Matthew 13:44-50

Matthew 13:44-50

The kingdom of heaven is similar to a treasure having been hidden in a field, which after finding it a man causes it to be kept safe.  And from his joy he goes away and sells everything – whatever he has – and he buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant while seeking good pearls.  And after finding one valuable pearl, after going away he has sold everything – whatever he has – and bought it.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a long dragnet thrown into the sea after also gathering some out of every kind – which whenever it was being filled after being pulled up upon the shore and after sitting down they gathered the good ones into containers and they cast away the bad ones.  Thus it will be in the completion of the age.  The angels will come out and they will set apart the evil ones out of the midst of the righteous ones.  And they will throw them into the furnace of fire.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The first two parables are all about understanding the value of the kingdom of heaven.  It is so easy to undervalue things that often feel understated.  After all, can we easily touch the kingdom of heaven?  Can we exist fully in the kingdom of heaven at this point in our existence?  It is so easy to overvalue the things of this world and not value the things of the kingdom enough.  But Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like something of great value found unexpectedly.  Once we see the value in it, we leverage all that we can to possess it.

What are you willing to leverage for the kingdom?  What is the value of the kingdom of heaven to you?

Second Thought:

I love the fact that Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a dragnet.  It catches all kinds of people.  It isn’t like a fisherman who is fishing for just bass or trout.  It’s a dragnet that is capable and willing to catch anything.  There is nothing too big or too small to be caught by the dragnet.  That’s an awesome comparison.

What does this parable have to say about the variety of people called by God?  How does this passage speak to you about God’s desire to know and be in relationship with you?

Third Thought:

We cannot look at this third parable of the day and ignore the idea of judgment.  Once more we see that Jesus speaks about judgment at the end of the age.  But notice that Jesus is consistent.  At the end of the age, it will be the evil ones who are sorted out from the midst of the righteous.  In yesterday’s parable we heard about how the undesirable seed will be gathered first and pulled away from the good.  Here we have the evil ones being cast away from the midst of the righteous.  God will appoint the reapers and the sorters – He will appoint His angels to do the task.  But there will be judgment.  It will be the evil ones who are cast away.

What do you think about the parallels of all of these parables?  How do you feel about conceptualizing God as a God of judgment?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 13:51-52