The Seeker & the Sorted

Jesus continues to teach with parables. Last week we looked at the wheat and the tares, the mustard see, and the leaven hidden in meal.

Jesus continues to describe the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples with three more parables about the kingdom and a fourth about those instructed about the kingdom.

Matthew 13:44–52 “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.”

The first two parables in this section give us two different pictures of people who respond to the kingdom of heaven.

Treasure in a Field

Matthew 13:44 “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.”

No indication that the man was actively looking for treasure, only that he found it.

Whether he was or not is of little consequence, everyone is looking for fulfillment and meaning

The Kingdom of Heaven IS LIKE TREASURE

Valuable

The man is joyful for what he has found

His joy compels him to sell everything to buy the field and gain the treasure

Is our view of the kingdom the same? Are we filled with joy to the point of complete surrender to whatever God requires and has planned for us?

A Pearl of Great Price

Matthew 13:45–46 “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.”

The difference between this man and the last

He is actively seeking goodly pearls

He went out looking for multiple

As a merchant he would be buying them to take them and sell them elsewhere

Instead he finds one pearl worth everything he had.

Both the man who found the treasure in the field and the merchant who found the pearl of great price has the same response.

They sold ALL and purchased the “Kingdom of Heaven”

This is the price of discipleship

The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.

D. A. Carson

If something came to your mind as I said that...

The Sorted

Matthew 13:47–50 “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.”

Repetition in Scripture is an indicator of importance.

This parable reiterates what was already taught in the wheat and the tares. Jesus is emphasizing to his disciples that how they choose to respond to the Kingdom of Heaven has dire consequences.

Just because you are in this room does not mean you are automatically one of the just and righteous. What we have seen so far in Matthew is that we answer the call of Jesus in faith, but that faith produces fruit and a full response to Christ.

Do You Understand?

Matthew 13:51 “51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.”

Ask the audience if they understand the parables before explaining the sum of the teaching.

The Teaching of the Parables

Parable of the Sower - There are differing responses of the heart to the gospel, only one bears fruit

Wheat and the Tares - Because of God’s patience and care for his own; Good and Evil will persist in the present age, but judgement will come and the wicked will be cut off.

The Mustard Seed - The Kingdom of Heaven starts small and grows rapidly; in the world and in the believer

The Leaven in Meal - The Kingdom must become pervasive like leaven in meal: again in the world and in our own lives.

Hidden Treasure and the Pearl - The Kingdom of Heaven is of great value. Proper response is to to abandon all in order to gain the Kingdom.

The Net in the Sea - A time is coming, when the net is full and judgement will come. Then the good and the bad will be sorted.

Positive response to the kingdom is characterized by:

Fruitfulness

Spiritual Growth

Sacrificial Pursuit

Negative Responses are Characterized by:

Fruitless lives

Spiritual deadness

Clinging to the world

We understand these things?

Therefore

Matthew 13:52 “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.”

Every disciple is expected to be like a Scribe.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Scribe

After the exile, scribes are a class of scholars who teach, copy, and interpret the Jewish Law for the people. They appear in the Gospels primarily as opponents of Jesus.

New and Old in context:

The Kingdom is breaking forth and Jesus is teaching NEW things. They don’t disregard the OLD, but fulfill it. We need to understand the teaching of the Old Testament and the New Testament. We also need to accurately grasp its meaning so we can apply it to today.

Our task is to study and understand these things, to do them and teach them to others.

This begins with the Gospel

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 5:8 “8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 10:9–13 “9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Acts 4:10–12 “10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Communion

Matthew 26:26–29 “26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”