Kingdom parables in Matthews Gospel
Matthew 13v44-46 - the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
Introduction – Mike and I had a misunderstanding. As a result he had ready steady cook and I got 2 very difficult parables to try to get to grips with.
Difficult passage. Different interpretations. Suddenly came to me yesterday.
The gospel of Matthew focuses on Jesus as the King, and in this chapter in the middle section of the book, Jesus teaches us more specifically about the Kingdom of heaven. The place where Jesus is King and as we’ve been studying through these 7 parables, we’ve seen that they show us different characteristics about the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was repeatedly talking about the double view of the kingdom.
Luke 17v21 talks about the kingdom being within us as we have Jesus in our hearts, but theres also the eternal dimension when we’ll be with the great king forever. So the kingdom is therefore both now and also not yet.
So lets read it 13v44-46
It is said that the Bible is like a precious jewel, fine cut so from the different angles that you look at it, you get different reflections of lights and we can see more clearly its greatness, so lets look at the second parable first and then move back to the first.
Read again.
Each of the parables so far has told us different characteristics of what the Kingdom is like – like a man sowing seed, a mustard seed, yeast, a net. And here we learn about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a merchant looking for fine pearls
Pearl Parable
Well the first thing that we need to understand is who is Jesus talking about so then we can grasp more fully the thrust of his message.
Commentators and others I’ve spoken with have different interpretations. I guess its fair enough to interpret it in different ways, the key is that we get the message that Jesus is trying to teach us and are able to understand more about the Kingdom of Heaven. So who is the merchant and what is the pearl?
Merchant
Well lets have a look.. PARAPHRASE IT Like a M looking for p s b. Verbs – looking finds, goes, sells and buys.
In the light of the kingdom of heaven, we as humans can not be the merchant, we have nothing to give to be able to purchase anything. As sinners therefore we can not buy things of eternal value, so we can not be the merchant. Who then is the only one that can? Its got to be Jesus – and that’s exactly what he did in his death on the cross. Jesus was the only person who could buy anything. Figuratively speaking, Jesus chose, to sell everything so that he could buy the precious pearls that he had been searching for.
The Pearl
Okay, so if Jesus is the merchant, then who is the parable talking about when he refers to the pearl? Well its talking about something that is of such value that the merchant, Jesus, is prepared to look for it, and then when he finds one, its of such value that he’s prepared to give up everything to get it.
Both as individual Christians and also the wider Church are the pearl. Jesus is merchant and has come looking for us and is prepared to sell everything he has and buy us. And that’s exactly what Jesus has done for us – he was prepared to give up everything – you can’t anything more that giving up your life – Jesus was prepared to give up everything to own us. Jesus purchased us by his blood on the cross.
Okay, so that’s the first one , but the 2 parables come together and they help to illuminate and clarify each other. The pearl parable is a bit more direct and perhaps easier to grasp hold of immediately, yet as we look at the first parable we see more of the magnitude of what Jesus was prepared to.
Hidden Treasure
Well as we’ve seen in the other parables so far, the reference to the field, is Jesus figurative way of talking about the world.
Man
So who is the man? Well again, who is the only one who can buy? Someone who is prepared to sell everything. Its got to be Jesus.
Treasure
Treasure who is it? We are.
Two key additions in this passage that help see the magnitude of it.
Hides – Uganda illustration
Joy
Of such value that he hides the treasure. We fill Jesus with joy.
How God views us
Now I thought it helpful to get more of an understanding
If we turn to 2 Cor 2v14-16, we can get a bit more understanding of how Jesus views and values us.
READ IT.
In the NIV it’s the got the heading Ministers of the NC, talking about the Characteristics of a Christian.
Paul is talking specifically to the Church in Corinth about how his travel plans had changed and stressing how God was and was continuing to do in them.
In Roman times, when a victory was won, great victory parades would take place in the streets signally to everyone what had happened and proclaiming the greatness of the victor. One of the key ways this was done, was with the burning of incense. People would be able to smell that someone had won. I guess that’s where we get the phrase about “smelling victory” or “the sweet smell of success”. As the parade went past, everyone in the vacinity would know that there had been success from the smell. As the fragrance is smelt then the person is known.
As people with the kingdom of heaven within us, we are in triumph and the burning incesence that people can smell is what tells them of the triumph. The aroma that we leave behind, because Jesus is living in us, should clearly point and tell the world that Jesus has triumphed. We are being let by God in his kingdom and as we do that our victory smell, spreads in v14 “everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”
It is through us that God shows other people about who he is. One commentator says “Christians are the smoke that arises from the sacrifice of Christ to God”
And Paul finishes with the challanging question. V16 “Who is equal to such a task?”
Application
How many of us walk into a room and the smell is instant. Everyone in the Roman towns could smell the victory
And that then meets two reactions in v15, to one group, it is the smell of death p54
Conclusion
Us as this great treasure are so precious that Jesus was prepared to die for us, and our lives must surely reflect that – We are to remember that we are in God’s a great pearl, who is loved so much by God - God values us so much that he was prepared to send Jesus to die on the cross in our place. And we are so precious, that he not only did that, but now lives inside all of us. We have the kingdom of heaven within our hearts, but its impossible for it to just stay within, like the smelling incense, it must perpeate into everything we do – all people must be able to see what it means to be pearl found by Jesus.
Andy Lower
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