Keep Your Enemies Closer
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.” Matthew 13:52 NASB
Scribe – Does Yeshua take a line from Godfather 2? Is He really suggesting that those who were so adamantly against Him should be included in the Kingdom? You might say, “Well, don’t you see that they must first become disciples?” But is that what He means? Is this statement to be applied only to those who were once opposed and have now seen the light?
A scribe in normal usage in the New Testament is someone who has been trained to interpret the Torah. We do encounter scribes in the gospel accounts, but none of them seem to be on the side of Yeshua. They uniformly interpret Moses against Yeshua. So how could any of them become disciples?
Commentators have suggested that Yeshua’s comment is directed toward either (1) his chosen disciples who are now proponents of a “new” understanding of the covenant or (2) the general sense of the term as writers. Neither seems very compelling. There is force behind Yeshua’s words. This is a metaphor about the Kingdom, the reign and rule of God on earth. Certainly it must have a greater application than to the small band Yeshua selected or to some anonymous group of people who took up the quill. A little Jewish background might help.
Yeshua is called “Rabbi” by those who drew near him. That circle was much larger than the twelve. As Rabbi, he taught Torah. He came to complete the understanding of Torah. In fact, the rabbinic idea of “fulfilling” Torah was simply teaching correct interpretation. At this, Yeshua excelled beyond all others. If a scribe is one who is trained to correctly interpret Torah, then everyone who follows in the footsteps of Yeshua and keeps His commandments (His haggadah) would qualify as a scribe in the kingdom of heaven. The force of Yeshua’s claim is two-fold. First, his words claim that human pedigree has no standing in the Kingdom. To correctly interpret God’s words, you must become Yeshua’s disciple. He alone is the final authority of interpretation. His statement claims that Torah interpretation is at the very heart of discipleship. Scribes knew God’s Word, right down to the smallest detail. They were meticulous caretakers of the Tanakh. Yeshua tells His followers that they too must be meticulous students and practitioners of God’s Word interpreted by the Son of Man. [1]
Secondly, Yeshua’s claim challenges the official scribes of religious practice. His words suggest that there are scribes who know Torah but do not become disciples because they do not listen to the authoritative interpretation of Yeshua. They are not caretakers of the truth of Torah. They are merely pall bearers of the letters. They have no place in the Kingdom because those in the Kingdom must be disciples of the King.
There are many official scribes in our religious world. They carry the Book around with them. They can quote chapter and verse. But they do not understand what it means to “keep His commandments” because they have not interpreted His words as He intended. They have thrown away the words of God in the Torah, replacing those gifts with ethical principles of their own. They stand on the shoulders of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and Irenaeus, not Moses and Isaiah. They think “Jesus” speaks Greek.
You and I could be among these modern-day scribes. Everywhere we look, Christian theologians, commentators and preachers tell us that we need to “be like Jesus,” except of course, when Jesus keeps the Sabbath, the dietary laws, the instructions about charity and purity. Apparently modern-day scribes have decided that they can do their own interpretation. What does Yeshua say about them? Better not read Matthew 13:47-49 if you don’t want to hear His interpretation.
Topical Index: scribe, interpretation, disciple, Matthew 13:52
[1] The Hebrew version of Matthew clears this up: “Therefore every sofer who is educated in the kingdom of Heaven can be compared to the owner of a house . . .”
The scriptures say- “by your words you shall be justified and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12.37). “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5.1)
I am reminded of something my mother once told me: “Carl, be sure you brain is in gear before putting your mouth into action.” Thanks, mom. -I think.. And we (southern boys) have a sayin’ here in the South, “What’s down in the well is gonna come up in the bucket.” – How true. For again the scriptures say- “for out of the abundance of the heart- the mouth speaketh.”
Actually the full verse here says- “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12.34) Brood of vipers? I don’t know about you but I would not like to be included in the ones Yeshua refers to as “a brood of vipers!” -no, no thank you.
Yes,- how critical it is for us to keep our hearts and minds clean. (for out of the abundance of our hearts- our words flow..) “Create in me a clean heart O LORD, and renew a right spirit within me.”
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. (Psalm 51)
First off this clearly says anyone who teaches incorrectly or deceptively will be held responsible and secondly the scripture in matthew(and I would have included v.50) also is clear about who is
taken out of the world….the wicked, not the righteous.
There goes the rapture theory…Oh well.
Baruch ve Yom Tov
Janet- What is the rest of your understanding of what happens to the righteous? It is clear what happens to the wicked in Mt 13:49-50.
“secondly the scripture in matthew(and I would have included v.50)”
Hi Janet,
Good point, but what follows “secondly” is a bit unclear.
Jesus refers to scripture (the Torah) in Matthew, but he speaks in parables, which I don’t think are to be taken literally.
Mat 13:34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.
Mat 13:50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Boger tov, sorry I am just getting back to you now, Rader and Michael I have been away from the computer. Ok, I am no scholar just a follower of the Way and Yeshua….trying to find answers myself. The questions go on…forever. Don’t put down roots and build anything anywhere..lol.
First I have to say the parables were…I believe meant to be taken literally because Yeshua is trying to tell you what the kingdom of heaven is like. When Yeshua taught He spoke from Torah and if it is repeated it is important. If you go back in Ch.13 He starts with the wheat and the tares. He explains that the tares are removed and put in the fire and that the wheat(His own) are put in a barn(a safe place). The same with the fish…they are separating the good from the bad and again burning up the bad. AS for the “being thrown into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” this is an idiom (I believe) that they understood in their culture and times. If you look at only one verse or one chapter or one book you miss the big picture. These parables are speaking of the last days and His Kingdom coming on earth.
As for the righteous it is clear they will remain as they did in the beginning. If you want to know what YHVH will do look at what He already did. That is why we have the scriptures/Torah. It is instruction for us to know what to do, but also what will come.
The righteous will remain to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
This is just my understanding.
Baruch/blessings
“wheat (His own)”
Hi Janet,
I didn’t mean the message wasn’t clear to you.
Just that the language is metaphorical and figurative.
Rather than literal.
Yup!
Ok I see what you mean. As for the Wheat, it is symbolic of those who will remain, those of the Remnant…..I believe. Those who will meet him in the air at His coming.
Let me add this. I have been teaching a series on Matthew (available as a podcast), now nearly 65 hours long. We have discussed these parables. Just a note. Parables are not “literal,” since they are by definition stories designed to convey a point outside the frame of the story. Other than that, I concur. These parable teach something very different than the usual “rapture” theology. Now, do they apply to the “end times.” That depends on what you mean by the end. They certainly apply to the Judgment.
Yes thank you Skip, I suppose when I speak of endtime I mean the time of judgment.
I guess I do see the parables as not just a story but something Yeshua is trying to
convey about what will come.
My thinking is very simplistic….I think.
“That depends on what you mean by the end.”
Hi Skip,
Speaking of the end, I do like Hombre’s last word on the topic (played by Paul Newman 1967).
When the bad guy says “Mister, you gotta have a lot of hard bark on you.” (Richard Boone)
When Hombre walks down the mountain, into certain death, to save the gentile community.
And replies: “we’re all going to die, it’s just a matter of when.”
In my view, God is alway present.
Whether it is the beginning, or the end, of our time.
And we will be judged upon our actions up until that time.
I was just doing a word study on the “Sh’ma” prayer in the Hertz Siddur. It said that the reason that the last letter of the first word (the ayin of Sh’ma) and the last letter of the last word ( the dalet of “echad”) of the first section are made larger in a prayerbook is to remind the worshipper that they are “ayd” (ayin dalet), a WITNESS. Everyone who prays the central prayers of the Jewish faith is to be like a NOTARY or professional witness to confirm a legal or judicial transactiion. The original Scribes were oral witnesses who could testify to the truth of a covenant or contract. They later became signatories to documents or deeds of purchase exactly like a Notary does in modern life. This puts a new twist for me on the Renewed Covenant message of becomeing a Witness to Messiah Y’shua. If I am a true Witness I better be listening and studying to be sure that I am ready to speak with an accurate answer when I am asked a question about my confidence in the Father and the Messiah.