Bengel's Gnomen Matthew 13:45. So he went away and sold everything he had. These two parables speak of how highly the King values the people of His kingdom. We may request cookies to be set on your device. The one thing they have in common is that they were sown of the Lord, and from the good seed of His Word. Even the Jewish people themselves misunderstand it to a large degree. 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. I was reminded by that conversation of the words of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UThant. Instead of being received by the rulers and leaders of the people he was rejected. The point of the parable lies in his "earnestness," his anxiety, his care, and his actually obtaining it. Notice that there are two things in this story which are immediately recognizable because we have had them before. 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. 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. But he hid it again. The kingdom of God is wherever the will of God is done. Thank God for those documents, but they have no power to hold us together as a people, to preserve our national liberties or our national life. Finally Jesus left the city once more and went out to his death. And when we know the value of what we have as members of the kingdom, shouldnt we share it with everyone we know? The view was largely assumed by the early church fathers, and the tendency to interpret the parable that way was reinforced by the Constantinian settlement. God is in control. He is saying that NOTHING compares in value to the new life that the King wants to give you. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. And the crowds who had followed him, the multitudes who had hung upon his words faded away. 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. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Or maybe the field was for sale and the man was looking it over before deciding whether to buy it. (Just as a comparison, the diamond on a womans wedding ring may be about one-quarter or one-half of a carat.) (Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9, John 12:13). The discoveries disrupt normal daily life and priorities; they require risk and sacrifice. He uncovered it but buried it again, and now it is hidden once more. In Verses44 and45 Jesus says. a. i. 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. 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. Jodi has over 20 years experience teaching children in large and small group settings. Say: Jesus began His story with the words, The kingdom of heaven is like Lets talk about the kingdom of heaven for a minute. 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! That is what keeps a nation strong. 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. Thus the extravagance of the parable dramatizes the supreme importance of the kingdom. (Carson), ii. 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. In this parable, we learned that different people hear Gods truth and accept it in different ways. Ask: Does anyone know where pearls come from? We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Both men GLADLY, JOYFULLY gave up everything else to claim their new found treasure. It was a partial demonstration, never complete, never full. And our Lord found the nation in bondage, the temple overrun with moneychangers, commercial charlatans making a fast buck by preying upon the worship of the people. The rocky places stood for the people who like hearing Gods word at first, but they dont let it take root in their hearts. In the dying of Jesus there, one element of what was accomplished was that he might finally purchase the right to set Israel again among the nations as a model nation so that the world might learn how to live in peace. Jesus said, I have come so they can have life. He had been in Washington,D.C., spending some time with a young congressman who is a mutual friend of ours. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. [That is, when Israel comes back into its right relationship with God, how much more blessing will this world understand and realize when they see worked out before their eyes what a nation can be with God in its midst!] Something is hidden in the world. By no means! a. ii. It seems by this parable, according to the Jewish laws, that not the finder of a treasure in a field, but the owner of the field, had the propriety in it; when it should seem rather, that it ought to be divided. Learning Context: Sunday School Target Time Frame: 45 minutes Memory Verse: Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When he found it, what did he do? She reviewed all the glories of the kingdom of Solomon and was amazed and staggered by what she saw. (Matthew 13:44). You can see that these parables are very much alike. b. Then he took all the money that he had made, and he bought that field. Woe to you, Bethsaida! The man in Jesus parable found a very valuable pearl. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Matthew 12. Yet they had lost the secret of their own lives. (Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34). And yet they are extremely controlling of human events. 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?". Matthew 13:45 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Matthew 13:45, NIV: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When our Lord covered the treasure over it was hidden completely in the field of humanity again. In these actions, the power of that which has been found is seen to be at work. 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. He felt the condemnation of a righteous God. The Jewish or the Greek "seekers after God," possessing many pearls, but still dissatisfied, sought others yet more choice, and finding one, true to the simplicity in Christ, renounce all for that; the one his legalism, the other his philosophy. In this we see that the parable of the tares changes the figures slightly from the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:3-9; 13:18-23). And he was telling me how divided among themselves the Israelis are and how they are separating into squabbling bickering groups, fighting each other, and into many political parties vying for power. ii. Usually people take it to mean that God has chosen the Jews for a special destiny, to mean that they are to have special and uniquely privileged treatment, different than any other nation enjoys. They have erected great organizations to try to bring it about, to produce this hidden treasure. Was this a big hidden treasure? 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). Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" It turns out that Mr. Hills emeralds were some of the best quality emeralds in North America. i. 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. What is it that inhibits us from going forward together to enjoy the fruits of human endeavor and to reap the harvest of human experience? That is why it is not enough to preach the gospel to people; you must also live it. 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." Pearls are very valuable. There they stand ready, being prepared right now to discover again, finally, the secret of their life. Through the pages of the Word of God we are afforded tremendous insights into life. I. 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. In this series Jesus is revealing the work of the kingdom as it is going on throughout the centuries of this present age since his first coming and before his return. 3. Jodi has a passion for Biblical ac More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to the hidden treasure. The nation would not have it, would not have him, and they rejected him. Application: The point of these two parables is the great value of being a part of Gods kingdom. " This seems like a very imaginative story to us, but to the people Jesus was talking to, this would not have been all that uncommon. He has been at work ever since, sending men into all parts of the earth and into all levels of society, among all kinds of people, putting them there in order that there may be a testimony of the Word. A buried treasure and a pricy pearl Matthew 13:44-46 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. People bring the same charge against Jesus today; I see those associated with Him, and they seem lowly or very normal; Jesus must also not be special., c. Where then did this Man get all these things: Their reception of Jesus was not welcoming or friendly. 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. Listen for answers. But Christ does not intend to vindicate his conduct. He found poverty and misery stalking the land. Augustine made the interpretation official struggling against the DonatistsMost Reformers followed the same line. (Carson). Read full chapter. Yet it can also be asked out of deep appreciation of the fact that the Son of God took such a noble, lowly place. They concern things which are not quite as easily seen in the historical process. You are in the heat of the battle, it rages around you. All rights reserved. Salvation is offered to us as a free gift, entirely by the grace of God. We want to have a teachable heart where Gods truth can produce good fruit. 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. 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. 13:49). Then, building on that, in the second parable the Lord said that he would take the sons of the kingdom, who are produced by the seed of the Word, and sow them like wheat throughout the world. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. And the queen's heart melted and she said, "I didn't believe the reports until I had seen all this with my own eyes, but the half has never been told me," (1Kings 10:7). And sometimes a piece of sand or shell gets in. If you have that, you are rich; if you do not possess it, you are poor. Now, lets turn to Matthew 13:44 and read what Jesus said about hidden treasure. He bought the field in order that someday he might use that treasure to cause the whole world to blossom and to fill the earth with peace and happiness. Rulers and leaders of the kingdom, shouldnt we share it with everyone we the. And a pricy pearl Matthew 13:44-46 44 & quot ; the kingdom of God is the... 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