44 “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.
45 “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls, 46 and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.
47 “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away. 49 It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good 50 and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.
51 “Do you understand these things?” Jesus asked them.
“Yes,” they answered.
52 So he replied, “This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room.”
Read Matthew 13:44-52 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
All throughout the gospels, Jesus shared parables. A good number of these parables are tagged as describing the Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God. Perhaps Jesus spoke in parables in this way to help us better understand ideas and characteristics of a big thing that would overwhelm us if we saw it clearly.
In many ways, these parables reveal God’s character and His perfect world that He wants to invite us into. At this point in our lives, if He were to show us a vision of this ideal world, we might not believe it to be possible. Instead, I think He may have given parables to give us glimpses of the perfection He has planned.
In the concluding set of parables about the Kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13, there is a common theme that runs through them. In these three parables, God’s Kingdom is represented by a treasure hidden in a field, by a merchant searching for fine pearls, and by a fishing net that catches all kinds of fish.
All three of these parables contain some common themes.
The first theme that unifies these parables is the theme of seeking. Each of these parables has a character seeking something that is valuable. While the man in the field is not expecting to find the treasure he found, he is quick to recognize its value and worth because he knows it is something he desperately needs. The merchant’s role is seeking valuable pearls, and the fishermen’s role is seeking valuable fish. God’s Kingdom is one that seeks out the people, thoughts, ideas, and things God finds valuable, so He can add them to His Kingdom.
The second theme that unifies these parables is the theme of filtering. Each of these parables has a character recognizing the valuable thing from the not valuable thing. The man in the field recognizes that the buried treasure is more valuable than the dirt covering it. The merchant recognizes the valuable pearl among the lower quality, less valuable ones. The fishermen catch lots of types of fish, but they filter their catch into the valuable fish and the not valuable fish. God’s Kingdom is one that sorts and filters the valuable from the not valuable and God keeps the things He determines are valuable before ignoring or throwing out that which is worthless.
The third theme that unifies these parables is the theme of sacrifice. Each of these parables contains a measure of sacrifice on the part of the main characters. The man in the field and the merchant sell everything they have to acquire their respective treasures. The fishermen have to take the time to sort the good from the bad in order to get their treasure. If fishermen could, they would prefer to only catch what they know is valuable, but that is not how a fishing net works. The sacrifice for a fishermen is the time it takes to sort the valuable from the worthless. God’s Kingdom is one that cost Him everything. God sold everything He had for the opportunity to acquire the planet filled with value.
These parables unify by describing a God who is willing to give up Himself to bring us into a relationship with Him. He values this blue planet and each of us as its inhabitants, and He spared no expense buying us back from sin. God’s Kingdom is filled with value because God gave everything He had to purchase it. We might not see the value in God’s decision, but God gives value to what He purchased by how much He was willing to pay. He bought this blue planet and us through the death of His Son. Never let anyone convince you are less valuable to God than this!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.