SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”  (Matthew 13:52)

The wedding tradition for the bride says she is to wear:

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.

This is supposed to bring the couple good fortune.

What Jesus says here is much the same, except He is not talking about tradition, but truth, and this is not about superstition, but Scripture.  It is not aimed at a bride at her wedding, but for the Bride of Christ in her worship.  The pastor, in this case, is responsible for bringing something old and something new to the celebration of love at 11 AM on Sunday.

He is to be a student, scholar, and teacher.  He is a “scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven.”  A scribe was one who had immersed himself in knowing the truth, and was skilled in communicating the truth.  You cannot tell what you do not know.  The preacher must not be like Old Mother Hubbard who went to her cupboard and found it was bare!  How many come to the house of God hungry for a Word from heaven and don’t even get a bone, much less meat!  Still, we may have the ingredients from our personal study, but unless we know how to prepare a suitable meal and present it in a digestible and appealing form, the “wedding reception,” may still leave the guests unsatisfied.

The preacher is also the manager of the household property.   The state of the house and the care of the family wealth is in his hands.  We are entrusted with leading the family of God as pastors of a local church.  The treasure of truth—the wealth of the Word—is in our hands.  It is our privilege and responsibility to open the Bible each week and from that treasure chest to bring out something new and something old.  That is, the source of our material is old—given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—never to be amended.  We do not give any new revelation, but we can make new application for our times and audience.  There is a perennial freshness to the old Story for it is eternal truth—the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We dare not present it in a stale manner.  Our desire is for people to catch a new vision of God’s glory encountered in the old story.  I have found it to be an inexhaustible treasure of incalculable worth, and we can lead our people to experience that also.  If we are not excited about it, then it is understandable if our audience responds with a yawn of boredom, rather than a yell of joy!  God forbid!