Matthew 13: Stanly Community Church

Transcription

1 What is eternal life worth to you? No, it cannot be bought with money or earned with good works, but it does cost you everything. Everyone who enters the kingdom of God must deny themselves and follow Jesus Christ. But those who come to realize the incomparable value of God s salvation joyfully relinquish all in order to possess it. Christ makes this very clear in His teaching with statements like: He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt. 10:37-39). And If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:24-26). We are indeed hopeless sinners who deserve nothing less than God s judgment. So it is astounding that God would even remotely consider forgiving us. Even more amazing is that He graciously provides this forgiveness through the death of His own beloved Son (1 John 4:9-10). 1 Copyright All rights reserved.

2 God promises eternal life to those who repent and believe in Christ (Acts 2:38-39). In fact, this good news of the kingdom is being broadcast to all the world until His glorious return (Matt. 13:3-8; 24:14, 30-31). Yet, without God s intervention, no one would ever recognize the infinite value of what is offered (John 6:37-40, 44, 68; Rom. 8:28-30). Therefore, no one would know the joy of eternal life with God. The parables of Christ in Matthew 13 are given so that we who follow Him might understand how His kingdom is represented in the world until His return. They reveal the truth about why the world rejects Christ and how neither God s redemption nor His judgment are hindered by that rejection. They explain God s longsuffering with rebellious sinners so that the elect might be saved. They also give us understanding, encouragement, and incentive to spread the Gospel, even though the rejection and opposition are great. This period of the kingdom of God, which He is now mediating through the true Church of Christ, was not fully understood from Old Testament Scripture. So when Jesus died, rose again and ascended back into heaven, it would certainly be confusing to those early Jewish disciples. In these parables, the Lord explains this period to them and to those who would believe because of their witness. 2 Copyright All rights reserved.

3 These heavenly analogies teach that the Church is to call all sinners to repentance, knowing that only the elect will respond with obedient faith (13:18-23). Also, many false believers will claim to follow the Lord, but their unbelief is ultimately exposed and judged (13:24-30). The Church has nonetheless expanded from its humble beginnings to represent the kingdom and influence the world as God intends (13:31-33). What we find in Matthew 13:44-46 is that the kingdom is worth infinitely more than anything and everything a believer gives up to enter it. For those who cease pursuing their sin and follow Christ, there is true joy. Whether we once sought salvation through religion, or we were not seeking it at all, we have now found it in Christ. For God has brought us to faith through the Gospel. The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price teach these truths. The Joy of the Kingdom (vv ) It is important to keep in mind that the Lord s parables are given in the context of His rejection by the Jews (Matt ). He began teaching in this way only after their religious leaders adamantly refused Him as King. As a result, only His true followers could understand their meaning with His help (13:10-17; 33-35). Therefore, the following parables are intended confirm our salvation by reminding us of its value and the joy it produces. 3 Copyright All rights reserved.

4 The Hidden Treasure (v. 44) The first of the two parables is found in verse 44: 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. The land of Palestine was and is a region prone to war and occupation by its invaders. For this reason, it was a normal thing in ancient times for the people to bury their valuables in the ground. The common man did not keep his money in a bank, but he did seek ways to protect his assets from thieves or enemy forces. Jesus audience was very familiar with the idea. The parable centers on a man who apparently discovered valuables previously hidden. That it was buried in a field indicates that it was possibly farm land. We can assume the he may have leased the land to farm it. It is also possible that he was thinking about purchasing the land and was inspecting it for this purpose. Then again, it could simply be that he was passing over it and stumbled upon the treasure. In any event, upon his discovery, the man again hid the valuables. Because they were worth far more than all he personally owned (and more than the worth of the land itself), he sells all that he has and buys that field for a fair price. 4 Copyright All rights reserved.

5 The owner of the field obviously did not know about the treasure, or else he would not have sold the land. Therefore, it was not his treasure. Jewish rabbinical law granted ownership to the finder. The previous owner of the treasure was no longer living, or else he would not have left the treasure in the field. So there was nothing dishonest or unethical about this man s purchase of the land to gain the treasure. In fact, he could have claimed it without buying the land. Thus his actions prove his honesty. But that is not the point of the parable. First, we should note that the man who discovered the treasure was not looking for it, nor was it obvious to anyone else -- it was hidden. He was going about his daily business and, by the providence of God, he made his discovery. He represents the non-religious person who is not seeking God. But God, in His sovereign grace, brings him to find eternal life in Christ. Of note also is the fact that the present owner of the land was not aware of the treasure. He represents the ungodly person who does not see the value of the kingdom of heaven (even though it is active in the world). That is, eternal life is offered to all through the Gospel. But unrepentant sinners are unwilling to give up all they have to receive eternal life. The original owner of the land -- the one who buried the treasure, obviously represents Jesus Christ. He came into the world to provide eternal life, and He left it to be found by those whom the Father draws to Him in saving faith! 5 Copyright All rights reserved.

6 For the finder, the selling of all his assets was a small sacrifice for what he now considered invaluable. So the point is that gaining eternal life in Christ is worth infinitely more than the temporal pleasures of sin. It is worth the effort to control the flesh (Rom. 12:1-2) and all the persecution we will experience from the world and the devil (2 Tim. 3:12). In fact, it is the source of our joy both now and forever, and it is available to sinners for a limited time. All who obtain it have immediately responded with faith once they recognize who Christ really is. The Pearl of Great Price (vv ) The next parable teaches the same principle but from a different perspective: 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 (vv ). The merchant (Gr. - emporos; from which we derive the Eng. emporium ) was a businessman. He would buy merchandise wholesale and sell it to the retailer. In other words, he was the middle man. Pearls are a rare commodity even in our day, but especially in ancient times. The ancients viewed them as people presently view diamonds as a way to diversify assets. The wealthy would often invest in pearls, and they flaunted them in jewelry and other extravagant ways (1 Tim. 2:9). 6 Copyright All rights reserved.

7 The rarity of pearls stemmed from the difficulty in obtaining them. In a dangerous venture, the pearl diver would tie a weight around himself and jump into deep waters. The area was often shark-infested, and the length of time one had to hold their breath made timing crucial. There was also the risk of diving too deep and being crushed by water pressure. The hope was to find a location with many oysters and collect them without dying. Needless to say, not many were engaged in this trade, and they could demand a high price. In Matthew 7:6, for instance, the Lord used pearls to describe the Gospel s value when He tells His disciples not to cast your pearls before swine. The Book of Revelation also describes pearls as objects of value and beauty, even noting that the gates in the heavenly Jerusalem will consist of one giant pearl each (Rev. 17:4; 18:12, 16, cf. Rev. 21:21). Jesus disciples understood the value. The merchant in the parable was seeking beautiful pearls. He not only searched for pearls to sell to the retail merchants, but he looked for pearls in which he himself could invest. He was a wise businessman and an investor. And going about his business, he happened upon one pearl of great price. This was not simply a beautiful pearl but one of exceptional quality. It was a highly unusual and unexpected find -- a once-in-alifetime opportunity. 7 Copyright All rights reserved.

8 There among the other pearls -- unnoticed by anyone else -- was a pearl unlike any he had ever seen or could hope to discover in his life. Finding it prompted him to give up his business and his other investments just to buy this one pearl. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was the greatest of investments. Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to this exceptional pearl. The one who finds it is a religious person -- a middle-man if you will. He is not a heathen, but he does not know God either. He is a religious seeker who has tried to obtain eternal life by human religious works ( seeking beautiful pearls ). However, he is not satisfied, so he still seeks. He is just as dead in his sins as the non-seeking sinner of the previous parable. He is likewise just as amazed over what he finds. And, as in the previous parable, we find that the value of eternal life far surpasses our personal cost. Religion is attractive and beneficial in a temporary, worldly sense, but it is not eternal life. In fact, it falls woefully short, because it does not satisfy God s law. And no one truly denies themselves in the fullest sense simply by being religious. A religious person hypocritically seeks to appease God with works, to gain personal satisfaction, and to receive the praise of others. 8 Copyright All rights reserved.

9 However, such a one has no idea what eternal life really is unless, by God s grace, they encounter Jesus Christ. And when they repent of their sins and believe in the only Savior, they can know God. It is this relationship that defines eternal life in His kingdom (John 17:3) and brings true joy as we serve God out of love and not fear and self-seeking (Rom. 14:17, 18). The apostle Paul, for instance, once reveled in his zealous religious effort. However, God called and justified him through faith in Christ, and the apostle then knew what true religion and joy really are (Phil. 3:1-11). This brings us to ask just who was the initial person to discover the pearl in the ocean. Finding a pearl of this value in an emporium was, in reality, an impossibility. We could say that the sellers just did not recognize its value, but that is unlikely among purveyors of rare, costly jewels. So this emphasizes the immense value of the pearl -- i.e. eternal life. What are we saying? Well, as it translates into the reality of the kingdom, you would not find eternal life among the common pearls in the market of human religion. No, it has to come to you from God. He is the only one who can bring it to you. We cannot go deep enough, as it were, to obtain it on our own. All of our efforts only end in death, but God is able to do the impossible and give us what is of true value (Mk. 10:27). He is able to help us find this out-of-place jewel. 9 Copyright All rights reserved.

10 Some believe these parables teach salvation by human merit. Nothing could be further from the truth. What the repentant sinner finds in Jesus Christ is totally unexpected. Even if you are seeking eternal life through religion, Christ does not mesh with the logic of human reason (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Religion does not lead you to God. The value of eternal life in Christ is infinitely more than they anyone can imagine apart from God s help. It is clear that those who enter the kingdom do so through no effort or means of their own. Rather, it is our gracious God who allows us to find eternal life in His Son. That is the message of the Gospel in the days before His return. Do you know the joy of God s salvation? Has God brought you to discover Jesus Christ? In Him is the priceless treasure of eternal life. Are you willing to forsake your sin, your religion, and all that you value in this world to follow Him? He is worth it all! 10 Copyright All rights reserved.