More Lessons from the King
Book of Matthew "Continuing" Chapter 13
If we want to understand the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven then, there is no better place in the Bible to find out than these parables that were preached and taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember a parable describes a "Spiritual Truth" from an earthly truth!
*****Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Verse 38 describes this field as the world, and it probably means the same in this verse. There is no reason to think differently.
So what is this treasure and who is this man?
In the first two parables, the sower was the Lord Jesus Christ, and the seed was the Word of God or the "Gospel" the "Good News".
We know that to the Lord, the most valuable thing upon this earth is the soul of man.
It is so important that the Lord gave His life for our souls!
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
In this verse we see that the Holy Spirit describes the "soul" to be of much more value than the totals of all this world.
This leaves us to believe without a doubt that this man is the Lord Jesus Christ, who laid the glory of Heaven aside and came to this earth to give all that He had, even His life for the "for all our souls".
The only thing we need to know is why it was hidden?
What we need to realize is the mystery of Israel and the mystery of the Church in these two parables.
Israel is that treasure hidden in the field:
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Psa 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
When the Lord Jesus Christ came from Heaven, He found His people hidden in a field.
By His death, Jesus bought the whole world and with it, all the people who are His earthly treasure.
Jesus died for all people, but He also died for the nation of Israel.
Joh 11:51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
Joh 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
We do not read that Jesus then got possession of that treasure so, this treasure is still hidden in this field which He bought with such a great price for the sake of owning that treasure.
This is the key to these two parables!
Israel is the Lord's peculiar treasure.
Jesus has purchased His earthy people yet still, Israel is that hidden peculiar treasure, until He returns to get His Church first, then back to earth to get this treasure of Israel.
Israel will then be "justified", "separated" and become a Spirit-filled people!
The Lord Jesus died for the nation of Israel, but the results of that death are not at this time complete.
Israel is still hidden in the that purchased field in this world!
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Much of the so-called Church says that God has cast away and forgotten these people, but this is far from the truth!
True Israel is that treasure still hidden in that field that was also purchased by the blood of Jesus, who will come again!
1) To complete the redemption of His Church at the Rapture and
2) Reclaim Israel.
The One pearl of greatest value is the Church.
Eph_5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
This pearl is taken out of the Sea, way down from the dark bottom out of the mouth of an animal!
We are told that a miserable grain of soil, embeds itself between the animal (the oyster) and its shell and this process continues until a beautiful pearl is produced.
A pearl of great price.
A pearl with the colors of the rainbow from Heaven are blended together.
It is then taken up and becomes the priceless jewel in the crown of the kingdom.
This pearl is a type of the Church!
This pearl is still forming today and has not yet reached the beauty it will one day have, when the Lord calls the Church home!
The Lord returns to claim the treasure that is still hidden (Israel), He will bring that Pearl with Him!
*****Mat 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mat 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The kingdom of heaven is not the Church Age?
At the end of the Church Age, the Lord recalls His Church to remain with Him forevermore.
At the end of the Church Age, the seven years of Tribulation will begin.
In every age there is miscellaneous multitude of young and old, good and evil, people who move about this world at liberty in the wide expanse of what we call life.
It is the same for the fish that move about in the many oceans and seas.
God has dropped His invisible lines down into the Sea of Life and they are silently and slowly creeping in around us!
God will separate the wheat from the tares at the end of the Church Age.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
God will gather this large net into the shore one day and that day is not as far off as we may realize.
This shall be at the completion of the seven most horrible years upon this earth.
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
In the previous parables, the Church and Israel have been regathered.
So this is not the "Gospel Net", as in the Church Age, as it is sometimes called.
We already know that the seas represent the nations.
Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
The angels will be used to separate the wicked from the just.
The wicked will be cast into the ever-burning flames of Hell.
As far as these disciples are concerned, they know nothing of the Church Age at this time and will not realize it until after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and Pentecost.
We have learned from these 7 parables of the mysteries of the kingdom of heavens beginning with the Apostolic Age and then the conditions we face up to the end.
These last 3 parables have shown us the mystery of Israel, the mystery of the Church, and the mystery of the ending of these ages.
All these things were taught to the 12 disciples. That great multitude only heard the first 2 parables.
Even those 12 chosen would not understand these things until they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
So Jesus then asked, "have you understood these things"?
*****Mat 13:51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
You see, since we know and understand these things, we are beginning our preparation to go out into the world in obedience to Jesus Christ just as the Apostles did!
The word "scribe" as used here means those who are skilled in the Word of God, who read and can make sense of the Word, as Ezra said, to the people of this world, especially those to whom God has called.
The old things are those things in the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah and the truth of God, and those new things are all the things of the New Covenant or the New Testament.
We need to understand, and we need to proclaim in a loving way to those who remain lost, this is the only opportunity they will have to spend time with those who are good according to the Word of God.
Once they leave this world their eternity will be filled with violence and eternal damnation.
We do not just walk up and tell them this for they need the "Gospel" before they need any bad news!
Those new things are summarized in these parables!
Then Jesus teaches us that once He has revealed all He came to reveal, He will be going back to Heaven until these Ages run their course, of course under His supervision.
*****Mat 13:53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
Mat 13:54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
We can understand His own country as Nazareth and the area around Nazareth.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Jesus had never preached in this synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown, where He grew up with Mary and Joseph, but it was now time to do so.
No one had paid much attention to this Son of God as He grew, but they would now hear the true Word of God.
They were now astonished at His wisdom and this wisdom was from God, Jehovah God.
To His hometown, Jesus declared that He was the Messiah come from God.
Luk 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luk 4:22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
Yes, this Jesus was the same Jesus who had a stepfather named Joseph who had trained Him to be a Carpenter.
This was a very humble family!
*****Mat 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Mat 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Mat 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
Mat 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Yes, this mother was the Virgin Mary, selected by God to bring the Messiah into the world.
This is the place where we learn some about the children fathered by Joseph, which were James, Joses, Simon and Judas and there were sisters also, which means more than one sister and some say three sisters.
The Lord Jesus was rejected because the people of Nazareth could not understand where such a man from such a humble family could have the wisdom of God!
The Virgin Mary had become housewife and mother and neither Mary nor Joseph had achieved any prominence nor had any of the children and nothing else changed with this family of children until the Lord Jesus was crucified and then He raised Himself from that grave.
The people of Nazareth decided that Jesus could not be who He claimed to be!
Jesus was rejected because these people were offended at Him!
The word offended means they stumbled over the truth!
They could not imagine that someone they had seen grow up, to be the Messiah sent from Heaven.
They could not imagine a man from their own little city could make such claims as Jesus was making.
This became the same sentiment of all of Israel.
Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Mat 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Mat 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
This is where the world is at today.
If we think about it, how else would God have made Himself known.
He could have come down in a rocket ship and the whole world would have believed.
Many would have believed in fright.
Many would believe and tried to destroy Him.
The Book of Genesis says we were created in God's image, yet the same book says that God is Spirit.
So the image of God is not in looks, but in traits and the Lord Jesus Christ is the express image of His Father and the example we are to follow.
So we must choose to shrink King Jesus down to our level, or to accept Him for who He says He is!
If we look at all the miracles that He did, then we must accept Him as the Messiah.
If we look at all the prophecies that were fulfilled in Him, then we must accept Him as the Messiah.
If we believe the Word of God, then we must accept that Jesus is the Messiah.
If we look out at our created world, then we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
The Lord Jesus Christ is 100% God, and He was also 100% man.
There is no other explanation!
If Jesus is the Messiah, then He is our Lord and Savior, and this is my belief!
Unbelief leaves no alternative to salvation!
Unbelief hurts our God who has tried His best to show us the truth!
So choose to believe the truth and be saved, or choose to disregard the truth and suffer the wrath of God.
To not choose is to disregard the truth!
The greatest sin in all the world, is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen
