rejected. He also knew that the message was going to be mingled and falsified so that it would at times be hard to distinguish the true from the false and that the false would grow so quickly that it would appear to be true. He also knew that in the end that there was going to be a separation that was to come between the truth and the false.
More importantly than all of that He knew that He could not do this all by Himself and that is the essence of this parable. Jesus once again said at the beginning of this series 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
If you have heard, then it is your responsibility to mature what has been given you as any good grain does and then spread the seed once again.
Today, you will determine how far the gospel message is spread. You have all been given your field in which to scatter the gospel message.
Will some of what you say fall on deaf ears; will what you say be distorted and falsified? If Jesus knew it was going to happen when He started the casting, you can expect the same to happen to you.