Parable of the Householder Life Lessons

Jesus often spoke in parables to give lessons to His followers. Sometimes their meaning is fairly obvious and other times, it’s more hidden.

The Parable of the Householder (also known as the Parable of the House Owner and the Parable of the Owner of the House) is one of the parables whose meaning is less obvious. But don’t let that stop you from discovering the important lessons meant for you!

The Parable of the Householder is included in one Gospel, the book of Matthew 13: 51-52. 

51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Matthew 13 52 Meaning – Parable of the Householder Meaning

The Parable of the Householder meaning is that old and new experiences, teachings, and learning all have a useful purpose for our spiritual growth as Christians. We need to keep refreshing ourselves on the lessons to keep growing.

Parable of the Householder Treasures Old and New Life Lessons

Even if there is some ambiguity as to the exact meaning of the Parable of the Householder, there are still valuable lessons that we can take away from it.

Remember, anything that draws us closer to God is valuable, and therefore, any lessons we can take from this parable are valuable to our Christian journey.

1. You are Called to Become a Disciple for Heaven

Jesus said that teachers of the law who have become disciples for heaven would bring out the old and new treasures. He was speaking to the disciples, but He was also speaking to you!

As Christ’s followers, we’re called to learn the law (His teachings from God’s Word), so that we can become teachers, to bring His law (His Word) to others.

2. The Old and New are Both Valuable

Jesus calls the old and new “treasures”. Everything about our Christian journey is valuable – a treasure. Things that happened in the past (the old) and our current/future circumstances are all valuable in our journey to Christ.

Each day is a new opportunity to learn and grow from the new and old as we build and strengthen our relationship with Christ.

3. Christianity is a Never-Ending Journey

Bringing items out of the storage room is to refresh ourselves on the treasures we’ve previously seen and buried away. Christianity is a never-ending journey, at least it should be.

When we truly love God and desire to know Him, we keep seeking Him. Once we find Him, we want to know more. So we keep seeking Him. This seeking digs our roots deeper and deeper in faith. Never stop learning and growing in Christ. 

The doors that will open as you continue to knock will reveal a relationship with Him beyond which you could not imagine. 

Are you seeking deeper faith, a more meaningful life, or greater inner peace?

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Treasures Old and New Meaning

In the Gospel of Matthew, just before Jesus told the Parable of the Householder, He had given a series of other parables. The Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Weeds, Parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast, Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl, and Parable of the Net all preceded Matthew 13:51-52.

He asks His disciples if they understood the parables, and they said they did. He then responded that a teacher of the law who has become a disciple for heaven would bring out the old and new treasures.

With these words, Jesus was encouraging His disciples in their journey ahead – and for us today! He was counting on His people to become teachers of His law, who would pass along His message.

Jesus encourages us to use old and new experiences to reach people with His message. He encourages us to learn from our own past and to keep learning and growing into more mature faith.

Old experiences are valuable because they give us wisdom, discernment, and a foundation to grow upon. New experiences give us the opportunity to learn, change, and grow. 

For the disciples (and us) to bring old and new treasures to people would mean using every opportunity to draw people to God’s Kingdom.

Does Treasures Old and New refer to the Old and New Testaments?

It might seem that the term “Treasures Old and New” would be referring to the Old and New Testaments, but this isn’t thought to be the case.

For one thing, the book of Matthew is believed to be written near the end of the first century, while the New and Old Testament phrases are believed to be coined after that, in the second century.

Also, the term for early Christianity was sometimes called “The Way”, implying that they weren’t referring to Jesus’s teachings as “New”. 

Matthew 13 52 Commentary:

Find The Parable of the Householder (Parable of the Owner of the House and Parable of the House Owner, Matthew 13 52) Commentaries at Bible Study Tools.com. They include free and paid versions. For this article, I referred to Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.

Photo by Işıl.

This post may contain affiliate links. This is my full disclosure.

More Parables!

Do you love the parables as much as I do? You may enjoy reading life lessons on these others (listed below), these activities for adults and children, or this list of Parables and Meanings. More parable lessons are underway. See them all HERE!

Do you love journaling? Does writing down your personal reflections help you process your thoughts more fully? Perhaps these Christian writing journals will be helpful as you reflect on the life lessons of the parables.

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