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.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And 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.” – Matthew 13:44-52 ESV
Jesus continues His use of parables to describe the true nature of the kingdom of heaven. And while He had explained the parable of the sower, the soil, and the seed, these parables are presented without any further annotation or comment. Jesus has told His disciples that they were being given access to “secret” information regarding the kingdom of the Messiah that had been hidden from others. These men had been handpicked by God the Father and assigned the task of assisting Jesus in His earthly ministry. Jesus made this point perfectly clear in His high priestly prayer recorded in John’s gospel.
“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” – John 17:6-8 ESV
This grouping of kingdom parables was intended to prepare the disciples for what was to come. Presented in rapid-fire succession, these three parables each provide a different perspective concerning the coming kingdom. Yet they are all intended to provide the disciples with insight into the kingdom’s value, and the cost associated with its discovery. At this point in their relationship with Jesus, these men had no idea what was coming their way. They were oblivious as to the true nature of the kingdom Jesus had come to establish, and they were blissfully unaware of the personal price they would each pay for being a part of it.
And yet, when Jesus asked them, “Have you understood all these things?”, they responded, “Yes” (Matthew 13:51 ESV). Let’s face it, these men were drinking from the proverbial fire hose. They were being inundated with so much new and contradictory information that their capacity to take it all in was stretched to the max.
If they got anything out of Jesus’ collection of kingdom parables, it was probably the idea of cost. Jesus stressed that point in two of the parables by portraying someone willing to sacrifice all that he had in order to purchase something of greater value.
…a man…goes and sells all that he has and buys that field… – vs. 44
…a merchant…sold all that he had and bought it… – vs. 45
The kingdom was worth any cost to obtain. That is what Jesus is trying to explain to His disciples. Yes, they will gain greatly from their participation in the kingdom, but not without cost. While salvation is free, made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, it does require commitment.
In the first parable, Jesus described a man who found a valuable treasure in a field. But the field did not belong to him, so the treasure was not legally his to possess. So, greatly desiring to make the treasure his own, he sold all his earthly possessions and used the money to purchase the field. He had discovered something in that field that no one else knew existed. And he recognized that it was of far greater value and worth than anything else he possessed.
Jesus had already told His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NLT). And Matthew will later record Jesus telling His disciples, “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25 ESV). The kingdom life is a rich and satisfying life, but it does require commitment and comes with high costs.
Jesus is trying to let His disciples know that the benefits of the kingdom of heaven are future-oriented. Unlike the kingdom the Jews were expecting, the full import of the Messiah’s kingdom will not be fully realized in this life. In fact, Jesus will later give the disciples some important details regarding life in His kingdom. Matthew records an encounter Jesus had with a young man who was very wealthy. This well-off and well-intentioned young man presented Jesus with a question: “what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:17 NLT). He was looking for the one thing he didn’t have and couldn’t buy: Eternal life. But he believed he could somehow earn it. So, Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21 NLT). But upon hearing these words from Jesus, the young man walked away dejectedly, “for he had many possessions” (Matthew 19:22 NLT).
What Jesus said next is very important. He told the disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19:23 NLT). This statement blew the disciples away because, like all Jews, they believed wealth was a sign of a man’s righteousness and God’s blessing. So, Peter interpreted Jesus’ words as meaning that self-sacrifice was the key to reward, which is what led him to respond: “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” (Matthew 19:27 NLT). Then Jesus replied:
“I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” – Matthew 19:28-30 NLT
They would receive their reward in the future. The kingdom of heaven would not come to earth until the Son of Man was sitting on His glorious throne after His second coming. In the meantime, the sons of the kingdom would be required to sacrifice all in this life. Unlike the rich young man who refused to give up earthly treasures for a future heavenly reward, the disciples would find themselves sacrificing the temporal for the eternal.
Jesus’ second parable supports this point. A merchant in search of a pearl of great value finally finds what he has been looking for, and immediately sells all he has to possess it. He spares no expense to make this treasure his own. He considers his current possessions as expendable, and any price he must pay, justifiable. Again, Jesus seems to be emphasizing the future reward of the kingdom. In both parables, the men had to sell all they had before they were able to enjoy the treasure they sought. This would have taken time. It would have required a period of great sacrifice and incredible commitment as they slowly sold off all they owned. The enjoyment of the reward would have had a built-in delay. And in the meantime, they would have experienced the obvious ramifications that accompanied the selling off of all their earthly possessions. Until the first man had raised the full price for the land and the second man was able to afford the cost of the pearl, they would have done without. But they were willing. For them, future reward was worth the price of present sacrifice.
The third parable Jesus told, while slightly different in nature, continues to support His overall premise. In this story, Jesus used imagery familiar to His disciples. He described a fishing net being thrown into the sea. As any fisherman knew, this process would have taken time. The net would not immediately fill up with fish but would do so over an extended period of time. When the signs indicated that the net was full, the fishermen would have hauled it to the surface. At that point, there would be a process of sorting the catch, keeping some while throwing out others. And Jesus made His point perfectly clear, “So it will be at the end of the age” (Matthew 13:49 ESV). At the present time, the net of the Gospel is in the “sea” of the world. One day, it will be slowly gathered in, but not all who find themselves within the net will end up as part of the kingdom of heaven. There is a future day coming when Jesus will differentiate between the good and the bad, the saved and the lost, the sons of the kingdom, and the sons of the evil one.
If you recall, Jesus has already taught His disciples that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Not all who appear to serve Him will be accepted by Him in His future kingdom (Matthew 7:21-23).
But for those who are willing to sacrifice now, their future reward will be great. Those who are sons and daughters of the kingdom will discover this life to be one of great cost. It will require endurance. It will demand commitment. But it will be well worth it. Remember the words of Jesus in His sermon on the mount.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” – Matthew 5:10-12 ESV
Those who are willing to sacrifice now, placing their hope and trust in the future reward promised to them in Christ will not be disappointed. One day, they will hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 ESV).
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
