‘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 13:52 ESV
NLT ~’ new gems of truth as well as old’
From Matthew, we once again see the parables where Jesus taught Kingdom lessons. The purpose was to teach his disciples the secrets of the Kingdom, as He taught new gems of truth, as well as reinforcing the old.
The parable of the Hidden Treasure, verse 44, and the Pearl of Great Price, verse 45, show us the value of the Kingdom. Because of the Kingdom’s value, Jesus notes they’re treasures, but treasures one would sell to acquire that which has greater value.
From the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that no man can serve two masters because they will love one and hate the other. What you treasure is what your heart will pursue.
So, our training, as disciples of the Kingdom of Heaven, creates in us a heart that holds the treasures of heaven. We have come into an inheritance where His divine power has granted to us the riches of this realm. All things that pertain to life and godliness grow through the knowledge of Him.
Called to His own glory and excellence, these precious and great promises enable us to become partakers of His divine nature, 2 Peter 1:3-4, escaping the corruption that lies in the world through sinful desires.
Our treasure holds not only what is old but also the new. We have truths that have been revealed to us through Scripture, beginning with the Old Testament and concluding with the New. These are not two separate books of thought, but one continuing revelation of the character and nature of God as He works to redeem mankind by His gift, Jesus Christ. Jesus, who will ultimately ‘in that day’ return to set up this Kingdom where every knee bows and every tongue confesses that He is Lord.
This Kingdom, in the book of Revelation 21, reveals a new heaven and a new earth descending from the heavens, where the dwelling place of God will be with man. He will dwell in their midst. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for all will have passed away. The One seated on the throne makes all things new. He promises His words are faithful and true. The one who is the beginning and the end gives to the thirsty the water of life. This is the heritage of the one who conquers, the one who has been discipled, will be the son of God forever. This is Kingdom Reality.
To the one who has been discipled for the Kingdom of Heaven, the work carries on. Treasures of what we learned here on earth and what we will learn within the Kingdom that is yet to come will continue.
2 Peter 3:11-13 gives us some understanding of the ‘not yet’ tension of waiting.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Having been discipled for this work in the Kingdom, we continue to do our part as His expression here and now while we wait for the ‘not yet’.