Lesson#33

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #33
THE PARABLE OF THE SCRIBE AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 13:51-52)

• MEMORY VERSE: ACT 10:42

• THE CONTEXT OF THIS PARABLE IS: HAVE YOU UNDERSTOOD ALL THESE THINGS IN THESE PARABLES?
• IN OTHER WORDS, NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WORKS IN THIS PRESENT-DAY CHURCH-AGE BY HAVING STUDIED THESE PRECEDING PARABLES IN MAT 13, THE PARABLE OF THE SCRIBE AND THE HOUSEHOLDER IS TO BE YOUR REACTION.

• THE PARABLE OF THE SCRIBE AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 13:51-52)
• READ MAT 13:51-52
• WHO ARE THE SCRIBES TO WHOM JESUS IS SPEAKING? (MAT 13:36, 51)
• THE GREEK WORD FOR SCRIBE IS gramma FROM WHERE WE GET THE ENGLISH WORD, GRAMMAR.
• ORIGINALLY SCRIBES WERE MEN OF LETTERS, TEACHERS OF THE LAW, AND QUALIFIED TO TEACH IN SYNAGOGUES.
• THEY WERE ORIGINALLY TAKEN FROM THE PRIESTHOOD AND THE TRIBE OF LEVI.
• EZRA, OF THE BOOK OF EZRA, IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A SCRIBE WHO READ THE LAW AND EXPLAINED IT RIGHTLY, WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT A NATIONAL REPENTANCE.
• EVENTUALLY CHRIST DENOUNCED THE SCRIBES OF HIS TIME BECAUSE THEY PREVENTED TRUE ACCESS TO GOD AND WERE TOO AMBITIOUS FOR PERSONAL HONOR. (LUK 11:52-53)
• THE POSITION OF SCRIBES ENDED IN 70 AD WHEN ROME DESTROYED JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE.
• THE NEW ORDER OF SCRIBES:
• THE DISCIPLES ARE THE NEW ORDER OF A SCRIBE THOUGH THEY ARE NOT CALLED THAT. HOWEVER, THEY DID WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIBES WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. THEY WERE TO TEACH AND SHOW PEOPLE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
• JESUS IS THE CHIEF SCRIBE. HE RECEIVED TRUTH FROM GOD, THE FATHER, AND PASSED IT ON TO THE DISCIPLES WHO, IN TURN, WERE TO PASS IT ON TO OTHERS. (JOH 17:14)
• NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS ARE TO BE SCRIBES.
• WE ARE TO BE DISCIPLES WHO LEARN AND THEN TEACH OTHERS.
• THE WORD, DISCIPLE, MEANS = A LEARNER.
• TO JESUS THE TERMS, SCRIBE, AND DISCIPLE, WERE SYNONYMOUS TERMS.
• A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO FOLLOWS ANOTHER’S TEACHINGS. HOWEVER, NOT JUST A LEARNER BUT AN ADHERENT AND AN IMITATOR OF THE TEACHER. (JOH 8:31 JOH 15:8)
• WHO DOES THE HOUSEHOLDER REPRESENT?
• THE TERM, HOUSEHOLDER, IS ONE WHO OWNS AND OCCUPIES A HOUSE. HE WAS MASTER OF THE HOUSE HAVING ULTIMATE AUTHORITY AS WELL AS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE FOR THOSE UNDER HIM.
• JESUS CHRIST IS THE HOUSEHOLDER IN THE PARABLE.
• NOTICE THAT THE SCRIBE IS LIKE A HOUSEHOLDER (52).
• AS DISCIPLES, WE ARE TO IMITATE JESUS. HE GIVES US A MEASURE OF AUTHORITY AND WE ARE TO PROVIDE FOR OTHERS IN OUR CARE.
• WHAT DO THE TREASURES REPRESENT?
• THE TREASURES ARE THE SPIRITUAL RICHES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, A RICH SUPPLY OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.
• DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE SPIRITUAL RICHES OF GOD’S KINGDOM?
• WHY DO YOU THINK JESUS SAYS, “THINGS NEW AND THINGS OLD”?
• “THINGS OLD”:
• THIS PHRASE REFERS TO THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES AND THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW.
• “THINGS NEW”
• THIS PHRASE REFERS TO THE NEW TESTAMENT EXPLANATION OF THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
• THE LAW IS OLD, THE GOSPEL IS NEW. HOWEVER THE NEW GOSPEL CAME OUT OF THE OLD LAW AND REPLACED IT.
• OLD TRUTHS ARE ETERNAL FOR GOD HAS NOT CHANGED FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. EACH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OTHER. WITHOUT ONE THE OTHER IS INCOMPLETE.
• READ 2TIM 3:16-17
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• AS WE RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD FROM THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENT, IT IS TO CHANGE US. WE ARE TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE IN OUR LIVES AND THEN SPREAD THE WORD TO OTHERS. WE ARE TO BE DISCIPLES AND TEACHERS (TRUE SCRIBES).

• THERE IS A SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (MAT 13:3-23) AND THE PARABLE OF THE SCRIBE AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 13:51-52):

• SUMMARY AND APPLICATION:
• THIS PARABLE ENDS THE SERIES OF PARABLES IN MAT 13. ALL BUT THIS LAST ONE CORRESPOND TO THE CHURCHES OF REVELATION THAT ARE PROPHETIC OF THE CHURCH AGE OF OUR PRESENT DAY.
• THIS LAST, EIGHTH PARABLE, REPRESENTS THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM OF CHRIST ON EARTH WHEN EVERYONE WILL KNOW CHRIST FACE TO FACE, WHEN EVERYONE WILL KNOW AND BE TAUGHT THE WORD OF GOD.
• THE PROPHETIC MEANING OF THE NUMBER 8 REFERS TO A NEW BEGINNING. THE MILLENNIUM IS THAT NEW BEGUINING.
• READ ISA 11:2-5, 9
• IF THIS PARABLE IS TO BE OUR RESPONSE, WE MUST FIRST KNOW THE WORD OF GOD SO THAT WE CAN TEACH IT TO OTHERS.
• READ PRO 1:7
• READ PRO 2:3-9
• IT TAKES COMMITMENT.
• IT TAKES TIME, ENERGY, AND STUDY.

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13) AND
THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14)
THIS IS A SELF STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE SCRIBE AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (MAT 13:51-52)
• HOW ARE YOU DOING IN YOUR FAITHFULNESS AS A DISCIPLE (A LEARNER)?
• WHAT CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE IN YOUR LIFE TO IMPROVE YOUR STATUS AS A DISCIPLE (A LEARNER)?
• HOW ARE YOU DOING IN YOUR FAITHFULNESS AS A TEACHER OF THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED?
• WHAT CHANGES CAN YOU MAKE IN YOUR LIFE TO IMPROVE YOUR STATUS AS A TEACHER (SOMEONE WHO SHARES WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED)?

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13) AND THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14)
• READ MAT 15:10-20 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE TWO PARABLES.
• THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13)
• WHAT DOES THE PLANT REPRESENT (17, 18) ?
• WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY, “ROOTED UP” (13)?
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT?

• THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14)
• WHO ARE THE BLIND LEADERS?
• WHO ARE THE BLIND THAT THEY LEAD?
• WHAT DOES THE DITCH REPRESENT?
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS?

• MEMORY VERSE: TITUS 2:1