Today we end a section of Scripture where Jesus shared many parables about the kingdom and the final judgment. We see over and over again that God will call his people home and He will separate the "good" from the "bad."
Until the time we are called home, we will all remain together. Is not for us to judge who is going to the kingdom and who is not. What is up to us, are the choices we make, we can choose to cry out to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We can choose to not get dragged down in the weeds and with the bad fish. We can choose to remain steadfast and strong in God's mighty Power. We can stand firm on God's truths, His Word, and His Light.
We don't know when that final judgment will be, and we don't know who will be called to the Kingdom. We must live our lives as children of light reflecting Christ wherever we go and to whomever we can. We have the ability to share and show Christ to others so that at that judgment they may be called up to the kingdom and not thrown into the fires of hell.
When we look back to the first reading from Jeremiah we see that we are like clay that can be molded in the hands of the potter. God takes us and molds us if we allow him to change and “fix” the parts of us that aren’t so good.
I think back to that Bill Cosby Line “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it.” Clearly he was being funny, but God literally did bring us into this world. He created us for good, but gave us free will. When His creation starts to crack or turn into something other than what he created, He can transform it into something even better and more beautiful if the clay stays malleable. If we allow, God can totally and completely transform us!
So what can we make of this last bit of the Gospel?
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.” Matthew 13:52 (NABRE)
There are a bunch of scholars who will share all sorts of brilliant thoughts on this with some solid theology behind it. I am going to take my own stab based on some of the various readings I looked at and the thoughts running through my brain while I meditated on this.
Treasure and things of value were discussed in several of the parables leading up to today. We heard specifically about treasure buried in a field and of a valuable pearl.
To me this is taking everything we have learned, everything we have studied, everything we have accumulated in the way of “things” and knowledge. We are to bring all of the old stuff as well add the new and lay it at Jesus feet. We must look at the old in light of the new and the new in light of the old. We must not forget the past but take what is important from it, learn from and grow from it! We must continually be learning new knowledge and growing.
Most importantly, however, I think it is a reminder that it is not enough to accumulate knowledge and understanding without real application. It is not enough to know history if we don’t learn and change when it is called for. It is not enough to know the old laws if we don’t see how they fit in with the new law.
We will be judged. We will be judged on our whole body of work! We will be laying EVERYTHING at the feet of God at the final judgement. We will be bringing our old self along with our new self. We must show up to the judgement having been molded by the potter! We must show up transformed into a new creature in order to enter the Kingdom.
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