Treasures New and Old

Old Treasure in a New Light

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Jesus said a disciple is like a householder “who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52). Jesus did that Himself. He took old treasure, God's law given through Moses, and brought it out in a new light.

You have heard. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’” (Matthew 5:21). That command was old treasure. It is one of the Ten Commandments.

But I say to you. Then Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:22). God cares about angry hearts, not only angry hands.

Another old treasure. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery’” (Matthew 5:27). Adultery means breaking the promise of marriage.

Down to the heart. Jesus said that a wrong desire is already sin “in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). God sees what we think and want, not only what we do.

The same God. Jesus did not throw away the commandments. He showed what God meant by them all along. The old treasure was still treasure. Jesus helped people see how deep it goes.

We need new hearts. If God looks at our hearts, then no one keeps His law perfectly. Every one of us needs Jesus to forgive us and to give us new hearts.

New wine. Jesus said, “But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17). Wineskins were bags made of animal skin. An old, dry skin would crack when new wine stretched it.

A new patch. Jesus also said, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment” (Matthew 9:16). The new life Jesus brings is not a patch on an old life. It is a whole new life.

An old promise. Long before, God promised, “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Kept in Jesus. That old promise comes true in Jesus. When we trust Him, God forgives us and writes His ways on our hearts by His Holy Spirit.

What we learn. The Bible's old treasures and Jesus' new teaching belong together. Jesus shows us the heart of God's law, and then He gives us new hearts to love it.

What to do. Read Matthew 5:21-28 with your family this week. Ask Jesus to forgive you and to make your heart new.

The householder of Matthew 13:52 brings out “things new and old.” In Matthew 5 Jesus does exactly this with the Law of Moses: He brings old treasure out and shows it in a new light.

A pattern (Matthew 5:21-22). “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’… But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” The old command forbids the act. Jesus traces it back to the anger that starts it.

The heart of the matter (Matthew 5:27-28). “You shall not commit adultery” is old. Jesus adds that the sin begins “in his heart.” God's law was always about the heart, as well as the hands.

Authority. Jesus did not say, as the teachers did, that a respected rabbi had said something. He said, “But I say to you.” The crowds noticed it: “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29).

Pleroo. Just before these sayings, Jesus told His listeners He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). The Greek word is pleroo (say: play-ROH-oh), to fill up completely. He did not empty the old commands. He filled them to the brim.

New wine (Matthew 9:16-17). “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment… But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” What Jesus brings cannot be stitched onto an old way of trying to be good enough. It needs a new container.

The new container. That new container is a new heart. Matthew 5 shows that no one keeps God's law perfectly on the inside. We need forgiveness, and we need God to change us.

Promised long before (Jeremiah 31:33). “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” The old promise was of a new heart.

A new spirit. God also promised, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). The Holy Spirit lives in every believer and gives power to love God's ways.

Old and new together. Jesus' teaching does not replace God's Word with something different. It shows the depth of what God always said, and the cross and the Spirit give us the new hearts that the law could not give.

Application. When a command seems easy to keep on the outside, ask what it looks like in your heart. Then bring your heart to Jesus. He forgives, and He makes new.

Bringing Out the Treasure

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The householder in Jesus' story did not lock his treasure away. He “brings out of his treasure” (Matthew 13:52). God's Word is a treasure to love, to keep in your heart and to share with others.

Sweeter than honey. “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). God's Word is good for us, and it can become something we love.

In your heart first. God told His people, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6). Before we can share treasure, we need to have it ourselves.

Living and powerful. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). God uses His Word to change our hearts.

Written so we believe. John wrote about Jesus' signs, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

Wise for salvation. Timothy knew the Scriptures “from childhood.” They were “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). The Bible shows us how to be saved: by trusting Jesus.

Passed down. Paul remembered “the genuine faith” in Timothy, which was first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). They passed the treasure on to him.

At home. God told parents, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

On the way. The same verse goes on: “when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). God's Word fits into every part of the day.

The next generation. “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord” (Psalm 78:4).

Faith comes by hearing. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). When you share God's Word, God can use it to bring someone to Jesus.

To every nation. Jesus sent His disciples to “make disciples of all the nations,” “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

What to do. Choose one verse to learn by heart this week. Then share it with someone in your family or a friend.

The scribe of Matthew 13:52 is a learner who becomes a giver: he “brings out of his treasure.” God's Word is meant to be stored up in the heart and then brought out for others.

Delight (Psalm 119:103). “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” The psalmist does not only obey God's Word. He enjoys it.

Heart first (Deuteronomy 6:6). “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” The order matters: God's words go into the heart before they go out to the children.

Living (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God is “living and powerful,” and it is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” It reads us as we read it.

Its purpose (John 20:31). “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Scripture is given so that people will trust Jesus and live.

Wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). The Scriptures Timothy learned as a child were “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The goal of Bible knowledge is trust in Christ, not pride in what we know.

Three generations (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul traced Timothy's “genuine faith” back through his mother Eunice to his grandmother Lois. Faith is not inherited automatically, but faithful families pass on the treasure so the next generation can believe.

Everyday teaching (Deuteronomy 6:7). God's words were to be taught “diligently to your children” at home, on the road, at bedtime and in the morning. Treasure is shared in ordinary moments.

Not hidden (Psalm 78:4). “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord.” Unlike the man who hid the treasure in the field until he could buy it, believers are to tell what they have found.

Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Sharing Scripture is one of the main ways God brings people to faith.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus' last command was to make disciples, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Every disciple becomes a householder who brings out the treasure for others.

Application. Pick a verse to memorize this week, and look for one person to share it with. You will be passing on treasure.

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