That item you’ve seen advertised is exactly what you have wanted for the longest time. The bad thing is that it costs quite a lot out of your budget. However, if you really want this item, you will need to save up for it. But since it is valuable, and something you really, really want, that should not be a problem. The more that you want something, the more effort you are willing to take, the more sacrifice you are willing to make to get this treasure. Our Gospel reading today gives several short parables of what the kingdom of heaven is like, examples that Jesus gave us, some of which describe making a sacrifice in order to be a part of this kingdom.
The first, very short parable that Jesus told compares the kingdom of heaven to that of a mustard plant (vs. 31-32). Several times throughout Scripture, Jesus used the very tiny mustard seed as an example. Mustard plants were common in the Middle East at the time of Jesus. They grew to be a very large shrub, growing sometimes as tall as 15’, easily large enough for birds to come and nest in the branches. Here Jesus told us that though the kingdom of heaven starts out tiny, it will grow and produce great results.
The second example was another very short parable. This one compared the kingdom to that of a measure of yeast, which a woman would add to flour to make bread and other baked goods (vs. 33). The measure of yeast would be quite small compared with the amount of flour. When making the bread, the dough would sit, and during that time, the yeast would multiply quietly, and permeate all of the loaf. Yeast might seem like a minor ingredient, but it permeates the whole loaf. The kingdom begins small, nearly invisible just like the yeast, but then it grows and has a great impact on the world. God’s kingdom is a pervading influence.
The next example Jesus gave was comparing the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field (vs. 44). If we knew that in some seemingly plain, ordinary field there was a hidden valuable treasure, we would likely want to buy that field. If you knew that there was some valuable archaeological treasure, or a great deal of oil, gold, or valuable gems buried underneath the ground, wouldn’t you try to buy that field, no matter what you might have to sell in order to obtain it?
The fourth example was a parable of a merchant who found an extraordinarily valuable pearl. Here again, the person sold what he had to in order to buy that pearl (vs. 45-46). Both examples picture salvation as something hidden from most people, but which is so valuable that people who have this truth revealed to them, are willing to give up all that they have in order to possess it.
Jesus is like the pearl and the treasure in the field. If we want to follow Him we can’t be stuck on the things of this world. Like the precious pearl and valuable treasure, it costs everything to follow Jesus. However, once we do, we realize He is worth more than anything else. Having Jesus in our life is worth more than everything else. Nothing this world offers will ever fulfill us as much as a relationship with Jesus Christ!
The fifth and final parable that Jesus told in our portion of Scripture today, gives another example about the kingdom of heaven. This parable was of a dragnet that people threw into the sea, gathering up objects from the bottom of the water (vs. 47-50). A dragnet was a weighted net that was dropped to the bottom of a body of water, such as the Sea of Galilee where Jesus frequently sat and taught. After the net reached the bottom, it would then be pulled in, and the contents sorted out. Edible fish would be kept, and they were always hoping that something valuable might be found. Invaluable and unusable junk would be tossed out.
The visible kingdom of God, the sphere of those who claim to be believers, is full of both good and bad, of true believers and those who are faking and pretending. On the last day, the Day of Judgment, everything will be sorted out. True believers will enter heaven to be with Jesus forever, while the unbelievers will be cast out into eternal torment.
In closing, the kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else we could ever have. Though we cannot buy salvation or our way into heaven, we must be willing to give up everything to put Jesus first in our life. This would include our time, our hobbies, our family and friends. Jesus and His kingdom should have first place in our life.
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