Finding Treasure

Finding Treasure

Matthew 13:44-53, NLT

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. 45Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! 47Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.” 52Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.” 53When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country.

Setting the Scene

To teach the inestimable value of God’s Kingdom, Jesus said it was like a “treasure” and like a “merchant” looking for “choice pearls.” To obtain the treasure in the field, the man, excitedly and without hesitation, “sold everything he owned.” The same was true with the “pearl of great value”—the merchant “sold everything he owned and bought it.”

The Kingdom is also like a “fishing net” filled with fish that are eventually sorted. Like a net pulling in a variety of fish, the gospel message goes out to all kinds of people. But not all will be chosen.

Finally, Jesus says a “teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple” is like someone who owns valuable gems. These teachers (Pharisees and others) already had access to God’s truth as revealed in the Law, which they studied.

By mixing these metaphors, Jesus was saying that all types of people gain the Kingdom and eternal life in a wide variety of ways. They can stumble upon it, search for it, be pulled toward it, or realize that it is nearby.

The disciples learned three lessons: Nothing is more important or valuable than God’s Kingdom—it’s worth everything we have and are. We need to keep casting the net to everyone and let God do the sorting. And no one is beyond God’s reach, not even those who oppose us.

Getting Personal

When you found God’s Kingdom, did you stumble over it or seek after it or discover it among the truths that had already been given to you?

What did you give up to follow Christ? How do you know that it was worth it?

For the disciples, Jesus’ teachings about God’s Kingdom must have been confusing, at times, and amazing, almost unbelievable. Today we have the advantage of knowing much more of God’s story: the Cross, the Resurrection, the promised return, the Holy Spirit, the church, and the whole Bible. We know Christ established his Kingdom in the hearts of his people, changing the world one person at a time. Possessing the treasure and sharing it with others is worth everything.

Talking to God

Celebrate the treasure you have in knowing Jesus. Thank God for the love he shows in bringing so many to himself, in the various ways they need for understanding the truth. Thank him for the great gifts of his salvation and his Spirit.