So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may . Israel, therefore is not a unique, select people, but rather is a people chosen to demonstrate the kind of relationship that God wants to have with every other people on earth. It always reminds me immediately of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, of Long John Silver, and doubloons and pieces-of-eight, pegleg pirates, and all the exciting things usually associated with the idea of buried treasure. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. i. 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). Thank your volunteer. 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! A small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a preacher of the Gospel. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . Some time ago, in addressing a crowd of 2,500 delegates from 57 countries of the world who were trying to find some way to world peace, he said these remarkable words: "What element is lacking so that with all our skill and all our knowledge we still find ourselves in the dark valley of discord and enmity? And as we go through life we are the people who some day discover him. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 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. As we learned two weeks ago, the kingdom of God will grow and grow! He states a case where a man would actually "sacrifice his property," and practice diligence and watchfulness to obtain the wealth which he had discovered. 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. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. 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. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. 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 is intriguing to realize that Scripture deals with this subject as well. You should not love anything or anyone more than you love the King, God Himself. The main idea is that the disciples who had just claimed to understand what Jesus taught are now responsible to bring forth their understanding to others, as if they were distributing from the storehouse of their wisdom and understanding. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. These two parables speak of how highly the King values the people of His kingdom. Then, as you can read in Mark's Gospel, our Lord went into the temple and he stopped the sacrifices. Parables are stories about everyday people and things that help us understand spiritual truths. 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. MATTHEW 13:45-46. The parables describe how the kin (g)dom of heaven emerges from something almost invisible to the eye and grows exponentially, offering us sustenance, a treasure worthy of all our attention and resources. Paul says of Israel, So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? But then the parable says, "Then in his joy the man went and gave all that he had and bought the field." Because each of us sins, none of us can do the perfect will of God. We often think that spiritual people will be much more strange than normal. And you and I are making a great mistake if, as Americans, we think that this country is being held together by the Constitution of the United States or by the Declaration of Independence. So he went away and sold everything he had. It was hidden when our Lord came. With these clues that our Lord himself has given us, we now have the key to the understanding of this parable. Next, the thorny soil stood for those people who trust Gods word and begin to bear fruit. Woe to you, Bethsaida! Or maybe the field was for sale and the man was looking it over before deciding whether to buy it. (Matthew 13:44-46 RSV). 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 is what we human beings need. 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. For 1900 years Israel was utterly lost among the nations, dispersed. Jodi has a passion for Biblical ac More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. The one thing they have in common is that they were sown of the Lord, and from the good seed of His Word. And then our Lord said in the third parable that there would be an abnormal and an unnatural growth of the seed that he planted. 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. He has previously identified himself as the central figure. b. There they stand ready, being prepared right now to discover again, finally, the secret of their life. They put their trust in Jesus. b. Even the Jewish people themselves misunderstand it to a large degree. We come to the fifth parable this morning, the parable of the buried treasure. As long as Gods people are still in this world (the field), there will be unbelievers among them; but it should not be because Gods people receive unbelievers as if they were believers, ignoring either the belief or conduct of professed believers. To follow knowledge, like a sinking star. There is a man, and there is a field. -- for if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [which were pagan communities], they would have repented long ago. (You see, congressmen don't spend all their time smoking cigars and kissing babies.) The Communists claim that they have found it. 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. And yet they are extremely controlling of human events. And there it remains until our Lord's return. There Paul too tells us that God is not through with Israel. So he went and sold everything he had. You can see that these parables are very much alike. i. Both men GLADLY, JOYFULLY gave up everything else to claim their new found treasure. (As we saw last time, the parable of the leaven also has been misconstrued to mean something quite different from what our Lord ever intended.) Instead, they are a call for us to desire the kingdom above all else. When our Lord covered the treasure over it was hidden completely in the field of humanity again. 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. 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.. This was a great surprise! Julian the apostate, as he is called, once asked a certain Christian, What do you think the carpenters son is doing now? Making coffins for you and for all his enemies, was the prompt reply. (Spurgeon). Maybe he was a hired helper for the man who owned the field, or maybe he was just passing through. The battle is over the control of man who was created by God and was endowed by God with the power of choice. What a beautiful dream. The Word of God. (Matthew 13:44). The kingdom of God is FAR more valuable than anything in this world. Though I rather think, that in connection and agreement with the other parables, this is to be understood of such, who are seeking after knowledge in every branch of it, natural, moral, and spiritual; and so may be compared to a "merchant man, seeking goodly pearls"; and who find the Gospel, and prefer it to everything else. a. Share your treasure! 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. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44) In our day, we can store treasure in the bank or in a safe deposit box. You need only read the book of Deuteronomy to know that God set aside this people, the Jews, in order that they should be a showcase of theocracy to all the other nations of the world. The parable of the hidden treasure found. They fit together but they are not talking about exactly the same thing. She has also spent many years mentoring Middle School and High School girls. Hermon Christian Conference Center. Why is it that for all our professed ideals, our hopes, and our skills, peace on earth is still a distant objective seen only dimly through the storms and turmoils of our present difficulties?". When the world sees again a visible manifestation of what God intends a nation to do, then the nations will learn world peace. which is to be understood not in an ill sense, as the man hid his talent in a napkin, and in the earth; but in a good sense, and designs his care of it; his laying it up in his heart, that he might not lose it, and that it might not be taken away from him: and for joy thereof; Say: The hard path was a symbol for people who hear Gods word but ignore it. When he found it, what did he do? Say: This summer we have been studying the parables that Jesus taught. You can check these in your browser security settings. 44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. . What does Matthew 13:44 mean? Say: Jesus began His story with the words, The kingdom of heaven is like Lets talk about the kingdom of heaven for a minute. And do you know that all this is not without its application to us as individuals as well? 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. And when we know the value of what we have as members of the kingdom, shouldnt we share it with everyone we know? Years ago I was struck by the closing words of a great address that Winston Churchill gave at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1950: What prizes lie before all the people if they are worthy of them: peace, food, happiness, leisure, wealth for the masses never known nor dreamed of, the glorious advance into a period of rest and safety for all the hundreds of millions of homes where little children play by the fire, and girls grow up in all their beauty, and young men strive and win in the free enterprise of life. This story is very much like the first parable. The reference, as in the weeds, is not primarily to a mixed church, but to the division among mankind in general which the last judgment will bring to light. (France), Jesus said to them, Have you understood all these things? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. Then He said to them, Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.. ii. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The nation would not have it, would not have him, and they rejected him. When problems come, they forget all about Gods word. I have this beautiful fruit. Now, what is it? When the man found the treasure, he could have covered it back up, gone about his business, and forgotten all about it. 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. Matthew 12. Though they are surrounded and ringed by enemies armed to the teeth who are vowing to wipe every Jew off the face of the earth, Nevertheless, as is obvious, they do not understand the secret of their own life and are trying to produce peace and stability by democratic methods and consensus and compromise. The seed starts out really small, but in time it grows to be one of the largest plants in the garden. I am sure that these disciples understood this because they were Jews themselves, and they knew their people's history, and what the Old Testament revealed about them. Therefore, those closest to truly spiritual people see just how normal they are and sometimes think that they arent spiritual because they are normal. Instantly, the man knew that the treasure was incredibly valuable. He promises that it will grow - and God ALWAYS keeps His promises! III. a. But it is very evident that neither has found this secret. We never can understand anything until we see it demonstrated before us. They have erected great organizations to try to bring it about, to produce this hidden treasure. This parable may be understood of Christ's seeking, finding, and purchasing his elect: for, certain it is, that he has sought after them; which implies, that they were lost and going astray; expresses his great love to them, value for them, and desire after them; in doing which, he took much pains, and used much diligence: and certain it also is, he said (Matthew 23:13, et al). 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. Hard path, rocky places, thorny, and good soil. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. The person who finds the treasure joyfully "sells all" to buy the field (13:44). As opposition began to mount against him and resistance to his message increased, our Lord withdrew from Jerusalem and went out into the desert. She was a great queen in her own right. Thus the extravagance of the parable dramatizes the supreme importance of the kingdom. (Carson), ii. These two would grow up together and sometimes would be difficult to distinguish, especially at the beginning, but eventually would make their real nature known. goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that fieldin which case, by Jewish law, the treasure would become his own. 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. i. But even that partial realization was a magnificent model of what God could do with any nation. In 1998, a man named James Hill found a small cave full of emeralds on his familys property in North Carolina. Eventually he came again into the city and there he pronounced solemn and serious words of judgment against the nation. i. 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. Jesus is not saying that you must go out and sell everything you own. Satan has a shoot of iniquity for every shoot of grace; and, when God revives his work, Satan revives his also. (Clarke), iii. 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.
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