THOUGHTS FROM MATTHEW

April 25

Text: Matthew 13:52

And He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old." (NASB)

Because of our emphasis on the importance of Jesus and his church, we tend to ignore the Old Testament—except when some specific verses emphasize a theological point or position we consider important.  We forget!  What?  We forget that (1) what we call the Old Testament is scripture; (2) the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament; (3) the Old Testament was the scripture of the early church—the New Testament was in the process of being written and circulated; (4) the Old Testament verifies Jesus is God’s Christ; and (5) the Old Testament verifies Jesus Christ was God’s “always” intent, not a divine after-thought.  Have you considered what Paul’s text was in Acts 13:44, 45?

A Jewish scribe was primarily an educated person who kept records and wrote.  The various Jewish sects or groups had their own scribes (see Luke 5:30 and Acts 23:9). 

In the transmission of scripture, scribes observed a meticulous process in producing the books of the Old Testament in handwritten scrolls.  Though this process was effective, it was commonly too expensive for members of the poor class (an extensive group) to afford just one book.  Affording all the books was impossible for most Israelites.  They listened to readings in synagogues.  Owning  bound copies of print was not possible for anyone.

Due to the transmission process, many scribes became recognized experts in scripture.  (Can you imagine what you would know about the content of a book of scripture if you produced just one accurate handwritten copy?)

A scribe who was a disciple was uniquely qualified to produce insight and understanding.

Suggestion for reflection: How do you produce understanding about God?  (Read John 4:39-42.)

David's Home Page Previous Day Index Next Day

 Copyright 2011 David Chadwell