The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. The sacred writings should be his treasure, and he should properly understand them his knowledge consists in being well instructed in the things concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the art of conducting men thither. (Clarke), v. Ministers of the gospel should not be novices, 1 Timothy 3:6, raw and ignorant men; but men mighty in the Scriptures, well acquainted with the writings of the Old and New Testament, and the sense of them; men that have a stock of spiritual knowledge, able readily to speak a word to the weary, and to speak to men and womens particular cases and questions. (Poole), Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. Nations are right to try to solve their problems and reconcile their differences. It always reminds me immediately of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, of Long John Silver, and doubloons and pieces-of-eight, pegleg pirates, and all the exciting things usually associated with the idea of buried treasure. And like the first parable, the man gladly gave up everything he owned to get the pearl. He has previously identified himself as the central figure. Something is hidden in the world. Read full chapter. Israel, therefore is not a unique, select people, but rather is a people chosen to demonstrate the kind of relationship that God wants to have with every other people on earth. In the dying of Jesus there, one element of what was accomplished was that he might finally purchase the right to set Israel again among the nations as a model nation so that the world might learn how to live in peace. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. ii. c. The enemy who sowed them is the devil: Clearly, the enemy plants counterfeits in the world and in the kingdom community, and this is why merely being a member of the Christian community isnt enough. The best pearls were worth extraordinary sums of money. We want to be the kind of good soil that Jesus talked about. Then, building on that, in the second parable the Lord said that he would take the sons of the kingdom, who are produced by the seed of the Word, and sow them like wheat throughout the world. It is: Ua mau ke ea o ka aina ika pono, which I am sure you understand means, "The life of the land is preserved by righteousness." When a man found it, he hid it again. I have never forgotten something I learned years ago when in Hawaii. Notice that the man sold EVERYTHING. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Paul says of Israel, So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? He promises that it will grow - and God ALWAYS keeps His promises! Our heavenly Father, how we thank you for the marvelous truth that you, Lord, have bought the world, that it belongs to you, and that you shall some day rule and reign in power and glory in its midst and all your promises shall be fulfilled. ii. Therefore, we will not spend any more time on that misinterpretation, but will come right to the heart of what the story of the treasure hidden in the field really means. And sometimes a piece of sand or shell gets in. He understands that even though he is selling everything to buy that field he is becoming exponentially richer because of the unseen treasure that will belong to whomever owns the field. It is knowing the Father, the King. He chose them to be a representative nation, to be a working model of what a nation ought to be, in order that other nations might share that knowledge. By that he indicated that the privilege of demonstrating the grace of God would he taken from Israel and given to the church. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure. THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls" (v. 45). And the field, he has told us, is the world, the world of humanity, the human race, all of society. which is to be understood not in an ill sense, as the man hid his talent in a napkin, and in the earth; but in a good sense, and designs his care of it; his laying it up in his heart, that he might not lose it, and that it might not be taken away from him: and for joy thereof; And in that we can see revealed the heart of God who looks at this broken and fragmented world, with all its injustice, heartache, sorrow, violence, and slaughter, and yet has not forgotten his purposes and has preserved the secret of world peace in a treasure hidden among the nations which he shall someday bring forth again. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. There Paul too tells us that God is not through with Israel. You need only read the book of Deuteronomy to know that God set aside this people, the Jews, in order that they should be a showcase of theocracy to all the other nations of the world. Is this not the carpenters son: This question was asked out of ignorant prejudice. a. He would never have called it that. So he unfolded it and unveiled it again. It was a partial demonstration, never complete, never full. So according to the parable he hid the treasure again. b. 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. (Matthew 13:44). There was no voice of God in their midst, no prophet speaking forth from God. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may . 'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it . (You see, congressmen don't spend all their time smoking cigars and kissing babies.) Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. What does Matthew 13:44 mean? He himself is deeply involved in it. She was no inconsiderable monarch herself. This storehouse contains things new and old. he said (Matthew 23:13, et al). Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. It was hidden when our Lord came. Listen to these words from Romans11. i. Consider the words of Jim Elliot, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. The emphasis is not on what we give up, but on the unfathomable new life that is being offered to us. Two weeks ago, we read as Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Whatever the reason he was there, he found an amazing treasure, maybe similar to the emeralds. In the interpretation of the parable, the case described is that of a man who, not having started in the pursuit of holiness or truth, is brought by the seeming accidents of lifea chance meeting, a word spoken in season, the example of a living holinessto the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, i.e., to Christ Himself, and who, finding in Him a peace and joy above all earthly treasure, is ready to sacrifice the lower wealth in order to obtain the higher. Though they are surrounded and ringed by enemies armed to the teeth who are vowing to wipe every Jew off the face of the earth, Nevertheless, as is obvious, they do not understand the secret of their own life and are trying to produce peace and stability by democratic methods and consensus and compromise. ii. When they were cut and polished, they were worth millions of dollars. This story is very much like the first parable. That shows how much he valued this pearl of great price, and how much Jesus values His people. 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: That means a change of mind, repentance, turning again to God and recognizing his presence in our midst. Ask: Does anyone know where pearls come from? - Matthew 13:45-46. Treasure seekers searched the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean to find oysters with pearls inside. The man was so excited to know that he could possibly own that treasure. Matthew 13:45 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The nation would not have it, would not have him, and they rejected him. Thank your volunteer. Woe to you, Bethsaida! I hope that this is clear to the many of you, especially those of you who are younger, who are earnestly and zealously and quite dedicatedly trying to pursue world peace. At that time the angels will come forth and assist the King in the work of judgment, sending some into the furnace of fire for final judgment. Mr. Hill, the man who found emeralds in his backyard, hired guards to keep watch over his treasure. This has certainly proved true in history. These were men of the Word, and when our Lord spoke this parable, they would clearly remember the words of Exodus19. And for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field: The treasure so wonderful that Jesus would give all to purchase is the individual believer. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. The "sea" here is clearly the world, since that is where people are gathered from by the angels (Matt. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. Julian the apostate, as he is called, once asked a certain Christian, What do you think the carpenters son is doing now? Making coffins for you and for all his enemies, was the prompt reply. (Spurgeon). 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. In a land as frequently ravaged as Palestine, many people doubtless buried their treasures; butto actually find a treasure would happen once in a thousand lifetimes. the possession of the forgiving and cleansing grace of God which is in Jesus Christ. Under rabbinic law if a workman came on a treasure in a field and lifted it out, it would belong to his master, the fields owner; but here the man is careful not to lift the treasure out till he has bought the field. (Carson). Jesus announced Gods kingdom, and this would lead many of his hearers to expect a cataclysmic disruption of society, an immediate and absolute division between the sons of light and the sons of darknessIt was to this impatience that the parable was primarily directed. (France). Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. ii. This time, He compares the kingdom of heaven to treasure found hidden in a field. Say: Jesus often used parables to teach what the kingdom of God is like. God is speaking to this nation which he has given the Law and he says, "Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:" Exodus 19:5a KJV). Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. But our treasure - our immeasurably better treasure - has no limit! God has said that if you will turn back to him, as Israel will some day, he stands ready to heal, ready to forgive, ready to wipe out all the failures, all the transgressions, and to begin in your experience to cause your life to blossom and to come into abundance. The Lord Jesus says that he came and uncovered for a brief time the secret of world peace and prosperity. b. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. It is the very ordinariness of Jesus home background that causes the astonishment (cf. Well, is it not obvious that there is something lost with relation to humanity, something every human being seems to be seeking, consciously or unconsciously, something every thinking person in this room and throughout the world is searching for and longing for with an ache that is almost physical? It is the best life possible. The multitude went away (as most people do from sermons) never the wiser, understanding nothing of what they heard, nor caring to understand it. (Poole), b. He is saying that you should be willing to. Finding the treasure appears to be by chance. They fit together but they are not talking about exactly the same thing. God wants ALL people to believe in Jesus and enter into His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). He refused to go into the capital city again until his appointed hour had come. Teacher: Call up a volunteer. It recognizes the allure and the mystery which always gathers around the notion of hidden treasure. He declared it in great messages like the Sermon on the Mount. Take off the glasses and bandana and allow the volunteer to eat the fruit. But is it only a dream? But when King Solomon met her he began to give presents to her, and his outweighed hers by far. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. He is telling us that it is worth more than everything else. And our Lord found the nation in bondage, the temple overrun with moneychangers, commercial charlatans making a fast buck by preying upon the worship of the people. Is not His mother called Mary? That means obedience. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Say: Pearls come from oysters. Listen for answers. (Just as a comparison, the diamond on a womans wedding ring may be about one-quarter or one-half of a carat.) But you have refused," (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13). How do you find this secret? We want to have a teachable heart where Gods truth can produce good fruit. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. What would it be? But such is not the case; God did not choose Israel for that purpose. He was in Israel not long ago. Jesus makes it clear that we should not let anything keep us from entering the kingdom of God. One of the fascinating things about studying Scripture, especially in a series of parables, is to try to answer questions like that -- to seek to fit the puzzle of the parable to the pattern of life, and see where they correspond. Pearls were highly prized in that time and place. If you want to see how God will act with you as an individual then look at the way he has been acting with Israel as a nation. He is saying that NOTHING compares in value to the new life that the King wants to give you. That is why it is not enough to preach the gospel to people; you must also live it. Brought to you by KidzLife, Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Readers Version, (NIrV). Instead, Jesus is the man who gave all that He had to buy the field. And the queen's heart melted and she said, "I didn't believe the reports until I had seen all this with my own eyes, but the half has never been told me," (1Kings 10:7). Jesus Christ the case ; God did not choose Israel for that purpose his people pearl. But when King Solomon met her he began to give you is offered... On the unfathomable new life that the King wants to give you it! Choose Israel for that purpose parables that Jesus taught a piece of sand or shell in. 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