51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “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 13:51-52
After seven straight parables about seeds, weeds, soil, pearls, and nets, Jesus ends with one last story almost everyone skips. It’s short—barely a sentence. But if you’re someone who loves Scripture, this one’s for you.
He says, “Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house.” Before we look at what that means, let’s pause over something Jesus says at the end of the verse: that this master “brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
That phrase might sound confusing—because in other places, Jesus warns against mixing old and new. He says new wine can’t go into old wineskins (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37–38). New cloth tears the old garment (Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36). In those cases, the old stands for the old covenant—the system of laws and rituals that could never make us righteous (Hebrews 7:18–19; Romans 3:20).
But here in Matthew 13, the “old” isn’t the old covenant; it’s the old Scriptures—the Word of God that still shines with truth and points us to Christ. That’s an important distinction, especially in a day when some Christians are tempted to “unhitch” from the Old Testament altogether. But Jesus doesn’t tell us to forget the old; He tells us to treasure it. The kingdom-trained scribe knows how to bring out both—how to hold the ancient promises in one hand and the gospel’s fulfillment in the other.
Wait… A Scribe?
The “scribe” was a student of the Scriptures—an expert in the Old Testament Law. But Jesus redefines what it means to be a scribe. A kingdom scribe isn’t just someone who copies the Word; he’s someone who connects it. He knows how the old promises point forward to the new fulfillment. He sees how the story holds together.
And that’s striking, because nearly everywhere else in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of scribes in a negative way. They handled the Word of God daily, yet missed the Word made flesh standing right in front of them. So here, Jesus does something remarkable—He redeems the word scribe. He restores it to what it was meant to be. A true scribe of the kingdom is one who’s been retrained by the King. The Greek word translated “trained” is matheteutheis—the same root as disciple. In other words, Jesus is saying, “There’s a kind of scribe who becomes My disciple.” He invites even the most tradition-bound scholars into a new apprenticeship under His authority. He doesn’t discard the scribal love for Scripture. He transforms it. He turns the keeper of the Law into a student of grace.
Master of the House
Jesus says that such a person is like a master of a house. That’s an interesting phrase. Because while Jesus is Lord over your life, you are still the one responsible for what comes through the front door of your mind and heart. You decide what stays and what goes—what you dwell on, what you allow to shape your thinking. In that sense, you are the master of your house.
And inside your house, there’s a treasure chest. Jesus says the wise scribe “brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” The old treasures are the Scriptures you’ve known for years—the familiar stories and verses that have anchored your faith. The new treasures are the fresh insights the Holy Spirit reveals when you read them again, maybe for the hundredth time, and suddenly something gleams in the light differently.
This is one of the joys of reading through the Bible. You keep bringing out treasures old and new. You see old promises in new ways. You recognize Jesus in places you’d never noticed Him before. God’s Word doesn’t change, but your capacity to receive it does. Every year, every season, every chapter of life, you’re learning to see with clearer eyes.
And if you’re not intentional, that treasure chest can start to gather dust. Maybe the “master of the house” has gotten distracted by other things—by news feeds, entertainment, or just the noise of the world. The danger isn’t that the treasure disappears; it’s that you forget to open it.
So open it again. Bring out the old stories that have carried you this far—the Psalms that steadied you, the promises that once gave you hope. And bring out the new discoveries that remind you God’s Word is still alive.
The gospel doesn’t replace the old story—it completes it. The promises of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The law that once condemned now drives us to the cross that saves. The shadows give way to substance; the whispers become words made flesh. Every promise finds its yes in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).
So today, be the master of your house. Guard what you let in. Treasure what you already have. And every time you open the Scriptures, expect to find something old and something new—both shining with the same light of Christ.
Related Content for this Day
- Day 287: Sower (A poem based on Matthew 13:1-9)
- Day 287: The Treasure and the Pearl: Two Stories, One Gospel (Matthew 13:44-46)
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