Scribes of the Kingdom Part II

Returning to Matthew's verse (13: 52), Jesus says that every scribe instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder with great treasure. The Scriptures in their completeness will help us to open up this great, infinite, unsearchable wealth of treasure for us His believers.:


For starters, "scribe" renders the word "γραμματεύς, grammateus", which is a writer or a scribe, a man of learning. "Scripturetext.com" adds that the term had a specific meaning depending on where the term was used.

In Jerusalem, γραμματεύς referred to a scribe learned in the Jewish Law, a religious teacher. Paul speaks of the Jerusalem today as:

"But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

"Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

"For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children." (Galatians 4: 23-25)

To be learned in the law creates bondage. We are freed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3: 13), whose ordinances were nailed forever on the Cross with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2: 15; Colossians 2: 14)

In Ephesus, γραμματεύς refers to the town-clerk, the secretary of the city. The Church at Ephesus, by the standards of many Biblical scholars, was the most spiritually mature and astute as to their standing and righteousness in Christ:

"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

"Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;" (Ephesians 1": 15-16)

What did Paul want the Ephesians to know? Not God's law, but His love and power towards them:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

Followed by a prayer that every believer should pray:

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

"May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 17-19)

The element of Christ's Word in us is a crucial, nay the crucial element in understanding the wealth and wonder of being scribes of the Kingdom of Heaven. As scribes of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are like "householders" of a great treasure.

"Householder" renders the word "οἰκοδεσπότης, oikodespotés", with οἰκος as "house, or home". We are the house, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6: 19). What dwells within us, particularly?

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3: 16)

Here, "dwell" renders "ἐνοικέω, enoikeó", which also contains the root word "οἰκος", meaning that we are called to let the Word of God dwell in us, like a home. We are called to let the Word of God take up residence within us and live! Every day, let us allow God's Word, which is Christ (John 1:1), to continue making Himself at home in us!

So, we are scribes of the Kingdom of Heaven, having His Word living within us, ministering to us, washing us clean (John 15: 3). As we read the Word of God, we revisit eternal truths which will never grow old, which we need to renew our minds (Romans 12: 2), and by the power of the Holy Spirit revealing to us more of Jesus, we learn new along with old things!