So, let's review. In Matthew 13, Jesus goes to the lake, and because of the size of the crowd, he steps into a boat, and teaches them a little distance from shore. He teaches the parable of the sower, which shows that the Word will produce a harvest, but not with everyone. The soil of the heart must be open and ready to receive the Word, or you have crop failure.
Soon afterwards, the disciples ask Jesus why He
uses this teaching method. He explains that the Kingdom of Heaven is
being revealed to the disciples and because of the hardness of the people's
hearts, the teachings will not be understood by the crowd.
I think He is also warning them not to harden
their hearts, or they will lose the privilege of unpacking the secrets of the
Kingdom.
He then tells them that the prophets and the
righteous people of old would have loved to have heard what the disciples are
now hearing. He tells the disciples, "But blessed are your eyes
because they see, and your ears because they hear."
The Hope of the Ages, the very One promised so
long ago, is now standing in front of the disciples. They are blessed in
ways they can't even imagine. They are to possess "the knowledge of
the secrets of the kingdom of heaven." They will walk in the very
presence of the Messiah, and are learning of the Kingdom of God from God
Himself. The "Word was made flesh, and made his dwelling among
us." (John 1:14)
Wow. Then Jesus expounds on the meaning of
the sower. It describes perfectly how the crowd will receive His
teachings: some will not understand, and instead of seeking earnestly,
the devil will show up and snatch the seed away. Some will joyfully
receive the word, and then when any conflict arises, they fall away. Some
will hear it and yet the cares of this world and its lure of wealth will cause
the word to disappear in their hearts.
But those who hear and understand the word?
Abundance!
Then Jesus talks about the wheat and the
tares. They look similar as they grow, but at the harvest time, it will
then be evident who really walked in the ways of the Father, and whose actions
were a mere cover for an uncaring and dead heart.
See a pattern here? Jesus is talking about
sowing and reaping and what makes for a fruitful harvest. This will
happen when someone hears the Word and takes the next crucial step: They
seek with all of their heart and mind to understand it.
That includes the disciples as well--Jesus calls
everyone to seek and find.
Next, in Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parables of
the mustard seed and the yeast: seemingly insignificant things that will,
in time, have a huge impact.
Then the disciples ask Jesus to explain the wheat
and the tares, once Jesus left the crowd.
Obviously, when Jesus is teaching the crowd, the
disciples listen along with everyone else. Then, when they can have a
private moment, they ask Jesus the meaning of His parables.
Jesus says earlier that "The knowledge of the
kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has
will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have,
even what he has will be taken from him." (Matt. 13:11-12)
While He is speaking of the crowds, I believe that
a subtle but imperative warning is aimed at the disciples: You will be
tested with what you have learned when I go to the cross. You will need
to cling to what you have learned in order to stand tall. You will have
an abundance if you seek Me with all of your heart, let your roots go deep, and
not allow anything--including death on a cross--deter you from doing what you
have called to do.
Now, Jesus switches from the insignificant--little
seeds, wheat, mustard seeds and yeast-- to what everyone will agree is
important: treasure, fine pearls and nets bursting with fish.
In God's economy, whatever you have that you use
lovingly and willingly for God, that makes it valuable, no matter what the
world says.
So, let's go to the field where a man found a
treasure in verse 44. What was he doing in that field? He was out
evaluating the parcel of land before buying it. Was he walking around
checking the quality of the soil? Was he looking for evidence of underground
water? Was he seeing any areas that needed improving: rocks that
needed removing or burrowing animals that needed to be chased out of
there? Before he took possession, he looked carefully at what it
contained.
But: he was out looking...seeking and
then, guess what! Finding! That is the key.
He didn't just buy any field sight unseen and then go his merry way. He
was looking closely at this particular field and look at what he found! A
treasure! Someone hid it there for safe keeping, and now it's his!
But to make sure that the treasure is truly his, he reburied it, "and in
his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
In looking closely at what this field contained,
he found something even better. But he was looking.
Then he was willing to liquidate his earthly
assets to obtain something far greater: the kingdom of heaven!
Earthly things pale in comparison to heavenly riches!
Then Jesus switches to a merchant--another seeker
of valuable things--who finds a pearl of "great value." He see
a lot of pearls on his buying trips, and all sorts of other things he can
potentially sell.
But one day, as he is looking, he finds not just
any pearl, but one of "great value." Meaning that yes, there
are other pearls out there that are valuable and will compete for the
merchant's money and attention. But his eye is attuned enough to spot one
far greater than the others he's seen. He is willing to sell his
inventory and with the cash, buy that one pearl.
He probably told the buyer to hold it for
him. He may have even given him a deposit. But he wanted it so much
that he was not willing to risk it being sold out from underneath him. He
hustles to liberate his assets and then hustles back to buy that pearl.
Once he's holding it in his hand, nothing else
matters. He will not miss his other possessions. He will not miss
his money or trade. He has found what he has been searching for his whole
life.
Jesus then finishes His teaching with a net
bursting with fish. It has all kinds of fish in it. The net was
cast far and wide, to collect up as many fish as it could hold.
Then comes the sorting. The good fish are
put into the baskets and the bad fish are cast away.
Jesus then parallels this sorting to the "end
of the age." The angels will sort the fish of humanity and those who
do not possess the kingdom of God in their hearts, by accepting the Word made
flesh, will go into the "fiery furnace."
Who are the "bad fish"? They are
the ones who don't give their all to find out Who this Messiah is, and then
follow Him wholeheartedly. Their hearts are calloused by sin and they
don't see anything of value coming from this Man. They aren't willing to
give up earthly things to obtain the riches of heaven, and they aren't willing
to see things from God's perspective. Yeast and seeds need time to grow
and flourish, and the "bad fish" are too much in a hurry--only
wanting to gratify the flesh and leaving the spirit neglected.
Jesus finishes His discourse with asking His disciples
if they "understood all these things?" They reply
"Yes."
Now, He says that "Therefore every teacher of
the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner
of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as
old." (verse 52)
Interesting. The disciples are now
being designated "teacher(s) of the law about the kingdom of
heaven." Whoa. They are not the teachers of the law that are
in the Pharisees' club...Jesus excoriates those teachers. He is saying that
with great knowledge comes great responsibility, and the disciples now bear
this. The "house" is filled with treasures, bequeathed by the
Old Covenant (the Law and the Prophets) and the New Covenant, which is Jesus
Himself.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 3:21-24:
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been
made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is
given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference
between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus.
Seek, ask, knock: The Kingdom of God is for those who
actively want what God has prepared for them. Amen.
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