Matthew 13:44-58
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Dragnet
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"
They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."
52 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" 57 So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Do we seek the kingdom of heaven to know and please God? Or do we reject it in disbelief? That is the question Jesus addressed in these last few parables. He first spoke of how desire for God’s kingdom drives one to give all they have to gain that treasure once it has been revealed and offered to them just like a chest of all manner of wealth given and bought in the field it lies in as told here. That kingdom is also compared to a priceless perfect pearl that a merchant comes across in his journeys and business dealings. When he sees this treasure that exceeds all others in value, he also gives up all else he has to buy this kingdom of infinite value. Nothing he owns or has come across is worth handing onto once this invaluable treasure is obtained. Then the Lord tells of how the kingdom of heaven resembles a fishing net that brings up and gathers together all kinds of fish from the sea, but not all are kept for that kingdom. The good ones are kept for the master of the kingdom of heaven while the bad ones are cast away. He explains this straightaway by telling his listeners that in the end on judgment day the angels will separate the chosen just and justified (Romans 3:26, Galatians 3:11) good from the rejected and wicked ones to be thrown into the fiery hell (Hebrews 10:27) of eternal conscious punishment. These fish from the sea will either be of God in Christ and kept forever or not of Him and rejected as they rejected Him. The kingdom of heaven is reserved for those chosen to desire Him above all else and who have turned from sin to Him by faith. After these parables, Jesus went to where He grew up and found they rejected Him and were offended at the one they thought they knew but denied for who He told them He was. They did not believe or receive (John 1:12) Him or value the kingdom of heaven. He therefore told them that He could find no honor there as the prophets before Him and so was unable to do many miraculous works among those who did not believe because it was the faith of those needing a physician (Mark 2:17, 6:5-6) who were healed by Him. Those not trusting Him and taking Jesus at His word were unable to receive the kingdom due to their unwillingness to receive Him by faith and value that kingdom above all else. They were unwilling to give up their lives to find them (Matthew 16:25). Do we still value the infinite treasure of the kingdom of heaven more than anything?
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