By Dr. Jeff Mathis
Guilty as charged.
I admit it. I have omitted scripture from a broader passage when it seems less relevant to the overall message. I mean, we can’t read all the scripture in one sitting, can we?
We’ll call it, ‘selective attention.’
Oh, don't act innocent. Most of us have memorized John 3:16, but what about John 3:17? It states, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
When we read scripture, certain passages, sayings of Jesus, or Old Testament stories naturally catch our attention more than others. That's precisely why it's best to read scripture together with others. By engaging in family, small group studies, and worship, different perspectives and life experiences lead us to notice and contemplate aspects of scripture we might have missed on our own.
For instance, let's consider the scripture passage from last Sunday in Matthew's account of Jesus's teachings about the Kingdom of God. In this section, we encounter a series of parables in quick succession, making it challenging to give equal weight to all of them. Matthew references six parables in just 12 verses.
Given this, I contemplated removing the last parable, which seemed somewhat confusing and easy to overlook. Tell me I’m wrong:
“Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Mt. 13:52
However, I had an epiphany – what if Matthew is trying to convey a connection between this relatively obscure parable and the more familiar passage that follows it?
In the seemingly less significant parable, Jesus suggests that those trained for the kingdom of heaven are like household masters who bring forth both old and new treasures. This concept bridges the Hebrew faith rooted in the Law and the Prophets with Jesus, the true revelation of God among us. Jesus, as we learn later in Matthew’s Gospel, is the new covenant.
Many have faced resistance when proposing to honor and value both the old and the new. We each have our inclinations, being partial to the old or eager to embrace the new. But Jesus shows us a different path, a third way – one that recognizes the merit, value, and place of both in the Kingdom of God.
Now, let's turn our attention to the more popular passage that describes Jesus facing rejection in his hometown synagogue. Predictably, it doesn't go well, with his family and friends showing little enthusiasm for his efforts to bridge the gap between the old and the new. Why would we be surprised?
In our present-day Church context, there's a temptation to align exclusively with either tradition or innovation. However, Jesus presents a third option that suggests that heritage and invention are not mutually exclusive. To belong to Jesus means to appreciate the worth of both the old and the new, recognizing their roles within the Kingdom of God.
As the Church Universal grapples with its identity and purpose amidst institutional deconstruction and widespread apathy towards faith, we mustn't overlook this essential detail hidden within Matthew's Gospel.
Jesus is a bridge-builder. Perhaps we should be, also.