Have you ever held a precious stone or a piece of glass up to the light to see it reflect and refract as it’s turned? Or looked carefully at a shell, or a flower, or leaf to see its shape and colour from all sides? This series of mini-parables seems to be doing something similar with the kingdom of God: helping us understand and appreciate its true beauty as we view it from different angles. 

Where previous parables have focused on the gradual unfolding of the kingdom and varying reactions to it, in these verses Jesus’ focus is on its infinite worth and value. He profiles a poor man who had to sell all he had to buy the field (v 44), a merchant (vs 45,46), fishermen (vs 47,48), and a house owner as he explores the value of finding and receiving the kingdom of God – being accepted by Jesus (v 52). He brings new revelation which fulfils old prophecies. 

Which parable resonates most with you? Do you sometimes feel you are diligently seeking, searching and unearthing treasure as you follow Jesus? Have you stumbled across any powerfully illuminating spiritual truths recently? 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’¹

Missionary Jim Elliot recorded in his journal on 28 October, 1949, ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ Murdered in the rainforests of Ecuador six years later by those he was seeking to reach with the gospel, aged just 28, Elliot in his life and death embodied the sentiment of this oft-repeated quote. The parables of the treasure and the pearl reveal the unparalleled value of the kingdom, for which we will do whatever is within our control. What are you holding on to too dearly?

Jesus concludes this mini-series of parables taught on the shores of Galilee by picturing a familiar scene. Reminiscent of the story of wheat and weeds, Jesus reiterates the separation to come between good and bad. Some scholars see the net as the church; others consider that the net represents the world. Either way, there is a note of caution, given the clear message that being present in the net by no means guarantees safety within the basket. Where have you placed your security?

Before moving on, Jesus clarifies the disciples’ understanding. Given that Matthew’s Gospel was written primarily for a Jewish audience, we should not be surprised that he (in contrast to the other Gospel writers) includes reference to old and new. Indeed, verse 52, at the midpoint of his Gospel, may be seen as a summary of the complete book he is writing. As Tom Wright reflects on this verse, ‘How can we be sure … that we are both rooted in the old and also bearing the new, fresh fruit of the kingdom of heaven?’² Are you searching the treasury of the Old Testament and allowing what you discover to be illuminated by the new treasures brought about by Christ?

‘I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.’³

¹ Matt 6:21  ² Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1, SPCK, 2002, p178  ³ Martin Luther, in Ray Comfort, Luther Gold, Bridge-Logos, 2010, p50