More Kingdom Parables

Do you recognize them all?

Sometimes I’m surprised at how little I remember a verse or passage—even after years of reading the gospels.

There are four parables in today’s passage, all again related to the kingdom: treasure in the field, a merchant looking for pearls, a fish net, and treasures new and old. Each parable adds another angle to the nature of the kingdom: it’s hidden, costly, expansive, and rooted in both continuity and renewal.

The latter two are quite unfamiliar to me. I imagine I’m not alone. They are simple, so perhaps they are not usually chosen as a focus either for preachers or biblical commentators.

There’s nothing much profound to say with this notation, just that it’s yet another reason that returning again and again to the gospels of Jesus is important.

Then we have Matthew’s version of Jesus returning to his hometown, which is much shorter than Luke’s. Though Matthew does not name it, we know from the few details that it must be Nazareth. Regardless, it is not a great homecoming here, either. So much so, that Jesus couldn’t do many miracles there.

This again speaks to context at the reception of Jesus and the gospel. It must be received and cannot be forced.

Matthew 13:44-58

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that people threw into the lake and gathered all kinds of fish. When it was full, they pulled it to the shore, where they sat down and put the good fish together into containers. But the bad fish they threw away. That’s the way it will be at the end of the present age. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from the righteous people, and will throw the evil ones into a burning furnace. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.

“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

They said to him, “Yes.”

Then he said to them, “Therefore, every legal expert who has been trained as a disciple for the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings old and new things out of their treasure chest.”

When Jesus finished these parables, he departed. When he came to his hometown, he taught the people in their synagogue. They were surprised and said, “Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get the power to work miracles? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? Aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? And his sisters, aren’t they here with us? Where did this man get all this?” They were repulsed by him and fell into sin.

But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns and in their own households.” He was unable to do many miracles there because of their disbelief.

Psalm 119:14–16

I rejoice in the content of your laws as if I were rejoicing over great wealth.
I will think about your precepts and examine all your paths.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget what you have said.

Prayer

God,

Help me to recognize your Kingdom at work. I have all sorts of terms and regulations in my mind that set its boundaries. But I’ve found I’m often wrong. So help me, God.

Give me grace for myself and others. Help me receive your judgment appropriately for myself and keep me from claiming such authority over others.

My time, energy, and effort are limited. Don’t let me waste them on things you haven’t asked of me. Instead, throw me into the works you do intend.

By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.