i. 4. '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 . He has previously identified himself as the central figure. We want to be the kind of good soil that Jesus talked about. c. He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief: It is truly remarkable that Jesus was, in some manner, limited by their unbelief. Around us the storms may gather, but let us not shut out the hope that the burdens of fear and want may be lifted for a glorious era from the bruised and weary shoulders of mankind. 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. Jesus had entered Jerusalem in what we call the triumphal entry. The man who finds the treasure does not simply take it. Who when he had found one pearl of great price: for such who seek after wisdom and knowledge in the use of proper means, are like merchant men, that trade abroad, and for things of value; and these, under divine direction, find in the Scriptures, and through the ministry of the word, and by prayer and study, the truths of the everlasting Gospel, respecting Christ, his person, office, grace and righteousness; which are equal to, yea transcend a pearl of the highest price; for their original, coming from a far country, from heaven; for their brightness, clearness, and perspicuity; for their ornament and glory; for their firmness and solidity; for their virtue and value, to them that know the worth of them; and such will buy, but not sell them; reckon all things but loss and dung, in comparison of them; and will contend for them, and stand fast in them. the pearl of great price: who is of an unspeakable brightness and glory, of intrinsic worth and value; who is enriching to those that possess him, and precious to them that believe; and of such a price, that no valuable consideration can be given for him: wherefore such a soul is willing to part with all for him; with sinful self, and righteous self; and with the honours, riches, and profits of this world; and buy him, his grace and righteousness, without money, and without price. A furnace of fire represents one destiny and radiant glory (shine forth as the sun) the other destiny. 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. Never, anywhere in Scripture is salvation ever offered to us as something we have to buy, or can buy. It was now subject to the Romans, crushed under the heel of an iron-hearted oppressor. As opposition began to mount against him and resistance to his message increased, our Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and went out into the desert. This powerfully shows how Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it, and the treasure is His people. a. The rocky places stood for the people who like hearing Gods word at first, but they dont let it take root in their hearts. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spirit forces that are in high places." 5. ii. b. Now that is God's plan for the nations -- to provide a working model in the nation Israel. All rights reserved. He revealed for a brief flash of time the glory that was Israel. Instead, he leaves it there, sells everything he has, and buys the field in order to get the treasure it contains. These two would grow up together and sometimes would be difficult to distinguish, especially at the beginning, but eventually would make their real nature known. [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!] This week I was talking with Bill Gwinn, the director of Mt. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way. (John 10:10). When our Lord came into the world and came to Israel he found that this treasure had been lost to the world. Teacher: Call up a volunteer. In this parable, we learned that different people hear Gods truth and accept it in different ways. Two weeks ago, we read as Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Thank God for those documents, but they have no power to hold us together as a people, to preserve our national liberties or our national life. As long as God chooses to work in concert with human agency, developing our ability to partner with Him, our unbelief can and may hinder the work of God. 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. Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? i. 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. Message transcript and recording 1971 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. I. 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. Their hearts receive the message of the kingdom, and the seed takes root and produces lots of spiritual fruit. b. i. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. ii. Yesterday I spent a few hours with Dr.Billy Graham. the which when a man hath found; either with or without the use of means, purposely attended to, in order to find it; such as reading, hearing, prayer, and meditation: for sometimes the Gospel, and the spiritual saving knowledge of it, are found, and attained to, by persons accidentally, with respect to themselves, though providentially, with respect to God; when they had no desire after it, or searched for it, and thought nothing about it; though by others it is come at, in a diligent use of the above means: he hideth; 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: anor joy thereof; for the Gospel, when rightly understood, brings good tidings of great joy, to sensible sinners. Augustine made the interpretation official struggling against the DonatistsMost Reformers followed the same line. (Carson). i. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. (You see, congressmen don't spend all their time smoking cigars and kissing babies.) 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. Application: When we discover that we can enter Gods kingdom, we have a choice to make, just as the man in the field did. Jesus is speaking in parables to describe the kingdom of heaven. He would be really endeavoring to gain property belonging to another at far less than its real value, and the principle of real integrity would require him to inform the owner of the discovery. Clearly, the treasure in that field was worth more than everything else that the man owned. There is nothing that even compares to a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe! 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. So according to the parable he hid the treasure again. The reference, as in the weeds, is not primarily to a mixed church, but to the division among mankind in general which the last judgment will bring to light. (France), Jesus said to them, Have you understood all these things? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. Then He said to them, Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.. Of greater importance in the history of the church has been the view that this actually means that the field is the church. They are part of the whole series of seven, but they were given only to the disciples, and there is something significant about that. And then he demonstrated it by healing the multitudes, by driving the moneychangers out of the temple, by feeding the thousands with bread and fish, and by rebuking death and evil everywhere he went. It is the best life possible. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure 1 hidden 2 in a field. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. But our treasure - our immeasurably better treasure - has no limit! 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. It is hidden from most people. As we learned two weeks ago, the kingdom of God will grow and grow! They concern those aspects of the kingdom of heaven at work among men which are readily recognizable and visible in history. 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. [That is, Israel had obviously stumbled at that time, but have they fallen completely?] Pearls are very valuable. " 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. He is saying that you should be willing to. - Matthew 13:44, Props: Small plate of fruit, dark glasses, bandana; Strand of pearls (artificial is fine). a. It is not enough to mouth great words like love and joy and peace and forgiveness; you also have to demonstrate them, or people will never believe the gospel, never accept it, never receive it. However, Jesus did not deny their claim to understand. Last week, we read Jesus parable about the four soils. It turns out that Mr. Hills emeralds were some of the best quality emeralds in North America. In the parable of the soils, the seed represented the Word of God; here it represents true believers. Matthew 13:45-46. (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. Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. 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? It is listening to His voice. Listen for answers. They put their trust in Jesus. Main Point: The Kingdom of God is worth far more than anything else. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. But there would be one kind of heart in which the seed would grow up into a harvest and produce fruit. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Bengel's Gnomen Matthew 13:45. 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. He was in Israel not long ago. Such, we may well believe, had been the history of the publicans and the fishermen who made up the company of the Twelve. Salvation is offered to us as a free gift, entirely by the grace of God. 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. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. He is saying that NOTHING compares in value to the new life that the King wants to give you. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. Jesus came and offered the kingdom. a. He probably laid awake each night thinking about the treasure until it was his. And the nations of earth will never learn this righteousness finally, until Israel stands once again as a nation before God, recognizing the presence of God in their midst and providing a working model of how every nation ultimately shall be run by the provision and power of God. A small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a preacher of the Gospel. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. i. i. It is a visible example to all mankind of the way God deals with humanity. Treasure seekers searched the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean to find oysters with pearls inside. Justin Martyr, an ancient writer, testifieth, that our Saviour, ere he entered upon the ministry, made ploughs, yokes, and so forth. The reason he joyfully goes and sells all that he has and buys that field, is that the man understands its true value. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Basic Supply List: Bible Construction Paper Crayons Candy Bar Sensory Table or large tote Rice He had been in Washington,D.C., spending some time with a young congressman who is a mutual friend of ours. 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. 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. law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes him free from the law of sin and death, , ut pleno jure thesaurum possideret omnemque litium occasionem praecideret, , Three other parables: the Treasure, the Pearl, the Net. The nation would not have it, would not have him, and they rejected him. This is why this nation is here. he said (Matthew 23:13, et al). Every scribe: Jesus used the term here simply to describe a teacher. - Matthew 13:45-46. He found poverty and misery stalking the land. There was no voice of God in their midst, no prophet speaking forth from God. 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). Now we turn to these three private parables given to the disciples: The parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the pearl of great price, and the parable of the dragnet. You should not love anything or anyone more than you love the King, God Himself. And he bought that field. And as we go through life we are the people who some day discover him. He felt the condemnation of a righteous God. This treasure is freely given by God, the King, to everyone who trusts in Him. 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. You remember that in the first parable our Lord informed us by means of the story that he would engage in a great sowing of the Word of God throughout the world and that it would fall on four kinds of hearts. The United Nations exists for this very purpose. And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? We are not sure what this man was doing in someone elses field. The person has a change of heart, and he or she truly wants to do Gods will. When a man found it, he hid it again. 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. Share your treasure! But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 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. So he went away and sold everything he had. The bigger and more perfectly round the pearl, the more valuable it is. 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. That shows how much he valued this pearl of great price, and how much Jesus values His people. Ask: Does anyone know where pearls come from? He covered it up again, buried it again. In 1998, a man named James Hill found a small cave full of emeralds on his familys property in North Carolina. The man in Jesus parable found a very valuable pearl. Because each of us sins, none of us can do the perfect will of God. iii. He went into the city riding upon an ass in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah, "Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass," (Matthew 21:5, Zechariah 9:9). If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Jesus is not saying that you must go out and sell everything you own. I was reminded by that conversation of the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UThant. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. It recognizes the allure and the mystery which always gathers around the notion of hidden treasure. Yet they do, and are worthy of respect because of that role. The word peace is on everyone's lips today. 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. So he went and sold everything he had. You will never understand what God is doing in history unless you understand those three chapters because they make clear God's relationship with this strange and wonderful people, Israel. Teacher: Show your pearls. 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). Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. Say: Jesus began His story with the words, The kingdom of heaven is like Lets talk about the kingdom of heaven for a minute. It is the very ordinariness of Jesus home background that causes the astonishment (cf. They fit together but they are not talking about exactly the same thing. Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. 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. 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. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. They concern things which are not quite as easily seen in the historical process. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. 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. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure. Now, lets turn to Matthew 13:44 and read what Jesus said about hidden treasure. 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. The success and glory of Jesus seemed only to make them more resentful towards Him. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. The point of the parables is completely different; the parable of the soils shows how men receive and respond to the Word of God, and the parable of the tares of the field shows how God will divide His true people from false believers at the end of this age. One pearl of great price: It seems crazy for a merchant to sell all that he had for one pearl, but for this merchant it was well worth it. Time, but have they fallen completely? separate the wicked from among the just, the! 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