A great misinterpretation of these parables has developed, quite without any basis in the systematic interpretation of symbols in Scripture, which has hidden their true meaning. Clearly, the treasure in that field was worth more than everything else that the man owned. Through the pages of the Word of God we are afforded tremendous insights into life. Instead, he leaves it there, sells everything he has, and buys the field in order to get the treasure it contains. A crowd of children and humble folk were the only ones who recognized him and went ahead of him waving palm branches and crying, "Hosanna! Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. All rights reserved. This week I was talking with Bill Gwinn, the director of Mt. In the great series of parables in Matthew13 our Lord gave us, as he said, "The secrets of the kingdom of heaven." It is hidden from most people. But with those dark glasses on, you cant see all the nice colors. 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. You can also change some of your preferences. 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? Finding the treasure appears to be by chance. This has certainly proved true in history. Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. 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. When the man found the treasure, he could have covered it back up, gone about his business, and forgotten all about it. This storehouse contains things new and old. Paul says of Israel, So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? There Paul too tells us that God is not through with Israel. Woe to you, Bethsaida! In the short course of the three and a half years of our Lord's ministry he uncovered the treasure of Israel, the secret of this nation's life. And he bought that pearl. Divide your class into at least two relay race teams. [That is, Israel had obviously stumbled at that time, but have they fallen completely?] i. Instead, Jesus is the man who gave all that He had to buy the field. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure. God has gathered this nation together again, brought in the people from the outlying countries of the world, gathered his dispersed from the four corners of the earth, and brought them back into the land. Teacher: Show your pearls. Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. 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. Now, lets turn to Matthew 13:44 and read what Jesus said about hidden treasure. b. which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the truth as it is in Jesus, the glad tidings. (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? Finally, there was good soil. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Life outside of the kingdom of God is way less than God intended it to be. They bring to mind the words of Philippians2: "Though he was equal with God he did not count it a thing to be held on to But he emptied himself, disenfranchised himself, pauperized himself -- he gave all that he had -- and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross," (Philippians 2:8). The United Nations exists for this very purpose. Put dark glasses on her and tie the handkerchief LOOSELY to cover her nose and mouth (bandit style). There are banners and placards everywhere you go in America, crying out for peace. 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. ii. The treasure was too great to forget about! Next, the thorny soil stood for those people who trust Gods word and begin to bear fruit. Never, anywhere in Scripture is salvation ever offered to us as something we have to buy, or can buy. Yet they do, and are worthy of respect because of that role. This is a dream and a vision that men have long held. There would be a partial failure of the seed of the Word because of the conditions of some of the hearts into which it fell. But such is not the case; God did not choose Israel for that purpose. 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. This parable tells us that. Something was hidden, lost in the human race, but he uncovered it. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. It is knowing the Father, the King. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" There is additional significance in saying, The field is the world instead of The field is Israel. This brief statement presupposes a mission beyond Israel. (Carson). He promises that it will grow - and God ALWAYS keeps His promises! The kingdom of God is wherever the will of God is done. A furnace of fire represents one destiny and radiant glory (shine forth as the sun) the other destiny. 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." He, too, knew that nothing he owned could compare to the great treasure he had finally found. But it is very evident that neither has found this secret. Pearls were highly prized in that time and place. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 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). Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. The success and glory of Jesus seemed only to make them more resentful towards Him. 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. We are not sure what this man was doing in someone elses field. 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. b. Application: The point of these two parables is the great value of being a part of Gods kingdom. "Many turned back," the record says, "and no longer walked with him," (John 6:66). The man who finds the treasure does not simply take it. With these clues that our Lord himself has given us, we now have the key to the understanding of this parable. In these actions, the power of that which has been found is seen to be at work. They have not found it yet. The wheat comes into Gods barn from all over the world, from all ranks of society, from all ages of Gods church. So, through the course of history, there has been a counterfeit Christianity, a sham religion, a phony, a fake, which bears the name of Christianity but which is absolutely false. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 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. Thus the extravagance of the parable dramatizes the supreme importance of the kingdom. (Carson), ii. God has said that if you will turn back to him, as Israel will some day, he stands ready to heal, ready to forgive, ready to wipe out all the failures, all the transgressions, and to begin in your experience to cause your life to blossom and to come into abundance. There they stand ready, being prepared right now to discover again, finally, the secret of their life. There is nothing that even compares to a loving relationship with the Creator of the universe! This week, well look at a parable in which Jesus told how much the kingdom of God is worth. God has his buried treasures and he is speaking of them in this parable. The usual interpretation of these parables is that Christ is the hidden treasure and that he is the pearl of great price. ii. It would be his duty to inform the owner of the field of the discovery. As opposition began to mount against him and resistance to his message increased, our Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and went out into the desert. 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. When problems come, they forget all about Gods word. He covered it up again, buried it again. We want to have a teachable heart where Gods truth can produce good fruit. The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet: Jesus shows that the world will remain divided right up until the end, and the Church will not reform the world, ushering in the kingdom. I hope that this is clear to the many of you, especially those of you who are younger, who are earnestly and zealously and quite dedicatedly trying to pursue world peace. The man in Jesus parable found a very valuable pearl. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure 1 hidden 2 in a field. 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. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Everyone who chooses to trust in Him has kingdom life - life to the fullest! For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" He found one that was very valuable. That is what our Lord wants us to ask. Why? Then he went and gave all that he had and bought that field of humanity. Matthew 13:44-50; Acts 26:9-20; Ephesians 2:8-9; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 14:25-33; Lesson Introduction Game: Pearl Race. 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. God has not forgotten Israel. A buried treasure and a pricy pearl Matthew 13:44-46 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. But then they let greed and worry take over their heart and mind, and that chokes out the truth that they know. 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. Jodi has a passion for Biblical ac More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. So he went and sold everything he had. He lamented over this recalcitrant city and said, "O Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! But you know what happened. You see, as our Lord indicates, it is something related to the field, to humanity. 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. 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! Hard path, rocky places, thorny, and good soil. For Israel, even in rejection, even in failure, is still an example to the people of the world. i. Assuming that the disciples did understand, they had an advantage over many among the multitudes. 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