Matthew 13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. 52 He said to them, “So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old.”
Throughout the 13th chapter of Matthew, we have several references to the Kingdom of Heaven. There are two more examples used later on in Matthew but these here have been thrown out in succession to try and force an understanding that, for some reason, we can’t grasp.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like:
And to wrap up Yeshua’s path of understanding, He ends here:
Uh, ok…
Am I missing something here? I’d expect this to culminate with a huge celebration, not the picture of some crusty, packrat, homeowning Rabbi that becomes a disciple and then cleans out his closet. Seriously? The Kingdom of Heaven is like that?!
Well, yes.
Out of context, this certainly seems strange and somewhat anticlimactic. But when taken as a whole, a different view emerges.
We have what looks like a progression of the Kingdom in our lives outlined for us here in Matthew 13. If we look more closely at the parables in this chapter that include that powerful phrase, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”, we notice an embedded path from beginning to end:
We learn to plant seed that produces a short-term harvest
We learn to plant seed that produces a perpetual harvest (but it takes years to eat from it)
We learn to harvest from our short term planting
We dig deep into our field to pull Eternal treasure to the surface
We hunt for the real treasure that others treat as ordinary
We are undoubtedly counted among the righteous at the final harvest of the earth
If these first 6 parables have a progression to them, then the 7th must follow. But we see in #6 that we are saved, what else could there be? After all, that’s the goal, right?
Sort of. But only if this life is all about you. Sadly, though, it isn’t.
Once you have progressed through the ranks, you are now in a position to teach others. But this requires a new level of wisdom. You must be able to discern truth, and that truth is carefully wrapped in both things of old and those things of new.
The language used here is quite insightful:
“So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid (disciple) for the Kingdom of Heaven
is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old.”
The old and new have been put into storage in our lives until such a time we become trained enough to bring them out. But that means we have put those things in there to begin with. Hopefully.
On the surface, this is speaking to both the “old” covenant and the “new” covenant. Only people that have both in storage are able to speak to the fullness of the Kingdom. One does not stand without the other. Fair enough.
But there is another layer to this. Our past pains, wounds, victories, judgments, anger and so on have been tucked away also so that once we receive the new, we can pull it ALL out and truly teach Torah. We have to have the old in order for the new to make sense. Without it, we are ineffective in becoming a disciple FOR the Kingdom of Heaven.
People need to know where you were and where you are in order to see the path for themselves. It is critical you can bring both out of storage.
Our testimony is the story of progression. Note: progression. Progress.
This is not just the story of where you were. It is also where you are now. But if you don’t know where that is, you may only have a partial testimony. It may still be in the process of progressing. Which is totally fine. But you must be progressing to the point of being a Torah-teacher to then be made into a disciple for the Kingdom.
This is a difficult call. Not everyone is willing and able to even get started planting seeds. Yet they want to be effective in advancing the Kingdom. But they have eaten all of their seed.
Without seed, there is no harvest. No bread.
Without bread, you have no energy to dig. And having never seen the treasure, you have no eye for it when it’s even out in the open.
Now the hard part: When the harvesters come with their nets, where will you fall?
There is a dead serious expectation on you in this age. You may want to figure out what that is and get to work. We need for you to be a Torah-teaching disciple for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Where are you in the progression from who you were to who you are called to be?
Have you begun planting seed for a short-term harvest?
Have you learned how the garden works so you can then plant for the long-term?
Do you know how to harvest so there is sustenance and seed for planting next year? (For everyone)
Have you started to unearth the ground in search of a treasure?
Have you developed an eye for true value?
Have you laid down your selfish and evil ways to ensure you are properly sorted when the time comes?
What do you have in storage? Have you ever cleaned it out? Or do you keep your unforgiveness and anger hidden in there?
Don’t be ashamed of what’s there. It’s time to bring it ALL out into the open.
It’s at that point your testimony can finally be spoken.