Sunday's Message: The Parables of the Gospel of Matthew (The Kingdom of Heaven - Matthew 13:44-48)

During the months of October and November, we're discussing the following parables unique to the Gospel of Matthew:

• October 8 - Wolves & Fig Trees (Matthew 7:15-20)
• October 15 - Weeds with the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30)
• October 22 - The Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:44-48)
• October 29 - The Two Debtors (Matthew 18:23-35)
• November 5 - Laborers in a Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)
• November 12 - Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
• November 19 - The Wise and the Foolish (Matthew 25:1-13)
• November 26 - Sheep from Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

On Sunday, we focused on the three Kingdom of Heaven parables found in Matthew 13:44-48. A recording and a copy of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m. (EDT)

Now, if a casual acquaintance comes up to you and says, “It’s good to see you,” it would be appropriate for you to say something like, “Well, thank you. It’s good to see you too.” Now that would be a polite response, one that communicates that you acknowledge the kindness conveyed in the original greeting but then goes a step farther by reciprocating without adding anything that could be taken as sarcastic or patronizing. In other words, for an employee to say this to her boss or a young person to his prospective in-laws or an old minister to a member of his congregation, this would be a strategically sound response. Of course, if you don’t want to be polite or kind, or if you enjoy being sarcastic or patronizing, in other words, if you no longer care about being promoted or have decided to spend every Christmas and Thanksgiving at home alone or maybe are considering another line of work, then, when greeted with “It’s good to see you,” you might consider something like, “Well, it’s good to be seen.” I’ll tell you, that’s the response of either a jerk or someone who’s not really as funny as he thinks he is.

Now, I’m telling you this today, because I’m about to violate this unwritten rule. You see, on Monday and Tuesday, Debbie and I tested positive for COVID; therefore, we’ve been in quarantine for the last six days, together. And I’ve got to tell you, it feels great to be seen by anybody. Now that’s not to say it hasn’t been wonderful to be encased in a house with a dog and a spouse for what, about twelve days. You see, as we all know, too much bliss can drive a person crazy. And if you don’t believe me, ask either my dog or my spouse. 

Anyway, starting today, we’re all three out of quarantine, just in time to continue our series on the parables offered by Jesus that are found only in the Gospel of Matthew. And as y’all remember, we’ve already talked about the parables of the wolves and the fig trees as well as the parable of the weeds with the wheat, both of which deal with the presence of folks within the church and the world that most of us would rather stay on the other side of the street.

And this morning, we’re going to continue by focusing on three little parables from the thirteenth chapter of Matthew that develop an idea introduced in the story we looked at last week, namely what Jesus called the “Kingdom of Heaven.” You see, for the next ten minutes or so, we’re going to use these three very short parables to better understand the nature of God’s rule as well as how it might affect us right here and right now. And to do that, we’re going to look at each of the parables individually, and I’ll tell you why. I think each one presents an important characteristic of Heaven’s Kingdom that can shape our perspective, and I’m talking about how we see ourselves and God and others. And let me tell you, to do that I won’t be reading from the Contemporary English Version, because in this particular passage, I believe the New Revised Standard is closer to the original Greek; therefore, closer to what Jesus actually said. Now that’s going to be our focus this morning, 

For example, like I said a minute ago, based on what Jesus taught his disciples, I think understanding the Kingdom of Heaven can shape how we see ourselves, and I’m talking about how we see ourselves both as members of the Body of Christ and the human race. Now that’s the first way it can reshape our perspective. In other words, I believe our sense of self changes when we begin to see ourselves as men and women under the rule of God. And I’ll tell you, I think we can see the reason for this shift in the first little parable within this trilogy. I mean, Jesus said this:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. [Matthew 13:44, NRSVUE]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and just think about what’s happening here. You see, for him, the Kingdom of Heaven is like this treasure that had been hidden in a field. Now, we don’t know why someone went to trouble to hide it nor do we know when it was hidden. Man, we don’t even know who hid it, because Jesus never tells us; therefore, it must not be important. All we know is that it was a treasure, in other words, something of high value. And we know that it was hidden in a field for whatever reason. And we know that it was somehow found by a person who wasn’t looking for anything of value in the first place, in other words, someone who didn’t have treasure maps and who didn’t own a metal detector. In fact, Jesus in no way suggests that this finder was more intelligent or more spiritual or more deserving than anyone else. Man, in the parable, he’s just a guy in a field. And yet, when he stumbles on this treasure he does something remarkable. As a matter of fact, he does something that, a little later, the rich young man wouldn’t do when Jesus told him it was the way to receive eternal life. You see, this lucky guy sells everything he has in order to buy his field of dreams. Now, that’s how Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s like a treasure hidden in a field. That’s what Jesus taught.

And like I said, I believe when we remember this, man, it can change the way we see ourselves. I mean, think about it; it’s got to make us more humble, doesn’t it? My goodness, this incredibly valuable treasure, something for which we might sacrifice everything, isn’t behind castle walls nor surrounded with thorny bushes nor protected by a dragon. It’s just out in the field with the weeds and the wheat. And I’ll tell you, to claim it, that doesn’t demand that we be strong or smart or courageous. Man, we’ve just got to be the only place we can be, in that field, wandering around until we stumble upon it. I’ll tell you, what happens in this parable sounds less like a quest and more like an accident, an accident that should probably make us feel pretty humble and really lucky but one that can also, at the same time, fill us with all kinds of happiness and hope, because even though we may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer nor the shiniest apples on the tree, God loves us so much that his rule can be stumbled upon by the likes of us. Praise the Lord. You see, because it’s like a treasure hidden in a field, the Kingdom of Heaven can shape the way we see ourselves. And that’s the first way it can change our perspective. But that’s not all.

Because, second, I believe it can also shape the way we see God, and in particular, how we see his desire to include us as citizens within his kingdom. In other words, I think our understanding of who God is and why he’s done for us what he’s done becomes a heck of a lot clearer when we accept another characteristic of his rule, one that Jesus offered in the second of these parables. Just listen to what he said:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. [Matthew 13:45-46, NRSVUE]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and I believe it’s really important to listen carefully to his actual words. You see, Jesus didn’t say the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fine pearl, you know, something else of great value. I mean, if he had, with a few very minor differences, the first two parables would be pretty much identical, right? Both would be about finding and selling and buying something incredibly precious. But that’s not what Jesus said. Instead, he said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant who searches just as it’s also like a treasure that’s found. And in my opinion, I think that’s crucial, and I’ll tell you why. Based on what Jesus said, God isn’t passive, waiting to be found nor is his kingdom. No, instead, he’s actively searching, just like a merchant looking for fine pearls. Of course, he’s not looking for precious metal or gem stones or any other physical treasure. Instead, he’s searching for us, isn’t he; for a bunch of people wandering around in a field. I mean, he’s actively looking for men and women who are actually so confused that some of them have convinced themselves that they have the ability to find God rather than the other way around. And I’m telling you, it’s those pearls of great value that the merchant finds. And just like the guy who stumbled onto the hidden treasure was willing to do, this businessman who has it all and who knew right where to look, he too sacrifices everything to redeem something that, for him, has profound value. You see, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. That’s what Jesus taught.

And I’ll tell you, that’s something else I think we need to remember, because when we do, it’ll shape the way we see God. I mean, no longer will he just be up there out there, the impersonal driver of the universe, the one who just set things in motion and then stepped back to admire his work. No, instead he’s the one who led Israel through the Wilderness into the Promised Land. And he’s the one who came down as one of us because, when you get right down to it, there’s no way we would ever be able to reach up to him. And he’s the one who filled us with his Spirit so that our eyes and our minds and our hearts might be open. In fact, he’s the one who caused a slave-trader to change his life and to write these words:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind but now I see [John Newton]

You see, while the Kingdom may humble us, in our eyes, it also exalts the love and the sacrifice of God, leading us to offer him all kinds of thanks and praise. Why; because his kingdom is like a merchant seeking fine pearls; therefore, it can shape the way we see God. And that’s the second way it can change our perspective. 

And third, if we listen to how it’s described by Jesus, I believe the Kingdom of Heaven can also shape the way we see others, and I’m talking about other people: the good, the bad and the ugly. Just listen to the third Kingdom parable:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. [Matthew 13:47-48, NRSVUE]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and just try to visualize what he described. Just like the Kingdom is like a hidden treasure and searching merchant, it’s also like this huge fish net that was thrown into the sea. In fact, it’s the biggest drag net in the entire world. And because it’s so big, all kinds of fish are being caught, some that you might expect to see on the menu in Gordon Ramsey’s seafood restaurant at the Savoy Hotel in London while others may be more comfortable on a bun at McDonald’s, while still others are just taking up space in the net. You see, they’ve all been gathered together. And isn’t that really the job of a net, to bring in the whole catch? And when the time is right, the guys doing the fishing, they’re going to haul the net onto the shore and then the sorting begins, with the Arctic Char going to Gordon and the cod going to Long John Silver and the boarfish, well going wherever boarfish caught in a net go. You see, as it is with every great catch of fish, eventually a sorting will take place, but it’s not happening as the net is doing its thing and it sure as heck isn’t being done by the fish themselves. You see, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea. That’s what Jesus taught.

And as it was with the other two, this is something else I think we need to remember, especially when we assume that, of course, we must be the arctic char because we’re just so darn tasty, but also that we have the right to toss out the boarfish, because we know they aren’t good enough to be with us. I mean, if we take Jesus at his word, man, we’ve got to recognize that, at the present time, those who make up the Kingdom of Heaven, well, we’re kind of a mixed bag, made up of a lot of different people, from a lot of different places, who speak a lot of different languages and who hold a lot of different ideas and beliefs. Of course, this is really the same kind of thing Jesus said when he taught that God knows that there are both weeds and wheat in his field. Remember the Kingdom is like a net, not a baited hook. And as a bunch of those fish in the net, well, maybe it makes sense to spend our time trying to figure out how we should be living as citizens of the Kingdom rather than in trying to give the boot, or maybe better the tail to those we’re sure don’t belong and never will. In other words, as we look at the folks around us, maybe we should relax. And maybe we should be patient, trusting that God is not mocked and that the final decision about our future and their future belongs to him, not us. And maybe we should devote ourselves to becoming the best char or cod or boarfish we can be, knowing that our definitive value is based on who he is not what we think and that our ultimate destinies are in his loving hands and not our soggy fins. You see, according to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven really is like a net that was thrown into the sea. And because it is, that can shape the way we see others. And that’s the third way it can change our perspective.

Well, today I’m feeling a whole lot better than I did a few days ago. In fact, outside of this sort of metallic taste I’ve got in my mouth, something that can be made a lot better by a few peppermint Altoids and a couple of pieces of anise candy, I’d say I’m at least 85% this morning. And that’s a good thing, because I want to be 100% for our deacons meeting on Tuesday evening. Still, how I’m feeling right now is almost unimportant when compared to the reality and the nature and the impact of God’s rule. But thanks to the three parables we considered this morning, I hope our understanding of what it’s all about has increased and our perspectives have changed. I mean, thanks to what Jesus said to his disciples, we know that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; therefore, we can be a little more humble and happy as we view ourselves. And we know the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; therefore, we can be more willing to offer thanks and praise as we view God. And we know the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea; therefore, we can be more aware and patient as we view others. And next week, we’ll look at a parable that I think is profoundly practical and applicable, the parable of the two debtors from Matthew 18.