"The Parables. No. 8. The Scribe (or Householder)." by Charles H. Welch
in The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15.

This parable brings us to the last of the series in Matt. xiii., and
like the first it does not commence with the formula, "The kingdom of
heaven is like unto."

The parable of the Sower dealt rather with the ministry of the word of
the kingdom than with the kingdom itself, and the closing parable deals
rather with the minister than the kingdom, the householder rather than
the house. This parable is preceded by a question, "Have ye understood
all these things?" and this question exactly corresponds (see
structure, Vol. II., page 68, Vols. II./III., page 32) to the statement
of the Lord concerning Israel as a nation, that they did not understand
(Matt. xiii. 10-16).  In answer to the question of the Lord as to
whether they had understood all these things the disciples reply, "Yea,
Lord," and upon this basis the last parable is uttered.  We must at
once confess that the disciples have an advantage over us, for although
we believe that by the grace of God the exposition of these parables in
our pages has been in harmony with His Word, we could not presume to
say that we understand all these things.  There are many who are
completely in error regarding these parables who do not blush to speak
of "apostolic mistakes" whenever an action or word of an inspired
apostle crosses their idea of the teaching of Scripture, but such would
hardly dare to answer, as the apostles did, "Yea, Lord."  Let us first
of all consider the words of the parable:-

"Wherefore (or for this reason) every scribe discipled into the kingdom
of the heavens is like a man, an householder, who putteth forth out of
his treasure things new and old" (Matt. xiii. 52).

It will be seen by the opening word "wherefore" (or because of this)
that the parable is connected with the claim of the disciples to have
understood all things which were intended to give them a complete
history of the progress of the kingdom of the heavens.  This emphasis
upon the word "understanding" not only contrasts the disciples with the
nation, but leads us to consider other passages where a few amongst
Israel will have understanding, particularly at the time of the end,
when these parables will reach their fulfillment.  Dan. xi. referring
to the time of antichristian apostasy says in verses 33 and 35:-

"And they that understand among the people shall instruct many."

"And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to
purge and to make them white, even to the time of the end,"

and in Dan. xii. 3, 10:-

"And they that be wise (margin, teachers) shall shine as the brightness
of the firmament."

"Many shall be purified and made white and tried . . . the wise shall
understand."

The wise ones with understanding have relation to the time of the end,
and particular reference to Israel and the kingdom.  Hearing the word,
and understanding it, is characteristic of the final and yet future
sowing of the seed of the kingdom, as we have seen in Matt. xiii. 19,
23.  This understanding is not necessarily connected with education or
ability of mind, but rather that understanding which comes from a heart
acquaintance with the word of God, and the Lord Himself.  Thus the
Psalmist could say, " have more understanding than all my teachers; for
Thy testimonies are my meditation" (Psa. cxix. 99).  Those therefore
who have such understanding are like a householder, and only such are
here in question.

The word householder is oikodespotes, and occurs twelve times in the
New Testament.  Four times it is rendered "goodman of the house," and
once "goodman."  The first occurrence is in Matt. x. 25, and the last
in Luke xxii. 11.  It is bounded by the period covered by the gospel of
the kingdom, and the number of its occurrences, viz., twelve, also
links it with Israel and the kingdom.  Such a scribe, such a
householder, is said to be "discipled" into the kingdom of the heavens.

The word "instructed," which we have rendered "discipled," occurs four
times in the N.T.., viz., Matt. xiii. 52; xxvii. 57; xxviii. 19; Acts
xiv. 21, and is translated "instructed," "disciple," "teach."  The
marginal readings of Matt. xxviii. 19 and Acts xiv. 21 suggest "make
disciples."  Matt. xxviii. 19, 20 looks forward to a future ministry
when the sent ones of the Lord shall "make nations disciples."  Matt.
xxviii. says nothing about preaching the gospel, although many thus
misquote it.  It speaks of "discipling," "baptizing," and "teaching to
observe" all things whatsoever the Lord Jesus had commanded them.  They
who will be fitted for this wonderful ministry are before us in this
parable.  Before they can disciple all nations they must have been
"discipled into the kingdom" themselves; they must be learners.
Further, the parable does not say "every one," but "every scribe."  The
scribe was one who had to do with the word of God, the grammateus.  No
ordinary scribe, however, is here in view.  The teacher must also be
the learner.  The scribe must also be the disciple.  He must have the
wide range of prophetic view as given in these parables of the
mysteries of the kingdom before he can be likened to a householder.

The Scribes in the day of Christ were as degenerate as their fellows
the Pharisees, and against them, equally with the Pharisees, the Lord
uttered His solemn woes.  Speaking of the passage, "He taught them as
one having authority, and not as the Scribes," a learned writer (Dean
Farrar) says:-

"The teaching of their Scribes was narrow, dogmatical, material; it was
cold in manner, frivolous in matter, second-hand, and iterative in its
very essence; with no freshness in it, no force, no fire; servile to
all authority, opposed to all independence, at once erudite and
foolish, at once contemptuous and mean; never passing a hair's breadth
beyond the carefully watched boundary line of commentary and precedent;
full of balanced inference, and orthodox hesitancy, and impossible
literalism, intricate with legal pettiness, and labyrinthine system,
elevating mere memory above genius, and repetition above originality,
concerned only about Priests and Pharisees, in Temple and Synagogue, or
School or Sanhedrim, and mostly occupied with things infinitely little.
 It was not indeed wholly devoid of moral significance, nor is it
impossible to find here and there among the debris of it a noble
thought, but it was occupied a thousandfold more with Levitical
minutiae about mint and anise and cummin, and the length of fringes and
the breadth of phylacteries, and the washing of cups and platters, and
the particular quarter of a second when new moons and Sabbath days
begin."

Such were the Scribes of the days of Christ, and were it not
uncharitable one might almost say that they seem to still have a
following to-day.  The disciples of the Lord who heard His words, and
noted how different His speech and teaching were, how utterly opposed
to the Scribes His manner and matter, would understand the clause,
"every Scribe who is discipled into the kingdom." The word of God was
at the finger tips of these Scribes, but it never entered their hearts.
 Those contemplated in the parable knew that unless their righteousness
exceeded the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, they could not
enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

A day is coming when not merely a few but a whole nation shall be
righteous. This synchronizes with the fourth sowing of the first
parable, the ministry under the new covenant, when the stony heart will
be removed, and a heart of flesh given; when the law shall be written
in the heart and not on tables of stone; when the Scribe will be worthy
of the name, and when he too will teach "as one having authority,"
because he also has "learned of Him."  Out of his treasure he will then
bring things new and old.  What these new and old things may be it is
not for us to say with any definiteness.  The contrast between the old
and the new covenant, the old and new Jerusalem, the old and new heaven
and earth will form mighty themes for the messengers of the Lord.  It
would appear in the parable that the extent of this ministry is to be
limited by the word "householder," while in Matt. xxviii. the wider
sphere is the command to "disciple all nations."

We trust that some little light has been thrown upon these important
parables, and as we pursue the theme of their fulfillment in the
Revelation, and of the times in which their final heading up -- the
harvest -- is set, we shall have continual reason to see that these
parables are what indeed the Lord said they were, "The mysteries of the
kingdom of the heavens."