Christian Art | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Parables Of The Kingdom
Matthew 13: 44-53 | Week 17, Wednesday, Thursday | King James Audio Bible
44 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 ¶ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
53 ¶ And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
The three parables follow one upon another, and they are addressed in Matthew’s Gospel to the disciples, rather than to the crowds. The parables of the hidden treasure and of the pearl clearly develop upon the same theme, and then the parable of the net follows and expands upon their meaning, magnifying it, while also relating to the disciples’ apostolic mission. We are taught through each parable of the supreme value of the gift of grace and of the Kingdom, and also of judgement, the rightful valuing of our gifts such that we live in accordance with God’s will.
In the parables of the hidden treasure and of the pearl, the man searching the field and the merchant both find a precious treasure which is so far beyond all that they currently possess, such that they sell all they have in order to acquire their jewel.
Nothing that has gone before matters in comparison to what they have found. They may have laboured and traded for years, all their life, but now they have found the gift of God. The man working the field may have stumbled upon his gift; the merchant may always have longed and sought for it. Both must give away everything in order to be able to be with this new treasure.
Jesus tells us that all our lives’ work, as we struggle and trade and labour and compete, are as nothing in comparison to the gift of heaven. We are warned that we could become so attached to what we have struggled to achieve in the field and the market place, that we might not sell all we have. The response of the men in the parables is a guide to us: nothing that we have achieved through our trade, through our labour, can compare to the gift Christ brings to us; we are to give all such attachments away, to become unattached to our worldly position and possessions, to give away all attachments in order to focus wholly on our true life, the hidden treasure, the precious pearl. We are to stake everything to obtain this prize.
The parable of the net builds upon these messages. God’s net is cast into the sea. We are all drawn from the sea within the net. The good will be retained; the bad will be cast away.
We are to ask, then, when we are drawn into the net, have we given everything away to have with us the hidden treasure or the precious pearl? Are we wholly dedicated to God, or have we refused to give everything to be with him? Have our lives been wholly focused on God, or have we kept something back – whether attachment to money, or the things that money can buy, or to worldly prestige, or to some other state of mind, such as a clinging to pride, or some sexual activity, or self-regard, gluttony, jealousy, envy, anger… Or have we just been too busy? Whatever the excuse might be.
Christ’s message is overwhelmingly this: the pearl, the hidden treasure, can be our own. This is treasure that is new and also old: the truth of Christ’s message holds for all times, and we can all be scribes sharing this message. All we have to do is give God everything. All we have to do is give God all.
‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl, and the Net serve as teachings on the Kingdom of Heaven and the value of salvation – purity of faith as distinct from loss in hell.
In the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, Jesus tells of a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field. He sells all that he has to purchase the field and obtain the treasure. In this parable, the treasure represents the Kingdom of Heaven and the man represents a person who recognizes the value of salvation and is willing to give up everything to obtain it.
In the Parable of the Pearl, Jesus tells of a merchant who searches for fine pearls and, upon finding a pearl of great value, sells all that he has to purchase it. This parable represents the Kingdom of Heaven and the pearl represents salvation, which is so valuable that a person should be willing to give up everything to obtain it.
In the Parable of the Net, Jesus tells of a dragnet that is cast into the sea and gathers all sorts of fish, both good and bad. The fish are sorted and the good fish are kept while the bad fish are thrown away. In this parable, the net represents the Kingdom of God and the fish represent people. The sorting of the fish represents the judgment at the end of the age, when those who are saved will be kept and those who are not will be thrown away.
The parables serve as teachings on the value of salvation, of joy in the discovery of Christian faith and of the merely human capacity to embrace Christianity so as to discover Jesus as the gateway to eternal life. Through the imagery of hidden treasure, a precious pearl, and a sorting net, Jesus emphasizes the incommensurate value of life geared toward the Kingdom of Heaven and the need for people to recognize and pursue this perfect life with all their heart, soul, and mind.
The parables serve as powerful illustrations of the transformative nature of faith in Jesus Christ. Through the parables, Jesus teaches that the pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven should be so valuable to a person that they are willing to give up everything else to obtain it.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl, and the Net are central to Christian theology. They may be said to distil to perfect focus the message of the Sermon on the Mount, as we are taught to direct our being in its entirely to spiritual good.
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection demonstrate as perfect God’s love for humanity. Through His death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of humanity, making it possible for all people to receive forgiveness and have a right relationship with God.
Our perfection may be termed ideal. Christians are called to resist the influence of Satan and to remain steadfast in our faith in Jesus. Through the grace and strength given to us through Jesus, Christians are empowered to resist Satan’s temptations and to live a life that is pleasing to God.
We are with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as we pray for courage to accept and to bring into the heart of our lives our need for sainthood.
Saint Michael the Archangel is one of the most well-known angels in the Bible. Saint Michael is mentioned by name five times in the Old and New Testaments. In the Book of Daniel, Saint Michael is described as a ‘great prince’ who protects the people of Israel. In the New Testament, Saint Michael is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, where he leads the battle against the dragon and his angels [ … ]
Much of Christ’s early ministry takes place around the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberius or the lake of Gennesaret. There were a number of towns around the shore of the lake, and the shore was often the setting for Christ’s preaching. John only tells us specifically of seven of Christ’s miracles, chosen to suit his purpose. He does tell us, in verse 2 of today’s reading and at the end of his Gospel, that Christ performed many miracles, which John calls signs. As he tells us of the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, John clearly connects this with Jesus’ presentation of himself as the bread of life, which follows shortly in this chapter of the Bible [ … ]
As we progress through Lent, we listen to Christ’s teaching of the limitations of the Old Law and the complete fulfilment, transcendence and renewal of the Law which Christ, through his life, death and resurrection, gave to us. As St Paul will teach: through the Law, there can be no salvation; salvation is for us through Christ alone [ … ]
