The bigger and more perfectly round the pearl, the more valuable it is. The story of a God who wanted to rescue you and me so badly that he left the royal courts of heaven, and lived on this earth as a humble human being. 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. - Matthew 13:44 We are not sure what this man was doing in someone else's field. The reason he joyfully goes and sells all that he has and buys that field, is that the man understands its true value. - Matthew 13:44, Props: Small plate of fruit, dark glasses, bandana; Strand of pearls (artificial is fine). To follow knowledge, like a sinking star. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. He found poverty and misery stalking the land. God has gathered this nation together again, brought in the people from the outlying countries of the world, gathered his dispersed from the four corners of the earth, and brought them back into the land. This powerfully shows how Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it, and the treasure is His people. When I peel it, you cant smell it like I can smell it. Ultimately it is not the job of the church to weed out those who appear to be Christians but actually are not; that is Gods job at the end of this age. And when we know the value of what we have as members of the kingdom, shouldnt we share it with everyone we know? That means a change of mind, repentance, turning again to God and recognizing his presence in our midst. But in that same parable he said that an enemy would come and sow tares, or weeds, are that these would grow up right alongside the wheat. All rights reserved. They will come and study this little nation of Israel in which the secret of world peace has always been hidden, the strange, chosen nation for which our Lord gave his life. Jesus said, I have come so they can have life. He bought the field in order that someday he might use that treasure to cause the whole world to blossom and to fill the earth with peace and happiness. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. i. It is not full life because it is life that is separate from God (Isaiah 59:2). Life outside the kingdom is sort of like this. Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. When problems come, they forget all about Gods word. This is why this nation is here. Finally Jesus left the city once more and went out to his death. The main idea is that the disciples who had just claimed to understand what Jesus taught are now responsible to bring forth their understanding to others, as if they were distributing from the storehouse of their wisdom and understanding. That means a recognition of his healing power, and of the fact forgiveness is available for all the injuries and mistakes and wrong doings of our past. 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). In these two parables our Lord is telling us the reasons for the cross. But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Or maybe the field was for sale and the man was looking it over before deciding whether to buy it. Is this not the carpenters son: This question was asked out of ignorant prejudice. Brought to you by KidzLife, Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Readers Version, (NIrV). Next week we will go on to see how this parable ties very closely with the next one, the parable of the pearl of great price. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Message transcript and recording 1971 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. The nation's glory was gone. 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. 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. Not every oyster has a pearl, and not every pearl is big or round. There is an honest cry from the harassed heart of a statesman who is desperately trying to find the treasure that is hidden in man, the secret of world peace. 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. This is like the kingdom of God because it grows in the hearts of believers, and it grows throughout the world as more and more people enter the kingdom. The person who finds the treasure joyfully "sells all" to buy the field (13:44). But then the parable says, "Then in his joy the man went and gave all that he had and bought the field." Their hearts receive the message of the kingdom, and the seed takes root and produces lots of spiritual fruit. Matthew 13:45-46. 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: The truth often lies buried: it is like rich veins of ore in the sacred Scriptures; it must be searched out with diligence, and its discovery will repay a man for all his sacrifices, Luke 14:33; Philippians 3:8. the which when a man hath foundthat is, unexpectedly found. The point of the parable lies in his "earnestness," his anxiety, his care, and his actually obtaining it. If you belong to the kingdom, you have the greatest treasure! Even though these people had been looking for Gods kingdom, when they found it, it was far greater than what they had expected. They have not yet grasped again the lost secret of their nation -- that the nation which walks in right relationship to him, God will heal. Ask: Who can remember the four different soils Jesus talked about? Life outside of the kingdom of God is way less than God intended it to be. The oyster opens its shell to let water and food in. 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 exciting thing about Scripture is that in it we are always dealing with fact, not fancy. So they were offended at Him: When we think of how strongly Jesus is identified with Nazareth (see at Matthew 2:23), it is even more surprising to note that the people of Nazareth did not appreciate it. As long as Gods people are still in this world (the field), there will be unbelievers among them; but it should not be because Gods people receive unbelievers as if they were believers, ignoring either the belief or conduct of professed believers. Teacher: Call up a volunteer. Jesus came, he says, and found a treasure hidden in humanity. Finding the treasure appears to be by chance. He felt the condemnation of a righteous God. he hideth, and for joy thereofon perceiving what a treasure he had lighted on, surpassing the worth of all he possessed. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. 13:49). It is recorded in the motto of that fiftieth state. Magistrates and churches may remove the openly wicked from their society; the outwardly good who are inwardly worthless they must leave; for the judging of hearts is beyond their sphere. (Spurgeon), iv. He is saying that you should be willing to. Is this not the carpenters son: Because these villagers were familiar with Jesus as a boy and accustomed to unspectacular things from Him, we may conclude that Jesus must have grown up a very normal boy unlike the fantastic stories told in apocryphal books like The Infancy of Jesus. That means obedience. Read the Scripture: Matthew 13:44 In the great series of parables in Matthew 13 our Lord gave us, as he said, "The secrets of the kingdom of heaven." The kingdom of heaven is God's work among men, God's rule and authority in the midst of human affairs. Our Lord came and he bought the whole field so that someday he might use the treasure hidden in it to make the world blossom with glory. But Jesus came to make the kingdom available to everyone (Mark 1:15). He was very happy. 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. But was not that an honest occupation? (Trapp), iii. Eventually, after several years, it ends up looking like a beautiful, shiny stone called a pearl. Pearls were especially valuable in Jesus day. In this we see that the parable of the tares changes the figures slightly from the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:3-9; 13:18-23). They are part of the whole series of seven, but they were given only to the disciples, and there is something significant about that. II. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. Jodi has a passion for Biblical ac More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. b. The person has a change of heart, and he or she truly wants to do Gods will. What is it that inhibits us from going forward together to enjoy the fruits of human endeavor and to reap the harvest of human experience? He was left with nothing. Immediately we are asking ourselves, "What is this treasure?" When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. This stood for the people who hear Gods word and believe it fully. (Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34). a. The parable of the hidden treasure found. 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. Some time ago, in addressing a crowd of 2,500 delegates from 57 countries of the world who were trying to find some way to world peace, he said these remarkable words: "What element is lacking so that with all our skill and all our knowledge we still find ourselves in the dark valley of discord and enmity? goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth the field: which is not to be interpreted literally and properly; though a man that knows the worth and value of the Bible, rather than be without one, would part with all his worldly substance for one; but figuratively, and denotes the willingness of such souls, who are led into the glory, fulness, and excellency of the word of God, the scriptures of truth, and of the immense treasure of the Gospel therein, to part with all that has been, or is dear unto them; with their sins, and self-righteousness; with their good names and characters; their worldly substance, and life itself, for the sake of the Gospel, and their profession of it: and may also design the use of all means, to gain a larger degree of light and knowledge in the Gospel. That is the story of the gospels. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Both men GLADLY, JOYFULLY gave up everything else to claim their new found treasure. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. Yet the point is clear, both in the world and in the kingdom community. The merchant "sold all" to buy the pearl. With a view of obtaining this, Jesus says that a man would go and sell his property and buy the field. Therefore, those closest to truly spiritual people see just how normal they are and sometimes think that they arent spiritual because they are normal. 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. You cannot read the Gospel stories without seeing that there came a time in our Lord's ministry when he began to change his message and turn away from the proclamation that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, that he was there in their midst. (Matthew 13:44-46 RSV). [That is, when Israel comes back into its right relationship with God, how much more blessing will this world understand and realize when they see worked out before their eyes what a nation can be with God in its midst!] ii. Augustine made the interpretation official struggling against the DonatistsMost Reformers followed the same line. (Carson). If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. The life of this land, like that of any other land, is preserved by righteousness. I was reminded by that conversation of the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UThant. b. In these actions, the power of that which has been found is seen to be at work. (7) Few men understand how great the riches of the kingdom of heaven are, and that no man can be a partaker of them but he that redeems them with the loss of all his goods. He revealed for a brief flash of time the glory that was Israel. Or we can see Gods kingdom, full of peace, love, forgiveness, freedom, and joy, and want that more than anything else. 4. God has his buried treasures and he is speaking of them in this parable. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. These parables afford us a glimpse behind the scenes of history into factors and forces which are at work today but which we would never find reported on the pages of the newspaper. Then it is up to us to sell all that we have, give it all up, and buy him at any cost. The goal of this game is to be the team who collects the most pearls in their bucket. Jesus wants it to grow! Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Instead, he leaves it there, sells everything he has, and buys the field in order to get the treasure it contains. b. So did Jesus himself, at the utmost cost, buy the world to gain his church, which was the treasure which he desired. (Spurgeon), Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.. How do you find this secret? III. Politicians have struggled for centuries to try to find the secret of world peace. Now that is God's plan for the nations -- to provide a working model in the nation Israel. No! Then he went and gave all that he had and bought that field of humanity. 44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. They put their trust in Jesus. Two weeks ago, we read as Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. 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. [That is, Israel had obviously stumbled at that time, but have they fallen completely?] Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. He refused to go into the capital city again until his appointed hour had come. 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. As we learned two weeks ago, the kingdom of God will grow and grow! These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. When our Lord covered the treasure over it was hidden completely in the field of humanity again. The parables describe how the kin (g)dom of heaven emerges from something almost invisible to the eye and grows exponentially, offering us sustenance, a treasure worthy of all our attention and resources. i. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" The kingdom of heaven is God's work among men, God's rule and authority in the midst of human affairs. The usual interpretation of these parables is that Christ is the hidden treasure and that he is the pearl of great price. But there would be one kind of heart in which the seed would grow up into a harvest and produce fruit. And there it remains until our Lord's return. To the ancient peoples, as we have just seen, a pearl was the loveliest of all possessions; that means that the Kingdom of Heaven is the loveliest thing in the world. (Barclay). Jesus told a parable about a man who found something in a field that he did not own. But when King Solomon met her he began to give presents to her, and his outweighed hers by far. 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. The pearl is different than the treasure, and yet for both the Lord gave all that he had. And His sisters, are they not all with us? She was a great queen in her own right. 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. 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." "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spirit forces that are in high places." 5. This week I was talking with Bill Gwinn, the director of Mt. The crowd was large that he moved out from shore in a boat to be able to speak to them and teach them these parables. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. They concern those aspects of the kingdom of heaven at work among men which are readily recognizable and visible in history. 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