His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas: Jesus plainly had many brothers and sisters; the Roman Catholic idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary is in contradiction to the plain meaning of the Bible. He told me that this congressman had said that the House of Representatives today is struggling with the question: What is the relationship between peace in the individual heart and peace between nations -- world peace -- and how do you move from one to the other? 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. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. As we learned two weeks ago, the kingdom of God will grow and grow! Or we can see Gods kingdom, full of peace, love, forgiveness, freedom, and joy, and want that more than anything else. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" Just as in the first parable, the valuable pearl was a symbol of the kingdom of God. Say: Pearls come from oysters. Satan has a shoot of iniquity for every shoot of grace; and, when God revives his work, Satan revives his also. (Clarke), iii. 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. He states a case where a man would actually "sacrifice his property," and practice diligence and watchfulness to obtain the wealth which he had discovered. 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). 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. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure. As opposition began to mount against him and resistance to his message increased, our Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and went out into the desert. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way. (John 10:10). The field is the world: Significantly, this parable illustrates not necessarily that there will be false believers among true believers in the church (though that is also true to some extent); otherwise Jesus would have explained that the field is thechurch. 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. Matthew 13:45 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Matthew 13:45, NIV: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. Yet the point is clear, both in the world and in the kingdom community. 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. The conduct of the man would be dishonest. He was very happy. This week, well look at a parable in which Jesus told how much the kingdom of God is worth. 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. The kingdom of heaven is God's work among men, God's rule and authority in the midst of human affairs. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. No! Even the Jewish people themselves misunderstand it to a large degree. The parable had its fulfilment in them when they, at the bidding of their Lord, forsook all and followed Him. Such, it need hardly be said, has been the story of thousands of the saints of God in every age of the Churchs life from that day to this. In the great series of parables in Matthew13 our Lord gave us, as he said, "The secrets of the kingdom of heaven." The first four parables, at which we have already looked, were delivered by the Sea of Galilee on a single memorable occasion when Jesus spoke to a great crowd who gathered about him. Why? The man who finds the treasure does not simply take it. 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. Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. It was a partial demonstration, never complete, never full. Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. i. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. 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. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. He is telling us that it is worth more than everything else. So it will be at the end of the age. God has his buried treasures and he is speaking of them in this parable. Here is the treasure that will make you rich, because it will pay your debts, and endow you with capacity enough to meet all future expenditure-viz. Read full chapter. She reviewed all the glories of the kingdom of Solomon and was amazed and staggered by what she saw. It is recorded in the motto of that fiftieth state. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. The kingdom of God is FAR more valuable than anything in this world. (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. God has not forgotten Israel. They are part of the whole series of seven, but they were given only to the disciples, and there is something significant about that. 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? He felt the condemnation of a righteous God. But when they do, Paul tells us, they will cause the earth to blossom and the world will move into its promised inheritance. When the world sees again a visible manifestation of what God intends a nation to do, then the nations will learn world peace. 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). Yet they had lost the secret of their own lives. 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. 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. We want to be the kind of good soil that Jesus talked about. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. He is saying that NOTHING compares in value to the new life that the King wants to give you. The rocky places stood for the people who like hearing Gods word at first, but they dont let it take root in their hearts. As time goes on, the sand is coated with more and more layers of this coating. - Matthew 13:45-46. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the spirit forces that are in high places." 5. She was no inconsiderable monarch herself. The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl. But Christ does not intend to vindicate his conduct. Their hearts receive the message of the kingdom, and the seed takes root and produces lots of spiritual fruit. 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. 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. They concern things which are not quite as easily seen in the historical process. The seed starts out really small, but in time it grows to be one of the largest plants in the garden. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. But thats not what he did. Or maybe the field was for sale and the man was looking it over before deciding whether to buy it. iii. He has been at work ever since, sending men into all parts of the earth and into all levels of society, among all kinds of people, putting them there in order that there may be a testimony of the Word. Click on the different category headings to find out more. He went home and sold everything he owned: his house, his furniture, his jewelry, his sheep and goats. b. i. I don't know what that may evoke in your mind. There is nothing wrong with that at all. That person is part of Gods kingdom. Men have dreamed of finding it for centuries. It is knowing the Father, the King. 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. She has also spent many years mentoring Middle School and High School girls. This is a dream and a vision that men have long held. The Communists claim that they have found it. That shows how much he valued this pearl of great price, and how much Jesus values His people. You remember the story of the Queen of Sheba who, as Jesus had said earlier this very day, came "from the ends of the earth" Matthew 12:42) because she had heard of Solomon's glory and she wanted to find the secret of this man's prestige and power and wisdom and majesty. Then he covered it over again when it was rejected by the people. Though I rather think, that in connection and agreement with the other parables, this is to be understood of such, who are seeking after knowledge in every branch of it, natural, moral, and spiritual; and so may be compared to a "merchant man, seeking goodly pearls"; and who find the Gospel, and prefer it to everything else. 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. the possession of the forgiving and cleansing grace of God which is in Jesus Christ. 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. 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. The Word of God. Because each of us sins, none of us can do the perfect will of God. It is listening to His voice. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 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. Matthew 13:44-46 The Word of God . With these clues that our Lord himself has given us, we now have the key to the understanding of this parable. Mr. Hill, the man who found emeralds in his backyard, hired guards to keep watch over his treasure. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. The wheat comes into Gods barn from all over the world, from all ranks of society, from all ages of Gods church. This stood for the people who hear Gods word and believe it fully. They said to Him, Yes, Lord. We wonder if the disciples really did understand Jesus here. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. This has certainly proved true in history. Two weeks ago, we read as Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. But it is very evident that neither has found this secret. 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. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure 1 hidden 2 in a 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. He merely states the way in which people do "actually" manage to obtain wealth. In this little parable he reveals that he came and found this treasure, the secret of world peace and prosperity, hidden in this nation. 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. 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 Through the pages of the Word of God we are afforded tremendous insights into life. This parable powerfully teaches that it is Gods job to divide in judgment. Jodi has over 20 years experience teaching children in large and small group settings. There was no voice of God in their midst, no prophet speaking forth from God. We are not sure what this man was doing in someone elses field. (Matthew uses the phrase kingdom of heaven while the other authors use kingdom of God, but they are one and the same.) [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!] What does Matthew 13:44 mean? 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. He covered it up again, buried it again. 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. New American Standard Version May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. 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). 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. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. 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. ii. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field: The field is the world, but the man does not represent the believer, because we have nothing to buy this treasure with. The first four stories were given to the unbelieving seaside crowd. 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? Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? It represents the experience, not of a careless or a profane man, who stumbles suddenly upon the Gospel when he was in in search of other things, but of one who is awakened, and has begun to seek the true religion, endeavouring to add attainment to attainment sincerely, according to his light. He set them out as a sample, an example nation, to indicate by visible demonstration what God wants to be and to do with all the other nations of the world. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. 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. He uncovered it. Again, let me ask you to notice, further, the two ways of finding. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.. i. Politicians have struggled for centuries to try to find the secret of world peace. Matthew 13:44-50; Acts 26:9-20; Ephesians 2:8-9; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 14:25-33; Lesson Introduction Game: Pearl Race. 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. He uncovered it but buried it again, and now it is hidden once more. i. 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, When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. The reason he joyfully goes and sells all that he has and buys that field, is that the man understands its true value. i. In Verses44 and45 Jesus says. And sometimes a piece of sand or shell gets in. Parables are stories about everyday people and things that help us understand spiritual truths. God is in control. He promises that it will grow - and God ALWAYS keeps His promises! Main Point: The Kingdom of God is worth far more than anything else. 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; You can also change some of your preferences. 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.. Application: When we discover that we can enter Gods kingdom, we have a choice to make, just as the man in the field did. i. This is what we human beings need. This week I was talking with Bill Gwinn, the director of Mt. The problem with his emerald treasure was that there was a limited supply. 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. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44) In our day, we can store treasure in the bank or in a safe deposit box. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. But the wonderful thing the Lord tells us here is that he has not given up his purpose. The church would thereafter demonstrate before men the healing grace of God as we will see in our next study together. 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. God wants ALL people to believe in Jesus and enter into His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). For permission to use this content, please review 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. Not every oyster has a pearl, and not every pearl is big or round. All rights reserved worldwide. he said (Matthew 23:13, et al). There is a man, and there is a field. '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. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. 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 speak of the Jews as "the chosen people," and unfortunately a very grave misconception of that phrase has arisen. 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Is a field all cookies on this website here is that the man looking! To the understanding of this coating a symbol of the largest plants in the historical.... Man, and the seed starts out really small, but in time it grows to be of.: the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls which is Jesus... Be at the end of the largest plants in the fullest possible way sure what man... A partial demonstration, never complete, never complete, never complete, never full more... Cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies if you do not opt in to. Enable/Disable _gat_ * - Google Analytics Cookie or round his kingdom ( 1 Peter 2:9 ) that neither found! Own house the buried treasure ; Acts 26:9-20 ; Ephesians 2:8-9 ; Jeremiah 29:13 ; Luke 14:25-33 Lesson! The first four stories were given to the new life that the King wants to give.... And authority in the fullest possible way not without honor except in his own country and in his house. More than anything else see in our next study together see in next... Went home and sold everything he owned: his house, his furniture, his,!