I was reading in Matthew this morning and this jumped out at me. “Have you understood all these things?’ They said to him, ‘Yes’. And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” How does Jesus train up His people to be scribes for the Kingdom? And more importantly, how do I get trained?
First of all what is a scribe? In the time of Jesus a scribe wasn’t just someone who wrote and copied manuscripts of scripture. That was one function prior to the printing press but there was more. A scribe also had to be someone well trained in Law and in understanding of scripture. This is pretty useful for someone who also has to be the printing press. It would be important for them not to make a mistake in copying based on a wrong understanding. And once they were trained up into master scribes they became teachers who would train up the next generation of scribes.
That sounds an awful lot like the discipleship process doesn’t it? Jesus is teaching us the process of growth in the Kingdom of Heaven using an example from His own time that was widely understood. But what are we supposed to do with that? I know what I first became a Christian there was really no one to teach me. Sure there were Sunday school lessons and church services but I never really found a teacher. When I was an adult a friend’s father walked with me through the Bible and he taught me to let the Bible speak for itself. After a year of study the Lord impressed on me to read the Bible 7 times cover to cover. That was an amazing study, I just got to know the scriptures and I learned to ask God to help me understand the things that I didn’t get.
I didn’t know it but I was being discipled as a scribe was discipled. A couple of things really stood out during that study and one of them was this; “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have on Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.” Here we see that our teacher or rabbi who trains us as scribes for the Kingdom of Heaven is the Holy Spirit, our Father is God and our example of a man to follow is Jesus. So if we are to be trained as scribes the way Jesus tells us to be, we will not be able to learn this from people. We will have to learn directly from God.
There’s nothing wrong with getting an education but going to seminary can’t train you for the Kingdom. There’s nothing wrong with searching for teachers on subjects that you’re curious about, but those teachers have no ability to make you into anything for the Kingdom. There’s nothing wrong with reading books but those books can’t train you for the Kingdom. If you are going to understand how to be a scribe for the Kingdom you will have no choice but to walk closely with God. Make Him your source, learn to listen to the Spirit, to understand the parables and dreams, He will have to be living in you and you will have to be born again before you can even start this process. His Spirit must live in you or you can’t understand a word of the Bible or any spiritual thing. The Spirit of Truth is the only one who can train us in truth and if we are learning without truth then we are learning lies.
No man can guarantee your salvation but the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of salvation. Once you are born again you can begin to understand truth, until that point everything is complete darkness. Even what people think is light is actually darkness before that person is born from above. When you receive God’s Spirit to live in you then you have power from on high. He will be the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth and He will teach you of things that are yet to come. In other words, He will help you bring forth what is old and what is new, understanding past and future by the light of truth given directly from God. As you seek God you will find Him and He will be your Father and discipline and guide you along the way and keep you on the right path. When you don’t understand, receive instruction from the life of Jesus Christ who lived what you are to live and taught what you are to do. May you be trained fully as a master scribe, may you unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven for all who listen to God in you and may God bless all y’all.
Practice Outlaw 