Matthew 13:44-51: a reflection

44“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some fish of every kind, 48which, when it was filled, fishermen drew up on the beach. They sat down and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49So it will be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous, 50and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 51Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They answered him, “Yes, Lord.”

Jesus tells two brief parables that capture the surpassing worth of the kingdom of heaven. It is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man finds, and in his joy sells all that he has to buy that field. It is like a merchant who, finding one pearl of great price, sells all he has to buy it. In both, the one who finds the treasure gladly gives up everything else to gain it, because it is worth more than all he has. The kingdom is of such surpassing worth that it is worth giving everything to gain; and the one who sees its worth does so gladly, in joy, counting all he gives up as nothing beside what he gains.

Notice the surpassing worth of the kingdom, and the joy of the one who sees it. The treasure and the pearl are worth more than everything the finder has; and so, in joy, he sells all to gain them. He does not give up his possessions grudgingly, as a painful sacrifice; he does it gladly, in joy, because what he gains is worth incomparably more than what he gives. The kingdom is of such surpassing worth that everything else is worth giving up to gain it, and the one who truly sees its worth counts the giving-up as joy, not loss. To find the kingdom is to find a treasure worth more than all we have, and to give up all for it gladly.

That is worth taking to heart, for the kingdom is of surpassing worth, worth giving everything to gain, and the one who sees its worth does so gladly. We can hold the kingdom of God as one good among many, unwilling to give up much for it; but Jesus shows it as a treasure worth more than everything, worth selling all to gain, and the one who sees its worth does so in joy. If we saw the kingdom's true worth, we would give everything for it gladly. Do not hold the kingdom as one good among many, unwilling to give much for it; see its surpassing worth, worth giving everything to gain, as the man sold all for the treasure in joy. See the surpassing worth of the kingdom, worth giving everything to gain, and give up all for it gladly, as the man found treasure in a field and in his joy sold all he had to buy it; for the kingdom is worth more than all we have, and the one who truly sees its worth counts the giving-up as joy rather than loss, gladly giving everything to gain the surpassing treasure.

Lord Jesus, you tell two brief parables that capture the surpassing worth of the kingdom of heaven. It is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man finds, and in his joy sells all that he has to buy that field. It is like a merchant who, finding one pearl of great price, sells all he has to buy it. In both, the one who finds the treasure gladly gives up everything else to gain it, because it is worth more than all he has. Show me the surpassing worth of the kingdom, and the joy of the one who sees it. The treasure and the pearl are worth more than everything the finder has; and so, in joy, he sells all to gain them. He does not give up his possessions grudgingly, as a painful sacrifice; he does it gladly, in joy, because what he gains is worth incomparably more. The kingdom is of such surpassing worth that everything else is worth giving up to gain it, and the one who truly sees its worth counts the giving-up as joy, not loss. Take that to my heart, for the kingdom is of surpassing worth, worth giving everything to gain, and the one who sees its worth does so gladly. I can hold the kingdom of God as one good among many, unwilling to give up much for it; but you show it as a treasure worth more than everything. If I saw the kingdom's true worth, I would give everything for it gladly. Keep me from holding the kingdom as one good among many, unwilling to give much for it; help me see its surpassing worth, Lord, worth giving everything to gain, as the man sold all for the treasure in joy, and give up all for it gladly.