Matthew 13 44-46 2008
Pentecost 11
July 27, 2008
Matthew 13:44-46
“The Greatest Treasure”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking good pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” MATTHEW 13: 44-46
When a person becomes a Christian, much is given to him. The Bible calls this great gift "the kingdom of God." Now the kingdom of God is the greatest treasure in the world. It is so great, and so beyond human comprehension that Jesus uses a number of stories, or parables, to make its greatness clear to us, to answer our questions about it.
For example, how great is this kingdom that we can not see with our earthly eyes? Just how much is this kingdom worth? To possess it, how much should a person be ready to give for it?
Well, here is this parable Jesus answers these questions. The kingdom is pictured as a treasure. A man found it, as you would find gold, hid in a field. When he found it, it was worth everything to him. So he hid it again where he had found it, and went and sold everything that he had and then bought the field with all the money that he had. Giving up everything was no loss, for he became owner of the field and therefore of the treasure in the field. That treasure was worth far more than all he ever owned. It was indeed the greatest treasure in the world.
People have to give up things when they become Christians. In a sense, they have to give up everything. What has to be given up depends on who you are and what you are doing. If a person is doing wrong, the wrong has to be given up. Is this not simple enough? Through the Word of God, and aided by the Holy Spirit, we become conscious of sin. As we do, God enables us to live lives that are led by His Spirit. Surely, we do this turning away from sin in an imperfect way. For this we ask God grace and His forgiveness for Jesus sake. But none the less, day by day we give up sin. Then God really works on us. Then, God leads us to understand that everything we have has to be given up…in a fashion, given to Jesus. Of course this sounds extreme doesn’t it? But is it really? Let me say that all I have left in the world is a ten dollar bill. I go to a garage sale and find a box. That box, as I open the lid, is filled with gold and diamonds and pearls. I check with the garage sale person and ask, “If I buy this box, do I get what ever is in it?” To which they say, “Of course.” I then ask, “How much is the box” and they say that it is ten dollars. Well at that point I don’t barter or argue the price…I gladly give up all that I have…ten dollars, and the box is mine. Now I gave up everything, but did I really? That, which we give, as we become Christians, everything we own, is really not payment for what we get, the kingdom of God. No man can pay for the kingdom of heaven or for even a small part of it. But to the person whom Jesus gives "forgiveness of sins, life and salvation," that person will want to give back everything to Jesus, for he knows: I owe it all to my Lord. This, in a certain sense, is the price a person pays. Surely, it is not too much. Who would not gladly do that much in evidence of the joy that he has in God’s rich treasure given to him personally?
Did you notice that the treasure was hid in a field? You cannot get the treasure without taking the field. I could not get the treasure in the box without the box. The field that Jesus is talking about is the church. In the Church and through the church, the kingdom of God is found. You cannot have the one without the other. Here, it is important to note what we mean by church. By church, it is not meant our local church called Immanuel…but it could be. It is not meant as the Lutheran Church…though it could be. Here the church is rightly understood to be the “una sancta”, that is the one church, the one body of Christ made up of all believers in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls. It is through Christians that the treasures of the kingdom of heaven flow and are found. A person cannot know or come to possess the kingdom of God by associating with a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Jew. The kingdom can only be found among Christians, the people of God, you and I. The kingdom is found with us as we stay connected to God’s Holy Word, as we proclaim His Word in purity, and as we administer the visible Word of God in the sacraments according to Christ’s institution. The Word of God, the sacraments, and flesh and blood Christians make up the Church of God, the field of God, and even the box at the garage sale, where the treasure is found.
The second parable gives us another very important thought. It tells about "a merchant man seeking goodly pearls." We call a merchant that deals in pearls a jeweler. A jeweler is an expert on such matters as pearls. He ought to know what they are worth. But when he finds this one pearl, namely, the kingdom, or "forgiveness of sins, life and salvation" through Jesus Christ, he too is ready to give up all in order to get the pearl. In effect he gives up nothing and receives more than he could ever ask for.
As is always the case, what Jesus tells us is always fulfilled in His own life, and the story of our own salvation. Jesus showed us the truest example of the one that gives up everything. Jesus Christ is God. He is the second person of the Trinitarian Godhead. In Him and through Him all things were and are created. He was and is and is to come. He is the first and the last. He was with the Father sharing His glory. Then He was incarnate, that is made flesh. HE was God and He became man also. The apostle Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” His poverty was that He should take our sins upon Himself, be crucified on the cross in our place and fulfill God’s judgment upon all of man’s wrong doing. In Philippians’ we read, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Our Lord Jesus gave everything up. What was His treasure. You! And you! And you! He gave it all up to redeem His creation, every human being.
Through His death and resurrection, He offers all people, you, hearing His Word right now the treasures of His kingdom. And boy does He have a kingdom to offer you. The Bible tells us, because He was willing to give up everything for you, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The treasure hid in a field, the pearl of great price - this divine treasure may be yours. God offers it to you. He wants you to have it…forgiveness, life and salvation. This is the greatest treasure. Don't let your love of lesser treasures keep you from having the greatest treasure in the world! Don’t forget, who treasures you so much that He gave His life for you, lives for you…and reigns in His kingdom from now to eternity. Re-read Matthew 13: 44-46. Amen!