Parables of the Kingdom

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again. In his joy, he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46 When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When the net was filled, they pulled it onto the shore. They sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is how it will be at the end of the world. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous who are among them. 50 And they will throw the wicked into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them, “Did you understand all these things?”

They answered him, “Yes.”

52 He said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained as a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure both new things and old things.”

Today we have not only one, but the grand total of three parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. And the ones in our sermon text teach us about the kingdom of heaven. 

This kingdom of heaven is where God rules with His gracious presence. This definitely includes heaven itself. But the kingdom is also found elsewhere. It's found inside your heart, as Jesus says: "The kingdom of God is not coming in a way you can observe... because the kingdom of God is within you." This means that all Christians are part of the heavenly kingdom. God is your king, and you are the citizens. 

Living in this kingdom is full of contradictions. For example, we can't see the kingdom of heaven, and yet we are part of it. It doesn't appear that we have a divine ruler, but we actually do. The church doesn't seem to be that special, but it's really God's prized treasure. Citizens of God's Kingdom don't look as though they are blessed, but they really are. And it's impossible to know for sure who's part of this kingdom, but God knows and sees the heart.

Parables are one of the best ways for us to picture this kingdom. To help us understand God's kingdom, Jesus gives us three of them this morning. There's the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the valuable pearl, and the parable of the fishing net. We'll look at each one in detail.

In the first parable, a man finds a treasure hidden in a field. This is a vast sum of money. Perhaps someone hid it when enemies came and attacked, but didn't survive to come back and dig it up. The man who found this treasure is smart. He hides it again. In great joy, he then proceeds to sell all that he has to buy the field. In doing so, he owns the treasure. 

Now, it can be easy to take the wrong approach with this parable. It can be easy to take it, and shame people. It’s tempting to point out that they need to treasure God's Word. It’s tempting to point out that they need to treasure all that Jesus has done for them. 

That’s not what Jesus is saying. In this parable, the man buys the treasure. But we definitely cannot buy Jesus. Scripture is clear that we're dead in trespasses and sins. A dead person cannot buy anything.

Therefore, here’s the correct interpretation of this parable. The man is Jesus. You are the treasure. As God tells His people in Deuteronomy: "the Lord your God has chosen you to belong to him as a people that is his treasured possession, chosen from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth." 

You see, you are the pinnacle of creation. However, because of sin, you have been hidden from God. But in joy, He bought you back with His own blood. The blood that trickled down the cross. In doing so, He bought the entire world, which is the field in our parable. The sins of the entire world are forgiven. And because the Holy Spirit has created faith in your heart through the Word and sacrament, you receive His forgiveness. You are the treasure that He found in the field. Faith in Jesus sets you apart from the rest of the world.

That's how much Jesus loves you. That is how much He adores and treasures you. No one on earth can love like that. You can't even love yourself like that! But Jesus does. You are His dear treasure. You are part of the kingdom only through Jesus' blood. Jesus has a love for you that’s beyond what you can comprehend.

As a result of His eternal and steadfast love, you respond in treasuring Jesus as well. You respond in desiring to come to church, and gladly hearing His Word. You desire to receive the Lord's Supper. You treasure God's kingdom and your relationship to Him. All this is because of Jesus. His love gives you the motivation and strength to treasure Him. Not perfectly of course. We still sin. But His love covers up your failures. He loves you no matter what you have done. Lean on Him for strength. Your sins are forgiven. You are His treasure, bought at a great price.

The second parable is similar to the first. Jesus explains that there is a merchant seeking fine pearls. This man is an expert. He can tell a good pearl from a bad one. And he wants to find one that exceeds anything he has found before. After obsessively searching, he finally finds "one very valuable pearl." And so "he went and sold all that he had and bought it." The kingdom of heaven is like this merchant seeking fine pearls.

Again, it can be all too easy to make us the merchant, and the pearl the kingdom of heaven. However, as sinners, we cannot seek Jesus. We cannot come to Jesus by our own reason or understanding. If we try, we fail. Our sinful nature gets in the way. But Jesus can, and does, seek us. 

Therefore, in this parable, the Merchant is Jesus. The pearl is the church, which is all believers in Christ. Jesus sold all that he had to buy us. He sought us out by coming into the world. He assumed a perfect human nature to be just like us. As a man, he was tempted in every way. As a man, He died for us. As true God, He never once sinned. And as true God, His death paid for the sins of the entire world. That's how Jesus sought you out. That's how he bought His precious pearl. 

If you wonder if God really loves you, then this parable is for you. If you wonder if you, with all your flaws and defects, can be special, then this parable is for you. Despite your imperfections, and your sins, you are God's valuable pearl. You are worthy of the greatest price: the holy and precious blood of God's Son. You see, the kingdom of heaven is about God giving everything for you. Not because of anything you have done. But because God says it. So it’s true. You are beautiful in God's eyes. And he has sought you out with an obsessive passion.

This parable reminds me of looking for agates on the beach of Lake Superior, in Minnesota. Agates are a prized find for Minnesotans on vacation. There's a beach that I know of called the "secret beach." It's free from tourists. Just you and the lake. If you spend enough time looking for agates, it's guaranteed that you will find some. They may be small and insignificant. And so when you find some that are large, you know that it is a good find.

In a similar way, Jesus has found the best pearl. He has been searching, and he has found you. And so, in understanding your worth, He gave everything for you. That's how much He loves you. You are His valuable pearl. 

The third parable is about the fishing net. Jesus says "the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When the net was filled, they pulled it onto the shore. They sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw the bad ones away." 

Here Jesus is talking about the outward appearance of the church. In this picture, the net is the church. The fish are people. But not all who come to church are good fish. There are also bad fish. There are those who don't take Jesus' words to heart about the Kingdom. At the end of the world, God's angels sort these wicked people out. Only those who repent of their sins and cling firmly to Jesus are brought to heaven. 

And so, acknowledge your sin! Keep coming to church, where you receive God's forgiveness Sunday after Sunday. This is where Jesus comes with His gracious presence. Remain in these things. Keep receiving the Lord's Supper. Upon this earth, that's what it means to be part of the Kingdom of heaven. It means that you are a sinner who trusts in Jesus, your Savior. He is the one who bought you with a great price. You are His treasure. So don't go home and throw away what you have heard this morning. These words of Jesus are a matter of eternal life or death.

At the end of these three parables, Jesus asked his disciples "Did you understand all these things?" They answered "Yes." This is the response of faith. Faith receives the kingdom of heaven. In faith you also can reply "yes, I understand.”

Those who understand the mysteries of the Kingdom are "like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure both new things and old things."  It's as if Jesus is saying "just as a person likes to show off stuff in his house, you will want to show off this message. Not only the new parts of this message, but also the old parts." The mysteries of the Kingdom are too much of a treasure not to share.

The disciple Matthew is a good example of this. In His book, he faithfully connects the Old Testament to the things of the New Testament. He reveals by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God continues to tell the same story. That God loves His people so much that He was willing to send His own Son to die, and rise again. That Jesus loves you with a fierce and passionate love. Even when you sin. Even no matter what you have done. He is always waiting to welcome you back in His loving embrace. And one day, you will live for an eternity in heaven. 

In conclusion, these three parables are short, but significant. They have to do with the mysteries of God’s kingdom. The kingdom includes Jesus and His church. Jesus loves the church so much, to obsessively search for her, and give everything for her. You are God’s treasure, His valuable pearl. And so on the last day, you have no reason to fear. You are part of the good fish. Remain in the Word. Be strengthened in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus comes today, and assures you that because of His righteous blood, you are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen. 

August 6, 2023

Pastor Johnson