Bengel's Gnomen Matthew 13:45. It is knowing the Father, the King. The goal of this game is to be the team who collects the most pearls in their bucket. Jesus takes away the sin of everyone who trusts in Him (John 1:29). I was reminded by that conversation of the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UThant. Jesus is not pointing out what we must give up to enter His kingdom. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! ii. And like the first parable, the man gladly gave up everything he owned to get the pearl. There are banners and placards everywhere you go in America, crying out for peace. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. He entered into all of that. He is not weary of the old; he is not afraid of the new. (Spurgeon), i. Only when Israel comes again into its right relationship to God is it ever possible to have world peace. The wheat comes into Gods barn from all over the world, from all ranks of society, from all ages of Gods church. 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. This has certainly proved true in history. 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. (Romans 11:15 RSV). You can also change some of your preferences. Instead, Jesus is the man who gave all that He had to buy the field. Yet the point is clear, both in the world and in the kingdom community. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Application: The point of these two parables is the great value of being a part of Gods kingdom. 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. So we already have clues as to what these mean.The man in these parables is always Jesus himself. Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. They each have the element of a man who discovers something valuable and sells all that he has and buys it. However, Jesus did not deny their claim to understand. Say: Jesus continued by telling another, similar parable. Immediately we are asking ourselves, "What is this treasure?" 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? II. Was this a big hidden treasure? 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. 13:49). 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. 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. 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. The church would thereafter demonstrate before men the healing grace of God as we will see in our next study together. Finally, there was the parable of the woman who took leaven and introduced it into the three measures of meal, by which Jesus made clear that something would destroy the precious fellowship of the people of God and that it would be allowed into the church by the very people who were appointed to keep it out. There they stand ready, being prepared right now to discover again, finally, the secret of their life. He felt the condemnation of a righteous God. The discoveries disrupt normal daily life and priorities; they require risk and sacrifice. But our treasure - our immeasurably better treasure - has no limit! 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. In the days of David and Solomon there was a demonstration to the world of their day of what God would do with a nation which was in right relationship with him. This stood for the people who hear Gods word and believe it fully. Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? If there is anyone here in that condition, remember that this is God's promise to you, and that he has given a visible demonstration in the life of this nation. But in our own time we are facing an amazing wonder, one of the most remarkable things that has ever taken place in the annals of men, and one of the most dramatic demonstrations of the truth of the Word of God! But when they do, Paul tells us, they will cause the earth to blossom and the world will move into its promised inheritance. This one features a merchant in search of fine pearls. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. By no means! The seed starts out really small, but in time it grows to be one of the largest plants in the garden. They put their trust in Jesus. They concern those aspects of the kingdom of heaven at work among men which are readily recognizable and visible in history. The merchant "sold all" to buy the pearl. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. Everyone who chooses to trust in Him has kingdom life - life to the fullest! He is saying that NOTHING compares in value to the new life that the King wants to give you. You can check these in your browser security settings. (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. The man who finds the treasure does not simply take it. The sacred writings should be his treasure, and he should properly understand them his knowledge consists in being well instructed in the things concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the art of conducting men thither. (Clarke), v. Ministers of the gospel should not be novices, 1 Timothy 3:6, raw and ignorant men; but men mighty in the Scriptures, well acquainted with the writings of the Old and New Testament, and the sense of them; men that have a stock of spiritual knowledge, able readily to speak a word to the weary, and to speak to men and womens particular cases and questions. (Poole), Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. Say: Jesus often used parables to teach what the kingdom of God is like. Hard path, rocky places, thorny, and good soil. 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. ii. So the secret of world peace is wrapped up, bound up, in this strange nation, Israel. The fate of these ungodly ones will be fire, the most terrible of punishments; but this will not annihilate them; for they shall exhibit the surest tokens of a living woe wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Spurgeon). Application: When we discover that we can enter Gods kingdom, we have a choice to make, just as the man in the field did. 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. 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. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. In 1998, a man named James Hill found a small cave full of emeralds on his familys property in North Carolina. 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. Last week, we read Jesus parable about the four soils. 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. 13:44 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. 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. But you have refused," (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13). In the great series of parables in Matthew13 our Lord gave us, as he said, "The secrets of the kingdom of heaven." To follow knowledge, like a sinking star. In this little parable he reveals that he came and found this treasure, the secret of world peace and prosperity, hidden in this nation. The word peace is on everyone's lips today. Next, the thorny soil stood for those people who trust Gods word and begin to bear fruit. You should not love anything or anyone more than you love the King, God Himself. 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. Matthew 13:45 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Matthew 13:45, NIV: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 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. - Matthew 13:44, Props: Small plate of fruit, dark glasses, bandana; Strand of pearls (artificial is fine). So it will be at the end of the age. 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. He sows the tares, and tries to destroy the harvest; and, therefore, the good angels are brought in to celebrate his defeat, and to rejoice together with their Lord in the success of the divine husbandry. (Spurgeon). They said to Him, Yes, Lord. We wonder if the disciples really did understand Jesus here. The kingdom of God is the treasure. '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. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure 1 hidden 2 in a field. 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. The Lord Jesus says that he came and uncovered for a brief time the secret of world peace and prosperity. 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. 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. You see, as our Lord indicates, it is something related to the field, to humanity. You can read them in Matthew23 in the sharp series of woes that he pronounced against the Pharisees and the scribes. 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). New American Standard Version There Paul too tells us that God is not through with Israel. God wants ALL people to believe in Jesus and enter into His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). 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. Parables are stories about everyday people and things that help us understand spiritual truths. 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. 4. Say: Jesus began His story with the words, The kingdom of heaven is like Lets talk about the kingdom of heaven for a minute. The treasure was so important to him, that he joyfully gave up everything else in the world to gain that treasure. Our heavenly Father, how we thank you for the marvelous truth that you, Lord, have bought the world, that it belongs to you, and that you shall some day rule and reign in power and glory in its midst and all your promises shall be fulfilled. By the grace of God, He sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of that person, and he or she is then able to do Gods will. 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. i. Then it is up to us to sell all that we have, give it all up, and buy him at any cost. What would it be? These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. III. So, if there are some among us here, who, like Israel, have temporarily turned away from God and have been walking away from him, who may, like Israel, once have had sweet fellowship with the Lord but lately have been resisting, have turned aside and gone back, have lost faith and now are wandering in perplexity, puzzlement, and bewilderment, in obscurity, weakness, and defeat, nevertheless God's promises to you are just as sure as they are to Israel. (Just as a comparison, the diamond on a womans wedding ring may be about one-quarter or one-half of a carat.) Jesus makes it clear that we should not let anything keep us from entering the kingdom of God. which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the truth as it is in Jesus, the glad tidings. They have not found it yet. Thus, the field from which the treasure is gathered would be the world just as the sea from which fish are gathered is the world, and this also just as the wheat and weeds are gathered from the field, which is the world. '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 . And he bought that field. Psalms 135:4 KJV). We may request cookies to be set on your device. But such is not the case; God did not choose Israel for that purpose. Teacher: Call up a volunteer. Is this not the carpenters son? The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. Matthew 13:44 Meaning of Heaven Is like Treasure Hidden in a Field Oct 15, 2020 by Editor in Chief Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. It is right that you should pursue it. 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. 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. i. He promises that it will grow - and God ALWAYS keeps His promises! It was hidden when our Lord came. But it is very evident that neither has found this secret. But Jesus came to make the kingdom available to everyone (Mark 1:15). And he bought that pearl. We have nothing to offer him, nothing that we can give in return. Jesus said, I have come so they can have life. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. I have never forgotten something I learned years ago when in Hawaii. 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. This week, well look at a parable in which Jesus told how much the kingdom of God is worth. 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. This is what we human beings need. 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. And they would remember the words of Psalm 135:4: For the Lord hath chosen Jacob [another name for Israel] unto himself for his peculiar treasure. Consider the words of Jim Elliot, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. The emphasis is not on what we give up, but on the unfathomable new life that is being offered to us. And Congress is trying to put its finger on where you begin and how you relate peace of heart in an individual to peace among men. The Communists claim that they have found it. These two parables speak of how highly the King values the people of His kingdom. b. 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. 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. How do you find this secret? That is Israel's purpose and there was a time in their developing history when it was partially fulfilled. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. "Many turned back," the record says, "and no longer walked with him," (John 6:66). That treasure is the lost secret of how to get along with other nations, how to discover peace and prosperity and happiness and all the many results of peace that men have been seeking after for centuries. 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. That is the story of the gospels. Where then did this Man get all these things?. 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. That person is part of Gods kingdom. The previous three parables (the wheat and the tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven) each spoke of corruption in the kingdom community. But with those dark glasses on, you cant see all the nice colors. Instead of being received by the rulers and leaders of the people he was rejected. 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. iv. New life in Gods kingdom is much more than going to heaven when we die - although that will be wonderful! Yesterday I spent a few hours with Dr.Billy Graham. Now, what is 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. 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. She wasn't just Queen for a Day. b. But then they let greed and worry take over their heart and mind, and that chokes out the truth that they know. Eventually he came again into the city and there he pronounced solemn and serious words of judgment against the nation. This is a dream and a vision that men have long held. 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. He would never have called it that. 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.. We can see the treasure and we can just go back to our old way of life. The oyster opens its shell to let water and food in. He himself is deeply involved in it. 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