Peace/Bethlehem July 30, 2023 A-Pentecost 10 (Proper 12) Matthew 13:44-52

What a Treasure!!

Our text is from the Gospel lesson for today.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Before we talk about what these parables mean, let’s talk about what they do not mean. In telling these parables Jesus is not saying that the kingdom of God is for sale, or that it can be bought. We know this because of the overwhelming evidence from the rest of the Bible that the Kingdom of God is God’s gracious gift to us. 1 Peter 1:18-19:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.”

The price is high for us to get into the Kingdom, but we don’t pay the price. Christ Jesus does with his precious blood, as you well know. We don’t get into the kingdom by our money, our sweat, our sacrifice, our work, our obedience, our good behavior. We get into the Kingdom by the sweat on Jesus’ brow, by the sacrifice of His body on the cross, by His work of salvation, by His perfect obedience, by His good behavior.

All we do is throw ourselves on God's mercy. All we do is use what Jesus did as a substitute for what we could never do. All we do is trust in God to save us; and He does, and makes us members of His kingdom. So if the point of the parable is not that we can buy our way into the Kingdom of God, what is the point?

The first parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sols all he had and bought that field.”

In Jesus’ day it was not that unusual for people to find treasures in fields. There were no banks that ordinary people used. There were no safe deposit boxes. If someone had a treasure of some kind, the safest thing to do was to bury it in the ground. This was particularly true when enemies would come and overrun the country, which they did quite often in the history of Palestine. People would bury their precious belongings in the hope of coming back someday and reclaiming what was buried.

You can imagine the joy of this man, going about his regular work of digging and coming across this treasure. Realizing its tremendous value, he carefully covers it over again, and in his joy he sells everything he has to have enough money to buy the field. What is the point of the parable. There is tremendous joy when one discovers what the Kingdom of God is all about.

When a person truly discovers the treasure of the kingdom, there is nothing that compares to it. All the rest of the things of life are not as valuable!

Now Jesus had told this parable about a common every day laborer finding a treasure, and people might be tempted to think, “Well, the treasure didn’t have to be very big to satisfy this man” so to really bring the point home, Jesus tells a similar story, this time using the example of a rich man a merchant.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

In Jesus’ day, pearls were considered the most precious and valuable thing you could own, even more valuable than gold. The point, once again, is about the exceedingly great value of the kingdom. The rich merchant it willing to part with all of his wealth to gain this perfect specimen of pearl. This pearl of great value is not just another purchase, something to be placed alongside this merchant’s other items of wealth. No, it is so beautiful, so important, so precious, that it is worth giving up every other pearl he has ever acquired.

And he doesn’t sell everything else grudgingly, unwillingly. He doesn’t say, “Too bad I have to sell everything to buy this pearl.” He does it willingly, happily; finally he’s found the one thing that makes his life worthwhile! He’s so excited, he can’t wait to sell everything in order to get the treasure he has found.

THAT, Jesus says, is what the kingdom of heaven is like . . .

Is the kingdom of heaven like that for you? Has it changed your entire life, your whole m=way of looking at things, your value system and what you consider important? What a treasure the Kingdom is! What a treasure it is to

know God and be known by God! What a treasure it is to have your sin pardoned, your guilt removed, your bondage broken, your soul washed, and your spirit cleansed! What a treasure it is to live by the values of the kingdom, to act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8)! What a treasure is the Word of God: like a hidden mine with rich veins of ore running in all directions is the Holy Scripture!

What a treasure is the company of God’s people, who rejoice with those who rejoice and who weep with those who weep! What a treasure is the singing of God’s praises and being caught up in the pure pleasure of God! What a treasure is the blessed hope of heaven, the promise of a new life, beautiful and wonderful beyond comparison! Is the Kingdom of God like that for you? Does its value far exceed the treasures of this world?

How does it happen that Christians can be lukewarm about the faith? Where does the passion and enthusiasm go? How is it that people can be associated with God’s kingdom and yet have their lives changed so little?

Could it be that these people have never experienced the kingdom for what it really is? Could it be that all they have experienced has been dull and dead and boring? Could it be that they have never felt the joy and power of a living relationship with Jesus Christ? Could it be that they have become so wrapped up in pursuing the temporary pleasures of this world, that they have neglected the deepest needs of their soul?

[talk about experiencing the power of liturgical worship at Holden Village]

Certainly this is true of many people who are unchurched. You don't have to be with such folks very long to realize their lack of understanding about spiritual matters. In some cases their view of God is that of an irritable, grouchy policeman who pounces on every little thing they do wrong. Some were forced as children to go to church where they had to sit still on a hard pew, be quiet and listen to something they couldn’t understand and they resented it and they never got beyond that.

Others think: all the church wants is money. Are they perhaps projecting their own value system on the church? Still others have been misled by false teachings, and there certainly is a lot of that going around. Still others have been disillusioned by church scandals, and unfortunately, there is also a lot of that going around!

What a difference there is when people see the Kingdom for what it really is!

Some years ago, a Chinese Christian lady by the name of Mrs. Kwang was being brutally tortured during an interrogation before a tribunal of communist officials in China. She had become a simple evangelist through whose preaching God had brought many thousands to faith in Jesus Christ. Now she was the victim of prolonged cruelty. She was bound at the wrists and forced to bend from the waist at a ninety-degree angle as they asked her questions. Any unwelcome answer was met with kicks and beatings.

This went on continuously for three days with no food, water, sleep, or relief of any kind. Ye in spite of her incredible agony, she only spoke about the love of Jesus. She invited her tormentors to believe in this One who loves without condition and forgives without price by the shedding of His own blood.

Amazingly, some of her tormentors began to weep. In her they saw the treasure buried in the fields, the pearl of great price, the indwelling Spirit of Jesus, the very Kingdom of God. Slowly, one by one, these officials began to speak of their acceptance of her invitation. What they saw in this lady was the suffering love of Crist for them. They saw His forgiveness to overcome sin, His love to overcome hatred, His goodness to overcome evil. They received Christ and the power to become the children of God and entered into the kingdom themselves.

Because of this unexpected turn of events, the interrogation was ended, and the remaining unbelievers had her throne into a tiny, dark cell.

Eventually, God miraculously released her, but not until the witness of her sufferings had caused many more guards and prisoners to renounce all in order to follow Jesus!

What a treasure is the Kingdom! To find the Kingdom is really to find God himself, intensely personal, unmistakably real, nearer than our own breath—mysterious, amazing. The one who tells these parables—Jesus, the Christ--is Himself the treasure! He shows the heart of God by pouring himself out in love on the cross of Calvary! His blood cleanses away all the devastation of sin! His life opens up to believers the true life of God. The treasures He offers us are absolutely the most wonderful things we could possibly imagine—forgiveness, reconciliation, resurrection, eternal life, love overflowing.

John 17, the words of Jesus, “Now this is eternal like, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Amen.

Sermon :  From  Jack Flachsbart .