August 10, 2001
MAT 13:44-46 ¶ "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Both parables make the point that a sinner who understands the priceless riches of the kingdom will gladly yield everything else he cherishes in order to obtain it. On the other side of the coin, those who cling to their earthly treasures forfeit the far greater wealth of the kingdom. Both of these parables portray the kingdom of heaven as a treasure more valuable than the sum of all our possessions.
It was common in Palestine for people to bury valuables in a secret place. Israel was and is a land of war and there were no Bank of Americas or Washington Mutuals around. In order to keep conquerors from taking their valuables, the people would take them to a field or marked place and bury them, with the intention of recovering them later. As Achan deceptively hid the temple treasure under his tent, so the common people would also store their legitimate treasure in secret.
We are not told of how the man in this parable found the treasure. He might have been plowing in a field. But we do know that when he found it, he didn’t take it back to his tent. He didn’t use any of it to buy the field. He sold all that he owned and bought the field so the treasure would be his. From this we know that the treasure did not belong to the field owner, or he would have recovered it. It might have been lost for generations.
Unlike the hidden treasure, the pearl merchant did not discover the pearl by accident. His life was one long search for the finest pearls which he would buy and sell, yet one day he discovered "the pearl".
You see, pearls were the costliest of gems. They were not the dress-up plastic type your little sister may wear. Many people died from pearl hunting. They did not have the equipment that is available today for pearl diving. Rather a pearl diver would tie rocks to his body, jump over the side of a little boat, go down into the dangerous waters in the Persian Gulf and scour the mud below for oysters. A pearl diver had to hold his breath during the whole dive, and hope that he wouldn’t drown. For this reason and because of their rarity, some pearls can be worth several million dollars.
This merchant was a pearl expert. He bought and sold fine pearls for a living. Yet a single priceless pearl, the finest one he ever saw, stirred in his heart such a passion that he was willing to give up everything he had to have it.
What have you been searching for?
If the kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything on earth, what is it like? It is incorruptible, undefiling, unfading, and eternal. You might say, what does that mean? It is where believers in Jesus Christ will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It is where there is no curse of sin, no needs to be met, no security system, and no light source. It is where believers will have true fellowship and where worship will be the consuming desire of all believers. For today’s world, it is wholly sufficient and worth more than any golden treasure or costly pearl.
The Jews thought they had the key to the kingdom of heaven because of their heritage, the chosen people of God. But Jesus did not say that it was enough just to hang around holy people, or be influenced by the Torah. Christ emphasized that the kingdom of heaven is only for those who gladly forsake everything to buy one treasure more precious than anything else possible to possess. Yet, most people pass by its richness on the broadway and never know it is there. They are on the I-5 freeway with the crowd when the directions God gave were to go over the Ortega highway.
The Spirit of God opens the heart to understand the inconceivable wealth of riches and blessing in His kingdom.
Those who get a glimpse of the value of the kingdom will then joyfully give all they have to obtain it.
The Apostle Matthew held a secure position as a government employee and tax-extortionist before Christ called him. He collected toll taxes from everyone who passed buy main crossroads in Capernaum, a city on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee. Yet when Christ called him, did he say, "Let me do this on the side?" No, Matthew left behind his lucrative black-mail business and followed Christ.
Jim Elliot, a martyred missionary to the Ecuadorian jungle Indians, wrote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose."
Must we literally sell everything and take an oath of poverty before we can be saved? No. What Scripture does mean is that saving faith retains no privileges. It clings to no cherished sins, no treasured possessions, no secret self-indulgences. It is an unconditional surrender, a willingness to do anything the Lord demands.
Eternal life is indeed a free gift (Rom. 6:23). Salvation cannot be earned with good deeds or purchased with money. Matthew 19:24 says that a rich man can no more buy his way into the Kingdom than a camel can go through the eye of a needle. Ephesians 2:9 says that salvation is "not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.". It has already been bought by Christ, who paid the ransom with His blood.
Yet, eternal life brings immediate death to self. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "2CO 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." ROM 6:6 also says, "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin."
Does the new recruit tell the drill officer when he wants to get up? No!
Likewise, faith is a total abandonment of self-will, like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground that dies to that it can bear much fruit. It is an exchange of all that we are for all that Christ is. True faith is humble, submissive obedience to divine authority. It is the inevitable expression of the new nature.
Augustine, a 4th century church leader, wrote, "Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all."
Moses counted the cost in Egypt. Was he going to conform himself to Pharoah’s ways? Hebrews tells us that he "consider[ed] the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward." (Heb. 11:26). To the Egyptians, it looked like Moses was trading riches for a reproach. Yet, Moses committed himself to the narrow way because he understood the priceless value of the kingdom of heaven.
That is the kind of totally committed response the Lord Jesus called for.
There were two responses in the parables:
The first was a transaction. The second response was joy.
Both men exchanged their futile possessions for eternal treasure.
Have you taken hold of the eternal treasure? I’m not talking about a fire or life insurance policy.
If you have the desire to turn from your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I would encourage you to tell this to God.
As Paul said, 2CO 6:2 "Behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation" --
2. The first response was a transaction. The second was that of joy.
Maybe you are delighting in the eternal treasure. I would encourage you to ponder on other parable:
LUK 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Have you ever tried to mow a lawn by looking behind your shoulder while pushing forward?
Lot’s wife tried this.
I have four questions for you. They have convicted me of how I need to change like you wouldn’t believe.
Question #1: What am I striving for?
Where is the heart? The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be? In your wallet? In your computer? In your mirror? In your car? In your stereo? In your office? In your school? Where is your heart? What are you striving for?
Question #2 What hindrances do I need to remove to serve Christ wholly?
An athlete will not splurge at 31 Flavors before the big race. He will dedicate himself to train for months before the big day. In the spiritual realm, we must ask ourselves, "Are there small ambitions which are hindering my walk and service to Christ?" What things crowd out my time with God? Especially, what things crowd out Bible reading and prayer?
Question #3 Do I act like a spiritual chameleon?
Does anyone here have a chameleon at home? What is unique about it? A chameleon changes color with its surroundings. If it is on a red tree trunk, it turns red. If it is on a green branch, it turns green.
Are we this way spiritually? Do we act a certain way at church, a different way with our friends, and a different way at home?
When we are out in the world, do we take part of those activities for which Christ died? That which Scripture calls sin…Do we laugh at it on the screen, excuse it with friends, or endorse it by forwarding it?
Do I act like a spiritual chameleon?
Question #4 Am I measuring myself by God’s Word or by my friends?
We might be comparing ourselves by our own standards if we are desiring:
A sense of personal achievement and esteem. In the parable of the publican and pharisee, the Pharisee called himself devout. Do we, like the Pharisee, boast of what we have done for God?
Our own standard of a desire to be well thought of by everyone. The Pharisees took up their places in the busy intersections of their day. But do we also desire to hear, "Look how spiritual he is!"
We might be measuring by our own standard if we succumb to the pressure to fit the Christian group in which I find myself. Like Simon, the magician, do we seek to keep up with the crowd for the crowd’s sake, and not for the Lord?
I would like to close with the lyrics of this song which summarizes these parables. It was one of my Dad’s favorite songs in the early ‘80s and has become special to me:
I guess it all comes down to where your heart is.
Its there your thoughts and feelings all begin,
and if you never give your heart to Jesus,
you’ll never really have a part with Him.
If your treasure is up in heaven,
Then you heart will be there too,
and the things you say and do will be with love.
But if your treasure is here on earth
tell me where your heart will be
you’ll never have apart of things above.
If your mind set on the Spirit,
And your walking in God’s love,
Then the watching world will see Christ’s life in you.
But if your mind is set on earthly things,
Then earthly things you’ll do,
In poverty you’ll live your whole life through.
For a man looks on the outside,
Only outward things he sees
He can never look down deep inside your heart
Only God knows what you think and feel,
His eyes are just right there,
He sees you as you’ve been right from the start.
So I guess it all comes down to where your heart is.
Its there your thoughts and feelings all begin,
and if you never give your heart to Jesus,
you’ll never really have a part with Him.
I guess it all comes down to where your heart is.
Have we exchanged all that we are for all that Christ is?