Matthew 13:44-52
Is this all there is to life? There has to be something more. Can we simply be born
with only the destiny to die? Life has to have more meaning behind it? Where can
this importance be? Where can it be found? How do I find meaning? And so the
questions go for the searching inquisitive minds. There are countless millions in
our world searching and searching for meaning. Life in and of itself forces people
to wonder if there is something more. You look at the earth and all of the
intricacies. How unique everything is in the world. You hear about the
breakthroughs of science which reveal that no two DNA sequences are the same.
There must be something more, there has to be! And so the search goes on. Sadly
there are plenty of captivating messages out there that could bide the attention of
a searching individual. Whether it is the mind pleasing choosing to believe and
accepting Jesus false teachings, or the work your way up the spiritual ladder false
teachings, or the Biblical teachings that you hear taught and preached throughout
the Lutheran church. The inquisitive mind goes on a bit of a hunt to find meaning.
People as they are searching for meaning usually stumble upon God’s word when
reading about it in a paper, on a flyer, or talking with a neighbor. It is through
these types of opportunities that individuals are put into contact with the Gospel.
Their inquisitiveness has searched and the Spirit reveals to them the gospel. They
can now see through the Spirit’s power how much the Gospel is worth. They then
learn about the judgment of souls at the end of the age and are encouraged by
this message to learn more and share what they have learned both new and old.
Through parables today Jesus shows us two specific examples of men searching
and finding and being filled with joy that things of this world would not hold them
back. We then see Jesus using the picture of a fishing net which catches the good
and the bad and then Jesus tells the disciples that this is how it will be at the end
of the age. So Jesus then encourages his disciples to be faithful in study and the
proclamation of his Holy Word.
So let’s take a look at the first two examples of the inquisitive minds that went
searching. Jesus said: 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had
and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking
for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold
everything he had and bought it.
Jesus in this parable gives us a picture of two men who are searching. When they
find the treasure, or in this case the Gospel, they are filled with such joy that
nothing can keep them from having it and keeping it. There’s one little problem
here though. We confess that we cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe
in God or come to him. So if we at all are having a thought that these men, found
it and then chose to believe it we would be mistaken Paul clearly shows us in 2
Thessalonians that we have been called through the gospel. How else would we
know that these men didn’t stumble upon the Gospel and choose to believe it?
What is mans natural reaction to the Gospel? Paul says in to the Corinthians that
it is foolishness to those who do not believe.
So then how did these men see the worth of the Gospel? It can only be through
the Almighty powers of the Holy Spirit. We confess in the third article that the
Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel. So the very message that these men found,
when they heard it, the Spirit worked through the word and these men were
enlightened to the immeasurable worth of the Gospel.
See their reactions? They didn’t care what the cost they were going to hold onto
their treasure, the Gospel. Once these men had the most precious thing in this
world, the saving words of Jesus, nothing else mattered. They didn’t care of their
possessions or their earthly wealth. They had Jesus, they knew they were saved.
That’s all they would ever need.
Sadly I look at the reaction of the two men in the parable and when I look in the
mirror as well as look out at all of you, I can see how the Gospel message doesn’t
bring this same kind of joy to us. This 21st century world has tried its hardest to
choke the message or subdue it to the point that we would like to worry about
everything else. Whether it is our Roth IRAS or 401ks, the housing market, the
unemployment rate, or in general money, these things seem to outweigh the value
and worth of the Gospel. One way to see it is that people claim that they have to
work every day of the week in order to make ends meet. There is no time for
church or the Gospel. What’s wrong with this line of thinking? Where does God
line up in our priorities? Is he the most precious treasure that no matter how
many thousands we lose, it won’t matter, we still have Jesus? Satan has for years
played and preyed on the thought that if he can get something in this world to find
more worth that Jesus in an individual’s life, Satan likes his odds for victory.
So where do we turn? Our temptation is to turn to something that brings about
visual and real change that we can see and feel.
Jesus however tells us to turn to him. Take all that we have and worry about to
him in prayer and he will answer our prayers. Did you lose your job? Money?
Possessions? Pray to your Savior about these things he wants you to rely on him
and focus on him and count on him. He wants you to look to what he has done for
you to put your mind at ease. Look at all of the demands that that Lord has for
being saved, See that Jesus has fulfilled all of these demands with his perfect life
and death and resurrection. Jesus is our priceless treasure. We have him in each
of our lives and we know there is nothing in this world, neither heights or depths
nor angels or demons, neither life or death can keep Jesus from us.
To help cement in stone the very worth of the Gospel Jesus brings our attention to
the end of the age. He points out to us that with Jesus and the Gospel in our life
we are safe and calm.
Jesus said: 47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down
into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it
up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but
threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will
come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus gives us a description of the end of the age. I find it fascinating how he uses
the very picture that fits his audience. What a masterful teacher Jesus was.
Remember most of his disciples and followers were the blue collar fishermen types
and so when Jesus used this description in this parable it hit home for many of
them! When Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven to a net, the Greek there
shows us that he isn’t talking about a single fish net, but a dragnet. This net was
so large and tall that the tops of it would skim the surface while the bottom of it
would drudge the bottom of the lake. This would happen so that there is no
escape for any of the fish in the lake. There is nowhere to run.
And so it will be at the end of the age Jesus says. The net will gather the good with
the bad and the good will be sorted out from the bad. The good will be brought to
heaven the bad will be condemned to hell. Here is the utmost importance of
having that treasure isn’t it? And not only for ourselves to have it but our family
members and our friends and neighbors and coworkers. When the end comes
there is no escaping it. At that time all people will be separated on the bases of
faith in Jesus or no faith in Jesus.
Because this is such a serious matter Jesus made sure that his disciples understood
what he was talking about. The disciples nodding their heads that they
understood, then Jesus said: “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been
instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings
out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Here is a wonderful piece of advice from our Savior. Bring out the oldies and
goodies but also don’t stop gaining wisdom and learning from the word.
A teacher and for that matter all Christians are dedicated to a life of learning. So
many might become lazy in their learning and ignore opportunities to grow in their
faith. Many people right here have the opportunities coming up this new school
year. There will be a couple Bible studies offered a week. This will allow all of us
to grow in the word and know our savior even better.
So what is our motivation to do these things? Well it’s three fold really. First, we
further our study to keep ourselves sharp, and strong in the faith. Secondly the
more we know about the Word, the easier it is to share the knowledge we have
with others. Finally, we are surrounded by all of the evil in this age and this is
Jesus’ way of keeping us close to him and equipped to fight off all of the sin and
temptation and anything else Satan might tempt us with.
Last week Jesus used the imagery of growing like a wheat stalk. What limps with
that illustration is that none of us here are done growing until Jesus calls us home.
As a farming community we all can see when the wheat is ready to be picked and
it normally does not take a life time. But today with the knowledge of the end of
the age we look to the Bible and all it has to teach us and realize there is so much
more growth for all of us to experience. When I look at my own life as your pastor,
from my perspective I only feel like a shoot coming out of the ground. So much
more to learn, and I have had 20 years of Christian education. Still much room to
grow.
God has marvelously equipped his followers with his word. The Spirit reveals the
worth of the Gospel to all of us. We are reminded time and time again that at the
end of the world all will be judged there will be no escape, so our mission is never
over until Jesus calls us home. Use the oldies that we have known since a child,
but continue to study God’s word to put new treasures into your storehouse, not
just for your own spiritual welfare but also for those you share it with.
AMEN