Matthew 13:51

Matthew 13:51

In Matthew 13:51-52 the Bible says, "Jesus said unto them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yes, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which brings forth out of his treasure things new and old."

When Jesus asked the disciples if they understood “all these things,” He was talking about the seven parables that He had just presented. In these parables Jesus tells us about the kingdom of God, how it is built up and populated in the current age, and what will happen to those who chose to not become members of the kingdom of God. He tells us that the kingdom of God is built up one soul at a time when He plants the seed of His Word in a heart that is receptive. He tells us that the kingdom of God is growing into a great kingdom just as a tiny mustard seed grows into a large mustard plant as big as a tree, and just as a lump of dough rises to its completed form before it is baked into bread. Jesus tells us that those who find the kingdom of God will be those who treasure it as a pearl of great price, and one more time He warns the wicked to repent before they are forever separated from all that is good, just as the wheat and tares are separated at harvest time or just as when fish are separated when pulled in by a fisher’s net. How privileged we are to hear and to know the teachings of Jesus about the kingdom of God.

In Matthew 13:51 Jesus asked His disciples if they understood His teachings about the kingdom. Then He told them that if they were going to be teachers, they needed to remember to bring forth out of the treasure of knowledge both “new and old” things. The disciples had been instructed in the Old Testament before they met Jesus because they were Jews raised in a strict Jewish society. However, the disciples’ knowledge about God was not complete without the teachings that Jesus gave and that are found in the New Testament. When teaching from the Old Testament, make sure that you use the New Testament to correctly interpret and apply the Old Testament scriptures. Bring forth out of the treasure of truth “things new and old.”

The written word of God was not complete until the New Testament was written. God used the apostles and the associates of the apostles to write the New Testament. It was their closeness to Christ, and the fact that they learned directly from Jesus that gave these men one of the most important qualifications to be authors of the New Testament writings. The more familiar that you become with the direct teachings of Jesus, the more you will notice that most of the teachings in the rest of the New Testament are directly related to the things that Jesus Himself taught. The important point to remember is that the revealed message from God is complete in the combined writings of the Old and New Testaments.

The Holy Scriptures have been completed and there is nothing else that needs to be added to the Word of God. There are several reasons that there is nothing new to be added:

1. The scriptures are so vast, so profound, so all-inclusive that we can spend a lifetime studying them, and still have much more to learn and understand about the Old and New Testaments. If God had chosen to reveal more than He already has, He would have done it in the context of the Old and New Testaments.

2. The last of those who were qualified to write the Holy Scriptures died almost 2,000 years ago.

3. At the end of the New Testament the apostle John gave a very severe warning against adding any more writings. He said in Revelation 22:18, "For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophesy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book."

4. If we were to ignore John’s warning and to permit other writings to be added to the New Testament, then anyone could claim to have writings that were of a divine source, and this would make an easy entrance for false doctrines into the body of truth.

There is a religious group that falsely claims to have another book in addition to the Old and New Testaments. Beware of any book other than the Bible that claims to be a source of divine revelation, because any such book would be false and not a book genuinely inspired by the Spirit of God. Second Peter 1:21 says, "For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were filled by the Holy Ghost.”

God had the Old Testament written over a period of about 1,000 years from Moses to Malachi. Then there was a period of about 400 years when God gave no additional written revelation. Of course, shortly after Christ came into the world and gave us His great teachings, the New Testament was revealed by God. The New Testament was written during approximately a 70 year period that lasted for the lifetime of the apostles and the direct associates of Jesus and the apostles.

We are fortunate to live at a time when we have the completed written revelation of the truth that God has given to us. The Bible (made up of the Old and New Testaments) is accurate, complete, authentic, and verifiable by archaeological and other historical sources. It makes sense that God would give us a written Word that reveals all the things that He wants us to know. Because God’s Word was given in written form, it insures that the truth was not altered as it would have been if it had been passed down verbally from one person to the next. That is why His written Word is the final authority in all matters of faith and spirituality.

According to the last book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation, there will be no additional written revelation from God. If anyone claims to have some additional written revelation, then you will know right away that they are wrong, and that what they have is false. The next revelation of God will be the manifestation of Jesus Himself at His Second Coming, which will mark the end of this age.

Matthew 13:53-58 reports one of the few times that Jesus returned to the town of Nazareth during His public ministry. We know from previous verses in the book of Matthew that Jesus had a home in the town of Capernaum during His public ministry. Therefore, evidently Jesus had been away from Nazareth for some time, and upon His return we are told how He was re ceived and treated by the local people

It says, "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. And when He was come into His own country, he taught them in their synagogue, inasmuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brothers James and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? From where then has this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

It says that the people of Nazareth were astonished at two facts concerning Jesus. They were astonished at His wisdom, and they were astonished at His mighty works. These two facts still stand out to us about Jesus. Today His wisdom and His works are also two of the things that prove that Jesus is the Son of God. We know that one of the reasons that Jesus performed miracles was to prove who He was. No man ever spake as this man. The more that you read and think about what Jesus said, the more that you will realize that He had to be the Son of God. There is no other explanation for the wisdom of His teachings or for His mighty works.

There are plenty of reasons to believe the truth about Jesus as the Son of God. Look for the truth about Him, and you will find it. Remember that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Seek and you shall find, ask and it shall be given you." What the citizens of Nazareth showed is that there are those who make excuses to not believe. Look for them and you will find them also. One thing that is the same about believers and unbelievers is that they both find what they are looking for. Keep looking for the truth about Christ and you will find the reasons to become a believer. Keep looking for reasons to doubt, and you will create humanistic justifications that will satisfy your doubts.

It says in Matthew 13:58 says, "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Unbelief is the opposite of faith. We see here the importance of faith. Faith pleases God. God designed faith. God decided that human beings would serve Him through faith. The miracles of God are performed when faith in Christ is exercised. It is important that we understand what faith is, and that we be careful that our faith does not weaken. Faith or belief is centered around confidence in two principle things:

1. First, faith is confidence in the person and character of God and in His Son Jesus Christ. You have faith when you are confident in God’s love for you, in His forgiveness, in His constant presence, and in His great power. In other words, it is very important that you think about who God really is and who Jesus really is in order to have a genuine faith.

2. Secondly, true faith is centered on the promises that God has made. God has made many great and precious promises. The measure of your confidence that God cannot lie, and that He will keep those promises, is the measure of your faith.

Who God is, who Jesus is, and what they have promised are revealed to us in the scriptures. As you take the knowledge of God and His promises and apply them to your daily circumstances, you will live by faith. Whenever you react to a particular circumstance, and do not bring the knowledge of God and His promises into your mind, you are failing to live by faith. This can happen very easily. If you are not vigilant, you will react to circumstances in the same way that unbelievers do. We see from this incident in Nazareth that faith is important not only because it is essential to salvation and to the forgiveness of sins, but also because there are some mighty works that God will not do in your life unless faith is present. "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

Matthew 14:1-11 says, "At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for you to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother."

In verse 2 we see the guilty conscience of Herod. "There is no peace saith God, to the wicked." One of the greatest benefits of being rightly related to God is knowing that your sins are forgiven. One of the worst consequences of not being rightly related to God, is having a guilty conscience. Never underestimate the value of a clear conscience, and make sure to keep your good conscience. Herod’s life and bad conscience are an example of the suffering, the worry, and the anxiety that people bring upon themselves because of a bad conscience. If you are in such a condition, you do not have to stay that way like Herod did. The good news about Jesus Christ is that you can go to Him and receive forgiveness of your sins.

The Bible tells us in verse 3 that Herod was living with his brother’s wife. Herod selfishly chose to compromise in the area of morality. This is in direct contrast to John the Baptist, who would not compromise. John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have her." One of the most negative aspects of our society today, is the degree to which immorality has been openly accepted. No matter what modern society allows, there is only one standard acceptable for the believer. God set the standard in the Garden of Eden, when He said that a man should leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Sex was created by God, and sex is good, but only in a marriage between a man and a woman.

Followers of Jesus must always hold to the highest of ideals, no matter what the consequences. Remember when Queen Esther was faced with a dilemma, and when she decided to choose the right way, she said, "If I perish, I perish." On clear matters of right and wrong, servants of God must always seek to do what is right and to say what is right no matter if they think that they will suffer for it or not. John the Baptist was put to death because he said what was right about marriage and because he condemned adultery.

Of course, the world does not like the standards that the Bible gives us to live by. King Herod did not like hearing the truth about adultery. Herod executed the man who Jesus said was the one of the greatest of all humans: John the Baptist. Herod is forever known as a weak and immoral ruler who committed one of the great injustices of history.

What a contrast the great prophet John the Baptist was to Herod. John the Baptist was a brave and noble character who would not compromise truth and righteousness. John the Baptist is definitely an example of a man who desired to please God instead of desiring to please man. Jesus said in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

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