Text of sermon delivered on 10/15/23 at Vineyard Church Peoria.
For 35 years, Bob Barker hosted the Price is Right. Contestants would be called out of the studio audience to play various games about the price of standard grocery store items. How much is a can of tuna? Is this can of yams more or less than the dish soap? In later years, after Bob retired, Drew Carry hosted the show with virtually no change in the format. The only thing that changed was the price of the products over the years. Today’s message is all about value and what something is really worth.
Let’s open God’s word and consider a pair of parables specifically about the Kingdom of God. Matthew records, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:44–46, NLT)
These two parables are closely linked. So much so that they seem to be saying the same thing in a different way. And in my digging into this (no pun intended), something kept nagging at me about these. They are similar and yet very different. They are more like two sides of the same coin held in tension, revealing a wonderful truth.
The Treasure
In the first parable, a man digs holes in someone else’s field. Why? We don’t normally go around randomly digging holes on someone else’s property. If you went home this afternoon and found someone digging holes in your yard, you’d probably be pretty upset. It could be that the man was a servant or employed to dig a ditch, put in a fence, or perhaps dig a well for someone. Those are the plausible explanations anyway.
So the man dug a hole and found a treasure. In his excitement, he hid it. Again, why? Why hide the treasure again? There is an explanation for that one. The law of the land was that if he lifted the treasure out of the hole, it would belong to the field owner. But he becomes the rightful and lawful owner by burying it and buying the field first.
The man then goes and sells everything he owns and buys the field. This wasn’t a moment of sorrow but of great joy. In this exchange, he traded everything to gain the treasure.
That is the whole nut of this parable. The kingdom of Christ is so valuable and desirable that it is worth giving up everything to gain it. But here, we must be careful. For you see, Jesus’ intention isn’t that we purchase the kingdom but that we willingly push aside those things that get in our way of fully enjoying the kingdom.
The apostle Paul wrestled with this exchange as well. “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. “(Philippians 3:7–9a, NLT)
Let me assure you that God doesn’t need your money and possessions. This isn’t a message about giving to the local church. Christ’s message is about changing our value system and reconsidering where our treasure really is. Consider this from Mark’s Gospel “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41–44, NLT).
There are many examples that we could pull from. There’s Peter, Andrew, James, and John as they dropped their fishing nets, their careers, and their livelihoods to follow Jesus when He called to them. There’s the example of the rich young ruler who was also invited to follow Jesus but couldn’t give up all that he had. Let’s take a closer look at that one.
“Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “ ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” 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.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” (Matthew 19:16–22, NLT)
This young man contrasts with our hole-digging friend in the parable. Notice the emotions. The man in the parable was excited and joyful; the young man who encountered Jesus went away sad and grieving. Why? Again, it all boils down to the value that we assign to the things in our lives.
What things? Are we just talking about money and possessions? The obvious answer is no. There are many things that we value greatly. Time, for instance. Our thoughts and opinions, for another. Friendships and family are also included in things. Our reputation, careers, and identity are counted in these “things.” In truth, nothing is more valuable than gaining Christ and His kingdom. Nothing.
So, to gain the Kingdom, I must give up everything and adopt a solitary life in a cave somewhere? Of course not. Yes, there are some things we may want to give away. But, in most instances, it is about changing our valuation of those other things compared to our desire to engage with Christ’s kingdom more fully. What that exactly means for you is between you and the Holy Spirit. It’s not our job or responsibility to tell others what those values should be.
The Pearl
Let’s shift gears and consider the second parable. On the surface, this parable seems like a reframing of the first. The difference is that one accidentally discovered the treasure while the second diligently searched for it. And in the first draft of this message, that was my direction. All the commentaries I looked at pointed that way. But something kept nagging at me: there is a difference between the parables that demands attention.
Let’s reread them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:44–46, NLT) The difference is in the simile.
In the first parable, the kingdom is like a treasure…. The kingdom is like a merchant seeking choice pearls in the second parable. That is a significant difference, but what does it mean?
As I said in the beginning, these parables are two sides of the same coin holding a truth in tension. What I see is this. The first parable is about us. We are the ones discovering the treasure of the kingdom. The second parable is about Jesus himself. Jesus is the merchant seeking and buying the exquisite pearl.
Consider this from the writings of Paul to the church of Phillipi. “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5–11, NLT)
Jesus also gave everything to gain the kingdom. Or, more specifically, to gain us. In my mind, we, the followers of Jesus throughout time (also called the church), are the pearl of exquisite value. Jesus gave up everything, even suffered a cruel and humiliating death, so that you and I could joyously enter into a relationship with God.
Jesus often spoke of His mission. Consider this parable from Luke’s Gospel. “So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” (Luke 15:3–7, NLT)
This parable makes a different point, but it does overlap with what we’ve discussed. The shepherd diligently searched for one lost lamb instead of saying, “Not worth it.” That lost lamb was “worth it.” You are “worth it.” The people that you’re praying for are “worth it.”
The truth revealed in the tension between the two sides of our coin is this – the kingdom is worth it.
A Kingdom Perspective
As we consider this truth that the Kingdom is worth it, let’s adjust our view slightly. You see, we often consider the Kingdom externally. We talk about expanding the Kingdom and increasing the Kingdom’s impact on the world. We rightly pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I’m not dismissing that way of looking at things, but hopefully, I want to remind us that there is another perspective to adopt. An internal perspective.
The kingdom work isn’t just making the world right or better; it is about us more fully embracing and inviting Christ’s rule and reign in us. At this point, we need to be honest with ourselves. There are aspects of life and faith where we are entirely sold out to God. But we also withhold parts of our life and faith from Christ’s rule and reign. I have them. Most are good things with a higher priority than they should have. But, being honest, there are also plenty of things that I can identify as not being under Christ’s rule, either partially or fully.
The goal here is to continue the journey of more fully embracing and expanding Christ’s kingdom in me. I hope the same can be said of you, that you, too, are joyously embracing that journey of discovery and change.
Let me close with this as my invitation and challenge. Consider our walk of faith to be like a car traveling down life’s highway. For some, Jesus is not in the car at all; they have yet to discover the treasure. Some keep Jesus in the trunk of the car with the spare tire. Hey, it’s a start. For them, Jesus is there when life blows out a tire or their life breaks down. Some wise folks on life’s highway invite Jesus into the car’s back seat. They talk with Jesus. Maybe to complain, shoot the breeze, or get some idea of what life is all about. Others invite Jesus to ride shotgun as they travel life’s highway. They ask about which way to go. Sometimes following Jesus’ directions, sometimes going their own way. Lastly, some stop the car, step out from behind the wheel, and ask Jesus to drive while they ride shotgun. Those folks have entirely given everything to gain the kingdom of Christ. Because the price is right, the kingdom is worth it.
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