For the past two weeks we have been hearing Jesus speak parables about a farmer who goes out and sows seed in the field. Both times Jesus explains these parables with the explanation that He is the one who sows the seed and the seed He sows is His Word. And so we were reminded that even today the seed of the Word of God is still being sown in our church and in our world. The seed of the Word of God is sown on the path, on rocky soil, among the thorns and weeds and, at times, weeds are sown with the seed of the Word of God when the cares and concerns, when the false religions, cults and sects of the world, when people outright refuse and reject God’s good gifts and blessings, namely when people refuse salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross alone. The seed of the Word of God is sown in good soil when it is taught in its truth and purity and when we believe and live lives according to it. This week, Jesus continues in telling parables, but in order to help us better understand, as any good teacher does, Jesus changes the parables from parables of sowing seed, to parables of treasure and fishing.
Jesus tells the first parable, 44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Here we must understand that in Jesus’ day the people did not have banks in which to put their money, nor did they have the stock market in which to invest, nor mutual funds, insurance and the like. When someone had a lot of valuables, a lot of money they would divide their treasure into three parts. One part they would keep handy for doing business, a second part they would convert into precious stones for a quick get away and the third part they would bury in a safe place. Thus, when someone was digging, perhaps to bury a loved one, they might find this buried, hidden treasure.
In our own lives, it is God who guides us to the hidden treasure and the hidden treasure is what we are given as we make use of the means of grace, that is, as we are brought into the Lord’s Kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism, as we are given, strengthened and kept in faith through His Word, as we are given forgiveness of sins through Holy Absolution, as we are given strengthening and forgiveness through His Holy Meal, through these means we are given the treasure of Christ’s death and resurrection, even eternal life.
Notice that it is the field, not the treasure, that is bought. The treasure has no owner to be found, thus the field is bought and whatever is in the field becomes the possession of the new owner. The field in which we find this great treasure is the Word of God. God gives us His Word and He gives us His treasure. Because Jesus has already given His life by the shedding His blood, the cost, the price for the treasure for us is nothing. Yet, we give up ourselves in order to be given the gifts we are given by God
Jesus immediately goes on to tell the second parable, 45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This merchant is one who knows his pearls. He has searched and when he has found the most precious and the most valuable pearl, he sells everything in order to buy it.
The pearl, like the hidden treasure, is the reward of Christ’s death and resurrection, even forgiveness and eternal life. This pearl is not found by accident, but by the leading of God.
Here again, in the same way as the one who sells all to purchase land, so this one sells all in order to purchase the pearl. Time and again Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve two master, time and again Jesus reminds us that we cannot have life in this world and life in the world to come, we may have only one or the other. In order to purchase the land with the hidden treasure, in order to purchase the most precious pearl, in order to be given God’s good gifts and blessings, we give up everything.
And Jesus tells the third parable,47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
In this last parable, Jesus uses similar imagery of the sowing of the seeds and the sowing of the weeds. In this parable, the sea is the world. The world if filled with all kinds of people. One might believe that Jesus is talking about ethnic diversity, religious diversity, racial diversity and the like and maybe He is, but as we look at the context of this text, what Jesus has in mind is those who believe, true Christians, and those who do not believe, unbelievers, those destined for eternal spiritual death.
The net is the coming of the Lord on the Last Day, on Judgement day, and again like the reaping of the weeds and the wheat in last weeks parable, once the catch of fish is brought to shore, the catch is sorted. The bad fish, the unbelievers, are cast into the fiery furnace, where they receive eternal spiritual death in hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Finally, Jesus asks His disciples a question, 51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Interesting, the disciples believe that they have understood all that Jesus was telling them. Of course, this is after He explained everything to them.
Today, God continues to commission to us to hear the Word and keep it, that is to live it. How would we answer Jesus’ question to us, “Have we understood all these things?” I suppose we would answer, “Yes,” as did the disciples, but do we really? Did they really? Do we really understand what a great treasure, what a great pearl the Word of God is?
How do you know what is of great value? How do you know in your own life what is of great value? Well, I will give you a hint, and it is not always and not necessarily what we might say or what we might think. First, let me ask you to think about what you like to do. Do you like to golf? Do you like to hunt? Do you like to fish? Do you like to shop? Do you like to garden? Do you like to build things in your shop? Do you like to cook, especially since you always get so many compliments on your baking? Do you like to read? Do you like to play sports? Do you like to play music or sing? Do you like to act? What is it that you really like to do? What is it that you would give up an afternoon of something in order to do? If you are like me, you will get up extra early in order to go fishing, because I like to fish. Whatever it is that you would go out of your way or give up other things for, that is what is of value to you?
Now, let me turn the question and ask it in a different way. Would you get up early to go to church? What would you give up in order to be in Bible class? If you had the choice of doing whatever it is you like to do or go to church, what would you choose? Now, I know that all of you here this morning, obviously, chose to be here in divine service, whether you are here for the sake of pure motives or because someone made you come, does not matter the fact is that you are here. Yet, how often, perhaps even every Sunday, the temptation is always before us, to choose something else. Do we really understand the great value of what God has to give?
I think that most of us understand the value of financial independence. We understand the value of diamonds and jewels. More and more lately we are understanding the value of good investments, especially in the stock market, IRAs, mutual funds and the like. But, do we understand that these investments literally mean nothing compared to God’s investment in our eternal salvation. Our lives on this earth may last 80, 90 or even 100 years, but there is no guaranty. If you read the obituaries, you will notice that people die at any and every age. From the moment of conception on, we are destined to die, at least to die a physical death. Yet, compared to our few years of hardship on this earth, is eternity which is millions of billions of years of forever. Are we willing, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to give up our lives in this world in order to have the most precious possession, eternal life in heaven?
The parables, which Jesus is telling today, are parables which question our priorities. Not only that, they are parables which assume that we understand the value of the gift that He is giving. Maybe it would do us some good to review that gift. The gift that Jesus gives is nothing less than His all, His life for ours. He is the one who gave up all the glory that was His in heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood, in order to become one of us, one with us, one like us, except without sin. He is the one who lived perfectly for us in our place and then, He who was without sin, took our sins upon Himself and suffered and died, paying the price for our sin, the price of eternal spiritual death, for us in our place. He is the one who gives us His means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments as well as Holy Absolution through which He continues to come to us to give us all His good gifts and blessings.
If we had our own way, we would constantly and always refuse and reject Him. If we had our way, we would always choose the wrong thing. Yet, we have a God who loves us so much that He is the one who gives us a great treasure, which He reveals to us through His Holy Word. He is the one who brings us to His treasure, who gives us the treasure and who gives us the ability to give up ourselves for the greatest treasure of eternal life. Notice how our God is not a God who is a far off, who expects us to rise up to Him, to try to be better and better in order to approach Him and His presence, rather our God is a God who comes down to us, who enters our world, who takes on our flesh and blood, who does all for us. So, again we see that it all begins and ends with Jesus, just Jesus.
Seeds that are sown are all signs of the fact that God gives us His Word through which He gives us all His good gifts and blessings. A treasure, a pearl of great price, and a net are all signs of the Kingdom of God. Do we get it? The Kingdom of Heaven is more precious than anything we might think or imagine. By God’s grace, it is ours. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Jesus tells the first parable, 44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Here we must understand that in Jesus’ day the people did not have banks in which to put their money, nor did they have the stock market in which to invest, nor mutual funds, insurance and the like. When someone had a lot of valuables, a lot of money they would divide their treasure into three parts. One part they would keep handy for doing business, a second part they would convert into precious stones for a quick get away and the third part they would bury in a safe place. Thus, when someone was digging, perhaps to bury a loved one, they might find this buried, hidden treasure.
In our own lives, it is God who guides us to the hidden treasure and the hidden treasure is what we are given as we make use of the means of grace, that is, as we are brought into the Lord’s Kingdom through the waters of Holy Baptism, as we are given, strengthened and kept in faith through His Word, as we are given forgiveness of sins through Holy Absolution, as we are given strengthening and forgiveness through His Holy Meal, through these means we are given the treasure of Christ’s death and resurrection, even eternal life.
Notice that it is the field, not the treasure, that is bought. The treasure has no owner to be found, thus the field is bought and whatever is in the field becomes the possession of the new owner. The field in which we find this great treasure is the Word of God. God gives us His Word and He gives us His treasure. Because Jesus has already given His life by the shedding His blood, the cost, the price for the treasure for us is nothing. Yet, we give up ourselves in order to be given the gifts we are given by God
Jesus immediately goes on to tell the second parable, 45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” This merchant is one who knows his pearls. He has searched and when he has found the most precious and the most valuable pearl, he sells everything in order to buy it.
The pearl, like the hidden treasure, is the reward of Christ’s death and resurrection, even forgiveness and eternal life. This pearl is not found by accident, but by the leading of God.
Here again, in the same way as the one who sells all to purchase land, so this one sells all in order to purchase the pearl. Time and again Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve two master, time and again Jesus reminds us that we cannot have life in this world and life in the world to come, we may have only one or the other. In order to purchase the land with the hidden treasure, in order to purchase the most precious pearl, in order to be given God’s good gifts and blessings, we give up everything.
And Jesus tells the third parable,47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
In this last parable, Jesus uses similar imagery of the sowing of the seeds and the sowing of the weeds. In this parable, the sea is the world. The world if filled with all kinds of people. One might believe that Jesus is talking about ethnic diversity, religious diversity, racial diversity and the like and maybe He is, but as we look at the context of this text, what Jesus has in mind is those who believe, true Christians, and those who do not believe, unbelievers, those destined for eternal spiritual death.
The net is the coming of the Lord on the Last Day, on Judgement day, and again like the reaping of the weeds and the wheat in last weeks parable, once the catch of fish is brought to shore, the catch is sorted. The bad fish, the unbelievers, are cast into the fiery furnace, where they receive eternal spiritual death in hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Finally, Jesus asks His disciples a question, 51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Interesting, the disciples believe that they have understood all that Jesus was telling them. Of course, this is after He explained everything to them.
Today, God continues to commission to us to hear the Word and keep it, that is to live it. How would we answer Jesus’ question to us, “Have we understood all these things?” I suppose we would answer, “Yes,” as did the disciples, but do we really? Did they really? Do we really understand what a great treasure, what a great pearl the Word of God is?
How do you know what is of great value? How do you know in your own life what is of great value? Well, I will give you a hint, and it is not always and not necessarily what we might say or what we might think. First, let me ask you to think about what you like to do. Do you like to golf? Do you like to hunt? Do you like to fish? Do you like to shop? Do you like to garden? Do you like to build things in your shop? Do you like to cook, especially since you always get so many compliments on your baking? Do you like to read? Do you like to play sports? Do you like to play music or sing? Do you like to act? What is it that you really like to do? What is it that you would give up an afternoon of something in order to do? If you are like me, you will get up extra early in order to go fishing, because I like to fish. Whatever it is that you would go out of your way or give up other things for, that is what is of value to you?
Now, let me turn the question and ask it in a different way. Would you get up early to go to church? What would you give up in order to be in Bible class? If you had the choice of doing whatever it is you like to do or go to church, what would you choose? Now, I know that all of you here this morning, obviously, chose to be here in divine service, whether you are here for the sake of pure motives or because someone made you come, does not matter the fact is that you are here. Yet, how often, perhaps even every Sunday, the temptation is always before us, to choose something else. Do we really understand the great value of what God has to give?
I think that most of us understand the value of financial independence. We understand the value of diamonds and jewels. More and more lately we are understanding the value of good investments, especially in the stock market, IRAs, mutual funds and the like. But, do we understand that these investments literally mean nothing compared to God’s investment in our eternal salvation. Our lives on this earth may last 80, 90 or even 100 years, but there is no guaranty. If you read the obituaries, you will notice that people die at any and every age. From the moment of conception on, we are destined to die, at least to die a physical death. Yet, compared to our few years of hardship on this earth, is eternity which is millions of billions of years of forever. Are we willing, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to give up our lives in this world in order to have the most precious possession, eternal life in heaven?
The parables, which Jesus is telling today, are parables which question our priorities. Not only that, they are parables which assume that we understand the value of the gift that He is giving. Maybe it would do us some good to review that gift. The gift that Jesus gives is nothing less than His all, His life for ours. He is the one who gave up all the glory that was His in heaven in order to take on human flesh and blood, in order to become one of us, one with us, one like us, except without sin. He is the one who lived perfectly for us in our place and then, He who was without sin, took our sins upon Himself and suffered and died, paying the price for our sin, the price of eternal spiritual death, for us in our place. He is the one who gives us His means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments as well as Holy Absolution through which He continues to come to us to give us all His good gifts and blessings.
If we had our own way, we would constantly and always refuse and reject Him. If we had our way, we would always choose the wrong thing. Yet, we have a God who loves us so much that He is the one who gives us a great treasure, which He reveals to us through His Holy Word. He is the one who brings us to His treasure, who gives us the treasure and who gives us the ability to give up ourselves for the greatest treasure of eternal life. Notice how our God is not a God who is a far off, who expects us to rise up to Him, to try to be better and better in order to approach Him and His presence, rather our God is a God who comes down to us, who enters our world, who takes on our flesh and blood, who does all for us. So, again we see that it all begins and ends with Jesus, just Jesus.
Seeds that are sown are all signs of the fact that God gives us His Word through which He gives us all His good gifts and blessings. A treasure, a pearl of great price, and a net are all signs of the Kingdom of God. Do we get it? The Kingdom of Heaven is more precious than anything we might think or imagine. By God’s grace, it is ours. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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