44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus tells two very similar parables, one about a found treasure that someone sells all he has to buy the field it is in so he can own it. The second is about a merchant who finds a pearl so valuable that he sells all he has to buy it. Jesus didn’t give us an interpretation of these parables so we need to figure out what they mean. Some have suggested that the kingdom is so valuable that it demands nothing less than our total wholehearted response and that no sacrifice is too great. The problem with this interpretation is that the parables specifically speak of the field and the pearl being purchased. The Bible is clear that we cannot buy or earn our way into the kingdom. Therefore the parables must be speaking about Jesus, the only one who can pay a price so great that He could buy the kingdom. The kingdom is nothing without its subjects so we are of such value that Jesus paid the ultimate price of His own life to redeem us into the kingdom (1 Pet 1:18-19). Now, because Jesus paid such a high price, our response should be total commitment to Him (1 Cor 6:20; 2 Cor 5:15). What does it tell you about your value that Jesus would pay everything to have you in His kingdom?
The parable of the net speaks of a dragnet that scoops up all kinds of fish. Afterwards, the fishermen separate the edible fish into containers and throw away the inedible. This parable ends the same way as the parable of the weeds. At the end of the age, the angels will separate the good (those who have received their righteousness from Christ through faith) from the bad (those who have chosen to remain in their sins by not accepting Christ’s payment on the cross for their sins).
The final parable speaks of future teachers in the church who, like Jesus, will be expected to teach both the old truths of the Old Testament and the new truths of the Kingdom now found in the New Testament.
Having finished the parables, Jesus returns to his home town of Nazareth. There He teaches, offends, and is again rejection. Jesus describes his rejection in a manner similar to our own proverb, “familiarity breeds contempt.” The people of Nazareth couldn’t see past the fact that He had grown up there as a carpenters sun and as a member of Joseph and Mary. Because of their unbelief, Jesus limited the miracles He did among them.