"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."Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked."Yes," they replied.He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
The Kingdom of Heaven is near
"Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" These are the words of John the Baptist in chapter 3. These are the exact same words of Jesus in Chapter 4. And in chapter 10, Jesus sends out his 12 disciples. He gives them authority to heal the sick, to perform miracles but also gives specific instructions to preach these words - The Kingdom of Heaven is near.
Meaning: as you read through this book, you should get a sense that the Heaven is coming closer and closer to you. That God's presence has come down to be closer with us.
This is very different from how we commonly perceive Heaven. For us, Heaven is up there. It is a goal to be attained; a height to be achieved. Within religious circles, heaven becomes a standard of holiness and perfection we need to be worthy of.
But what is interesting to consider is how heaven is to go outside of religion to see how heaven is portrayed.
- You can buy a chocolate bar named Heaven.
- For some years now, if you typed in the word "heaven" into Google, the first result you get is link to series of nightclubs and discos in London
It all has to do with satisfaction, fulfilment and happiness. Go to any magazine store, say Borders bookshop right at the end on the ground floor where you will find a huge magazine section. I put it to you, that what you have there is a selection of different Heavens. Rows and rows of Heavens. Each a different version. Each promising aspects of a better life, a more exciting experience of life, a higher quality of life.
- fitness heaven
- food heaven
- Fashion heaven
- computer gaming heaven
- even a pet heaven
Very little to do with God or the bible. That's because we want a heaven we can
- buy with our money,
- get to through dieting and exercise
- Work towards in our careers
- A heaven we get on a plane and escape to
We went heaven to be a place of fulfilment, happiness that everyone can afford and everyone can access.
And the amazing thing is, Jesus seems to agree. It seems like Jesus is using the same words, the same categories to point to heaven. He talks about a man full of joy. Who uses his money to buy something that will give him extreme satisfaction. There is talk of risk but also of great reward. Jesus even talks about wealth and treasure.
On the surface Jesus seems to be talking about the same heaven as the magazines, movies and pop culture.
Notice that there is no religious language. No mention of a temples or priests. Instead, he talks about farming and fishing. And I guess that makes a lot of sense because the people around him are farmers and fishermen.
Here is an accessible heaven, an understandable heaven. Not up there, but near you. Not far away, but right here right now. It is almost as if Jesus is not so much denying our pursuits of heaven - reflected through our ambitions, our holiday plans, our desire for a lasting and meaningful relationship - but he almost seems to be saying, all these desires are reflections of our true innermost desire for heaven itself.
And yet what we are going to see today is that Jesus is saying much more. He is saying something radically different from both the advertisers and the religions of today.
He doesn't just use earthly examples to point upwards to heaven. Jesus is using heaven to point to himself. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the Kingdom of God. God's rule, God's kingdom, God's presence has now come near to dwell with man.
Jesus has come to reveal himself as the true King of Heaven and the true source of our identity, satisfaction and happiness.
We will see this in 4 points that Jesus makes in his 4 parables about the Kingdom of Heaven:
- The Kingdom is treasured in joyful response
- The Kingdom is valued through willing sacrifice
- The Kingdom points forward to redemption and judgement
- The Kingdom is revealed in word and witness
1. The Kingdom is treasured in joyful response
So firstly, the Kingdom is treasured in joyful response.
And the big point to get across is simply this: It is obvious!
- You can tell without a doubt when someone gets it.
- You see it in his face - his excitement.
- You see it in his actions and reactions - he immediately goes out and something about it.
- You see it in his joy - verse 44 - in his joy (he) went and sold all he had and bought that field.
And what has given him so much joy and excitement? Jesus tells us. It is treasure. It is extreme wealth. But it is hidden wealth. No one knows that it is there.
But he does. He stumbled upon it. The passage says he found it. This is an ancient equivalent of someone today winning the lottery! I checked it up this morning - it's 2.4 million pounds. Can you imagine winning 2.4 million pounds! Wow!
This guy has stumbled upon a huge source of blessing and wealth that no one else sees or knows about.
But what we can see clearly is this man's action and reaction. He sells everything he has. He house, his car, his TV, his sofa. All his clothes, all the stuff he has lying around the house. Every CD he owns, his DVD collection. Everything goes up for sale. If it were today he would put it up on eBay he needs the money quick and fast. He needs every penny to make sure he gets that land.
Now people who do such things are normally fellas who have gotten themselves into trouble! They need to pay off a huge debt. You sometimes see this on eBay; some guy just wants to get rid of this bunch of stuff. There might be a description about a recent tragedy in his life, some trouble he is facing that he needs the money to resolve. And you would expect someone in this situation to be really depressed and desperate.
But this man is the exact opposite! He is joyful. He can't wait to get rid of all his stuff. Because he knows, the moment he buys that field, when the land is rightfully his, there is a treasure just waiting for him.
People might be laughing at him now. Taking advantage of the fire sale. Buying all his stuff on the cheap.
But he's the one who has the winning lottery number. All they see is his sacrifice. What he sees and knows is the location of the treasure.
And Jesus points to this man and says that's what Heaven is like. It is a treasure that is supremely valuable, yes, but it is a treasure that is hidden from sight. You don't see the treasure - the parable doesn't even tell us what the treasure is - is it money, gold, jewels? What we see is a man. A man who is exceedingly joyful!
It is a joy that comes not after he buys the land. Not after he gets rich. It is a joy that comes the moment he knows he will be rich. It is the knowledge of the treasure. That certainty.
A joy that is willing to sacrifice everything else to obtain that treasure.
He will be rich, we will own the land, he will have that treasure in the end. But that's not what Jesus focuses on. Not his wealth. But his joy.
The Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus says, is treasured in joyful response.
That's my first point.
2. The Kingdom is valued through willing sacrifice
Next, The Kingdom is valued through willing sacrifice
Now on the surface, this second parable seems like a repeat. Let me read it for you, verse 45:
"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.
Same story! A guy who finds a treasure, this time it is an expensive pearl; he sells everything just to obtain this treasure. It's just a sequel and if we're honest, it looks like a bad sequel - Like Spiderman 3 - What a disappointment.
There's nothing new, we've seen it all before and on top of that, the hero is a RICH GUY. It's like Star Wars with Jar Jar Binks. Jesus should have just stopped while he was ahead.
You don't make the hero of the story your boss! He's a merchant, a rich businessman. He's already rich!
OK, OK - if you really want to get theological and deep about it, where is this man's joy?
Ah, but that's the question Jesus wants us to ask! Where is this man's joy? What is his treasure?
He starts out looking for many pearls. Fine pearls. But pearls are really small things. If he was searching for gold, jewels, art, sportscars, houses, land - we can understand that. We can even understand if he was looking for an investment, something that will increase his wealth.
But when you are talking about one single pearl, you are talking about refinement not quantity.
Beauty and elegance not majestic opulence. Something that is precious. That's what the Greek word actually means when it says "When he found one of great value" - it literally says, he found a "precious one".
Think Lord of the Rings. Think Gollum and the one Ring. What does he say? My Precious!
And if you are familiar with the movie or the book, you know that the whole story revolves around the one ring. Whole kingdoms are lost, battles are fought, lives are sacrificed - just to obtain this one precious ring.
That is, Jesus is talking about more than just wealth. It's not just about making a quick profit. Getting a big return for your effort. Here is something that speaks to our inner desires, our passions, our obsessions. In a word, it is love. It's love.
If you have ever been in love, you know what I mean. No one else can see your love, your emotions, your rationality. But to the one in love, it makes perfect sense. To be in love is to be consumed by love. That's because love is costly. There is a high price for love. And those in love willing pay that price.
That's the point of the merchant. You see, you look at first guy and he starts out poor but ends up wealthy. But this guy here starts out wealthy but ends up with nothing but his pearl. He has more to sacrifice. And he willing sells it all, every single bit, to obtain this one single treasure. The fact that the bible describes the pearl as precious might even indicate that it really is only truly valuable in his own eyes. Were he to sell the pearl he might not get back all that he put in. Beauty in the eye of the beholder.
It is parable about priorities. What is number one. If you are in love, of course you'll say: he is, or she is - number one in my heart. But how do you know? How can you tell? Let me just ask the girls - How do you know that in his eyes, you are his precious, his true love, his ultimate priority.
Most of the time guy's will express their love through their promises. I will do this. I promise to be like this. I will do everything in my power to make this happen just for you, because I love you, because that is how much you mean to me.
Let me tell you a secret. You can tell what a person's priorities are not by what they do. Even less by what they promise to do. That's because the answer is always the same - I'll do everything for you! Guys will promise the world if they could.
No, you tell a person's priorities not by what they say they will do, but simply by looking at what they are choosing not to do. You looking at what they willingly put aside and sacrifice.
Because that thing they have put aside is what you are being measured against. Watching TV. Playing football. Food. What is the thing he is willing to do without, what is he sacrificing even now just so that he can be with you.
And conversely, what is he sacrificing you for? Maybe that's an easier question to answer.
Honey, I can't come home today I'm busy at the office. It's just so expensive to go out for dates - why don't you just get something from Tesco - from the expiring section. That shows his priorities too.
Be careful of the kind of guy who wants it all! Because he is the kind of guy who doesn't know what he wants at all. He isn't clear whether its a marriage, a house, an xbox, a lifestyle, an image - it's rarely ever children. And it's just a matter of time before something goes.
True value is seen in sacrifice. What does it cost?
The merchant sells all he has so that at the end of the day, he has nothing. Absolutely nothing. Except the one thing that means everything to him. It's a very unrealistic story, I know. What is he going to live on? He'll have to sell it eventually - to buy food, to survive.
But at some level, don't you envy him? Here is a guy who knows what he wants and he finds it! Many of us go through life, shifting from desire to desire. From one priority to another. From this place to that place. This job to that job. This relationship to another.
And we don't dare do what this guy did. We don't dare risk it all, because we don't even know what it is. It's like going to a restaurant, a really fancy one, where you can't really decide what you want because you can really only afford one thing. So you walk out hungry. You still have your money. But you have nothing you can really spend it on.
Jesus says, the Kingdom of Heaven is like knowing that one thing. Knowing your true desire of desires. And when you find it, you too will say, My precious!
The Kingdom is valued through willing sacrifice.
3. The Kingdom points forward to redemption and judgement
Next, The Kingdom points forward to redemption and judgement.
So far, we have been looking at things that we can see: the joy of the kingdom, the priorities of the kingdom, the sacrifice of the kingdom. But in this next parable, Jesus will show us something we do not see, we will not see, and many of us refuse to see. He reveals what will happen at the end of the age.
Verse 47:
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Here's the bad news. I know some of us are surprised. But yes, there is bad news in the bible. That's just how the gospel works. The bad news is what makes the good news good. The bad news is what makes the good news urgent.
We have learned that heaven is joyful. Heaven is worthwhile. But if there is a heaven to be gained, the reality is there is also a hell to be shunned.
There are two points I want to make. The first is very very bad. But the second is very very good.
The first point is this: No one escapes judgement. No one escapes God's judgement.
A huge net is let down and it catches all kinds of fish. Both the good fish and the bad fish, all are caught in the net. The fishermen wait until the net is full. Both the righteous and the wicked will be gathered by God's angels. No one escapes.
This will happen. God's judgement is certain and it is final. If we reject the joy of the Kingdom we face the justice of God.
Hell is separation from God's presence, his life and his blessing. In the parable, we see it symbolised as rejection symbolising judgement. It is the fiery furnace symbolising God's anger. It is weeping and gnashing of teeth which is a dual picture of extreme sorrow, and yet continual rejection of God, continual unrepentance before God.
Here Jesus is explaining a parable with a parable. When it comes to hell, no words can describe how awful it will be. This is how it will be, Jesus says.
But point two: we are God's treasure. That's the good news. We are God's treasure.
It is very tempting to just stick to the first two "nice" parables. But you know, for some people even the parables about the treasure and the pearl may not sound all that good. In fact, I wonder if we hear stories about extreme joy and supreme sacrifice, and it just sounds so unreal. It seems so burdensome!
Just another list of things we need to do in order to get into heaven:
- Be joyful - don't be sad
- Rejoice and don't complain.
- Give everything, don't expect anything
What if I'm finding it really hard right now to be joyful. What if there is nothing I can think of that I can call my treasure. What if there is no one in my life who treasures me?
And now you come and tell me this horrible story? About hell? You don't have to describe it to me? My life is hell!
People rarely say these things out loud. But you can hear it in their responses. You need to hear the way they live their lives. It's in the way they walk. Even now, it's in the way some of you are looking at me thinking - So what is it? What are you trying to sell me this week? I've heard it all.
How do you speak to someone like that? You tell them the gospel.
Look again at the parable. Who is doing the gathering? Who is doing the work? It is the angels of God - God is the subject of the parable.
It is God who judges. And it is God who treasures. If you are in the kingdom, it means that you are his treasure. God treasures you!
Verse 48: (The fishermen) sat down and collected the good fish. That word "good" is the same word Matthew uses in the previous parable to describe the "fine" pearls. It means valuable. It means treasured.
Do you see? All this while we have been reading these words of Jesus from our perspective. How we see heaven. How we experience Heaven.
But here is Jesus clarifying to us, that it's the other way around. This is how God sees you. You are his treasure. And if you realise this, then the parables of the kingdom take on a whole new meaning.
The parable of the hidden treasure means that you, YOU are God's joy. Heaven rejoices over you!
The parable of the pearl means that God is the one who has sacrificed everything to make you his treasure. He has held absolutely nothing back. He sees you the way no one else does. Beautiful. He holds you in his arms and calls YOU, his precious. His beloved.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. That's one of the most famous verses in all the bible - John 3:16.
But if I were to ask you - Which word is the most important in that verse? What would be your answer?
God. loved. the world. one and only Son. Eternal life?
For those who truly understand the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven, the most important word there is "so" - For God so loved the world. How much does God love us. So much.
At the cross, he gave his Son. At the cross we see how much God hates sin. He pours out his judgement and condemnation.
At the cross we see how much God loves us. He pours his judgement on him. He gave all that he could give: Jesus offered his life, his dignity, his rights so that we could be in his eyes precious. He did this willingly, sacrificially, joyfully.
The Kingdom points forward to redemption and judgement.
4. The Kingdom is revealed in word and witness
But finally, the Kingdom is revealed in word and witness. Jesus asks a question in verse 51:
"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked."Yes," they replied.He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
Many get confused by this last statement of Jesus. He refers to "every teacher of the law" - "every teacher" - The word there "scribe". Scribes who were the intellectuals of the day. These were the PhDs, scholars, the Cambridge professors who were educated, intelligent and articulate.
But as far as we can tell, the people around him were not intellectuals. These were the crowds, the disciples. Most of them were blue-collar workers: labourers, slaves, fishermen and farmers. They weren't educated. Most couldn't read or write. So who is he talking about? The Pharisees? They aren't even mentioned.
Jesus is talking about you. If you are a follower, a disciple of Jesus, he looks right at you and says you are the scribes. You are the new teachers of the law. Because you have been instructed of the Kingdom of Heaven. You have received the treasure of the gospel.
But there's a big difference between you and the religious teachers. It is not just because you have what they don't but you give what they won't.
You have received the treasures of the Kingdom. So now, you have to bring it out. Don't hoard it. Don't put it away. You have to share this treasure with others.
The owner of the house brings out everything, not just the old stuff, the new stuff. The good and the bad. Everything. He holds nothing back. He keeps nothing to himself.
And here is Jesus looking for a response: A response of faith,(Do you understand this? "yes" they say) but more so a response of faithfulness. It's not just trusting in the treasure I will receive but being entrusted with a treasure I will be faithful with.
Have you understood these things? Have you?
Is Jesus your ultimate joy and priority? Your true treasure. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame". If we look to the cross, there God gives his all - not withholding his only Son; and there Jesus willingly, joyfully endures the cross to make us his treasure.
We close with a song of response:
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
