Owner

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

OWNER

Matt 13:51-52

51 "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. 52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." 

NIV

This comparison of an owner of a house bringing out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old, reminds us of those times we have guests for dinner. It is on those occasions we open the buffet and bring out the finest china and silverware. We might even cover the table with one of the better tablecloths. The food is the same old stuff we usually prepare, but the serving and eating of it is in a newer setting than normal. Instead of eating around the kitchen table, we are in the dining room. This is the idea Jesus is conveying to his disciples. They have the new message of the gospel as well as the older truths of God throughout the history of their forefathers. They know about Adam of Eve, Noah and the flood, Abraham and his calling from Ur and the stories about Isaac and Jacob. They are aware of Joseph and the time their ancestors spend in Egypt and how Moses was called by God to deliver them. They know of the mighty hand of God leading them through the desert to the land of milk and honey, the land in which they now lived. They had the knowledge of King David and Solomon and all their mighty deeds. They knew the words of the prophets for as Jews they attended synagogue and heard the words of the prophets proclaimed. But now they have this new covenant, this new message of the kingdom of God. All this is stored up within them and they should be ready to serve it up, bring it forth on the occasions needed. Human learning alone cannot benefit us to minister the gospel message to others. However all learning that would benefit us to better understand the bible and communicate its truth is of great value. This is how we believe pastors should be, but it is also how we should be, as we all have been called to go into all the world and preach the good news. We all are ministers of the word of God. We have been called to be his ambassadors in this foreign land, the world. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we have forfeited our citizenship of this world, we cannot have dual citizenship. So our task to is learn from the Word of God, Jesus, and gain the understanding through the power of the Holy Spirit as well as trust him completely as to the ability to effectively communicate the message of the kingdom of God when the occasion it needed. We as the owners of the house, bring forth the treasure we hold within truths from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We bring them out for our honored guests. We are all the teachers of the law of God, as we have been given all we need to accomplish his will. If we think we do not have enough wisdom to do this, we should not ask a professor, but rather ask God and he will give it to us. We have to remember, the disciples were taught by Jesus only for those three plus some years. They were the ones responsible for the spreading of the gospel throughout the world. True, Paul also had a great deal of influence on the world for the kingdom of God, but he too was instructed by God. He was already a learned man. He was a zealot for God and the old covenant. But all the messages, all lands he took the message of Jesus to, he brought the new as well as the old. What we learn is that no matter our former knowledge or the lack of it, God will use any of us, giving us his wisdom to communicate his message to others when the occasion is needed. We cannot pass this off to others, for this is the house we own. We are the owners of the message.