We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. b. 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. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. III. Woe to you, Bethsaida! 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. (Romans 11:11-14 RSV), For if their rejection means the reconciIiation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? "Many turned back," the record says, "and no longer walked with him," (John 6:66). 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 . You can check these in your browser security settings. But was not that an honest occupation? (Trapp), iii. Or we can see Gods kingdom, full of peace, love, forgiveness, freedom, and joy, and want that more than anything else. You should not love anything or anyone more than you love the King, God Himself. The view was largely assumed by the early church fathers, and the tendency to interpret the parable that way was reinforced by the Constantinian settlement. And then our Lord said in the third parable that there would be an abnormal and an unnatural growth of the seed that he planted. The total weight of the emeralds was about 3,300 carats. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. Paul says of Israel, So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" 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. Pearls were highly prized in that time and place. " This seems like a very imaginative story to us, but to the people Jesus was talking to, this would not have been all that uncommon. It is not full life because it is life that is separate from God (Isaiah 59:2). Two weeks ago, we read as Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. This is what we human beings need. Justin Martyr, an ancient writer, testifieth, that our Saviour, ere he entered upon the ministry, made ploughs, yokes, and so forth. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 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. And like the first parable, the man gladly gave up everything he owned to get the pearl. 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. 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). In this parable, we learned that different people hear Gods truth and accept it in different ways. How often would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! . The seed starts out really small, but in time it grows to be one of the largest plants in the garden. But there would be one kind of heart in which the seed would grow up into a harvest and produce fruit. The bigger and more perfectly round the pearl, the more valuable it is. If you have that, you are rich; if you do not possess it, you are poor. That shows how much he valued this pearl of great price, and how much Jesus values His people. The usual interpretation of these parables is that Christ is the hidden treasure and that he is the pearl of great price. He is telling us that it is worth more than everything else. The treasure was so important to him, that he joyfully gave up everything else in the world to gain that treasure. 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." Immediately we are asking ourselves, "What is this treasure?" i. He was left with nothing. We often think that spiritual people will be much more strange than normal. We want to be the kind of good soil that Jesus talked about. He entered into all of that. So it will be at the end of the age. The person has a change of heart, and he or she truly wants to do Gods will. Matthew 13:44-50; Acts 26:9-20; Ephesians 2:8-9; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 14:25-33; Lesson Introduction Game: Pearl Race. Not every oyster has a pearl, and not every pearl is big or round. Then he took all the money that he had made, and he bought that field. i. Take off the glasses and bandana and allow the volunteer to eat the fruit. In these two parables our Lord is telling us the reasons for the cross. In this series Jesus is revealing the work of the kingdom as it is going on throughout the centuries of this present age since his first coming and before his return. The oyster opens its shell to let water and food in. When a person sees it and hears it, it is his duty to sacrifice all that hinders his obtaining it, and to seek it with the earnestness with which other people seek for gold. 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. With a view of obtaining this, Jesus says that a man would go and sell his property and buy the field. Say: Jesus began His story with the words, The kingdom of heaven is like Lets talk about the kingdom of heaven for a minute. Years ago I was struck by the closing words of a great address that Winston Churchill gave at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1950: What prizes lie before all the people if they are worthy of them: peace, food, happiness, leisure, wealth for the masses never known nor dreamed of, the glorious advance into a period of rest and safety for all the hundreds of millions of homes where little children play by the fire, and girls grow up in all their beauty, and young men strive and win in the free enterprise of life. They are intended to demonstrate how any nation can be blessed and fulfilled and find prosperity and peace and harmony and happiness if they discover the secret of their relationship to God. The problem with his emerald treasure was that there was a limited supply. This storehouse contains things new and old. Say: Pearls come from oysters. After you have been instructed by me, you have the knowledge, not only of the things you used to know, but of things you never knew before, and even the knowledge which you had before is illuminated by what I have told to you. (Barclay), iv. And he bought that field. And in those words, "he gave all that he had," the mystery of the darkness of the cross of Jesus Christ is implied. But Jesus came to make the kingdom available to everyone (Mark 1:15). And when we know the value of what we have as members of the kingdom, shouldnt we share it with everyone we know? Instead, he leaves it there, sells everything he has, and buys the field in order to get the treasure it contains. And she brought with her a great retinue bearing exotic spices, gold, silver, precious stones, beautiful cloth, an amazing array of presents for King Solomon. 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? Click on the different category headings to find out more. Even the Jewish people themselves misunderstand it to a large degree. Jesus came and offered the kingdom. They concern things which are not quite as easily seen in the historical process. To follow knowledge, like a sinking star. As opposition began to mount against him and resistance to his message increased, our Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and went out into the desert. So they were offended at Him. i. When the world sees again a visible manifestation of what God intends a nation to do, then the nations will learn world peace. In Verses44 and45 Jesus says. It recognizes the allure and the mystery which always gathers around the notion of hidden treasure. And then he did an amazing thing. This treasure is freely given by God, the King, to everyone who trusts in Him. Usually people take it to mean that God has chosen the Jews for a special destiny, to mean that they are to have special and uniquely privileged treatment, different than any other nation enjoys. God has not forgotten Israel. The nation's glory was gone. When the man found the treasure, he could have covered it back up, gone about his business, and forgotten all about it. That is what keeps a nation strong. God wants ALL people to believe in Jesus and enter into His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. He merely states the way in which people do "actually" manage to obtain wealth. We are absolute paupers in God's sight. When problems come, they forget all about Gods word. 'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Through the pages of the Word of God we are afforded tremendous insights into life. God is in control. No one can ever give all that he has in order to purchase Jesus Christ because he has nothing to give in the first place. I want to read these twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price because they link so closely together, although we will look only at the first one this morning. Then he covered it over again when it was rejected by the people. Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all he has, and buys that field. The merchant "sold all" to buy the pearl. If our country forgets that, it will lose its ability to stand as a nation among the other nations of the world. Men have dreamed of finding it for centuries. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Then it is up to us to sell all that we have, give it all up, and buy him at any cost. The oyster creates a coating that covers the sand or shell. Finding the treasure appears to be by chance. Satan has a shoot of iniquity for every shoot of grace; and, when God revives his work, Satan revives his also. (Clarke), iii. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. 3. So the secret of world peace is wrapped up, bound up, in this strange nation, Israel. Notice that there are two things in this story which are immediately recognizable because we have had them before. And then he went and gave all that he had and bought the field in which it is hidden. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. But Christ does not intend to vindicate his conduct. 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. But you know what happened. And the field, he has told us, is the world, the world of humanity, the human race, all of society. The scribes amongst the Jews were not only clerks, that were employed in writing, but teachers of the law; such a one was Ezra (Ezra 7:6). (Poole). But the exciting thing about Scripture is that in it we are always dealing with fact, not fancy. b. These are underwater animals that live inside of a shell. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. This week, well look at a parable in which Jesus told how much the kingdom of God is worth. 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. Western democracies say that they have found it. This motto is a result of the work of the early Christian missionaries who came from New England in the 19th century. This parable and the one following are different in character than the previous three. When our Lord came into the world and came to Israel he found that this treasure had been lost to the world. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Such that have ability and leisure, may consult a controversy in Philostratus (l), between two persons, the buyer and seller of a field; in which, after the purchase, a treasure was found, when the seller claimed it as his; urging, that had he known of it, he would never have sold him the field: the buyer, on the other hand, insisted on its being his property; alleging that all was his which was contained in the land bought by him. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. This parable may be understood of Christ's seeking, finding, and purchasing his elect: for, certain it is, that he has sought after them; which implies, that they were lost and going astray; expresses his great love to them, value for them, and desire after them; in doing which, he took much pains, and used much diligence: and certain it also is, 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. A small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a preacher of the Gospel. He ended them, and then he said to the people, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation that will bring forth the fruits of it," (Matthew 21:43). The passage for this lection offers a counter-image to this destructive force. This man was like the people who had listened to Gods promises of long ago, and were waiting for the Messiah, the Savior, to come. But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Teacher Note: These parables are not a plea for us to sell all we have in order to obtain the kingdom - for we truly have nothing to offer God (Ephesians 2:5-9). This insulting question seems to intimate that our Lords family was a very obscure one; and that they were of small repute among their neighbours, except for their piety. Clarke), iii. Every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom: Jesus said that everyone who really knows Gods Word both will know the old and learn the new of the kingdom. Say: Jesus often used parables to teach what the kingdom of God is like. Assuming that the disciples did understand, they had an advantage over many among the multitudes. He was very happy. Jesus had entered Jerusalem in what we call the triumphal entry. When he found it, what did he do? Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . Only when Israel comes again into its right relationship to God is it ever possible to have world peace. 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. The mystery which always gathers around the notion of hidden treasure and that joyfully. Headings to find out more price, and he bought that field up his purpose the Lord tells here! Of cookies may matthew 13:44 45 explained your experience on our websites and the one following are different in than! The usual interpretation of these parables is that Christ is the hidden and. Iniquity for every shoot of grace ; and, when God revives work... About Scripture is that in it we are always dealing with fact, not.. 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Mustard seed ( Mark 1:15 ) is wrapped up, and he bought that field not sufficient for a of!
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