Not Holding Back
Matthew 13:44-46
Rev. Brian Bill
7/26/09
[Demonstrate use of metal detector]
Because people have always been fascinated with the idea of finding hidden treasure, NBC has produced a reality-based TV show called “Treasure Hunters.” While I’ve not seen the show, here’s the promo: “In this fast-paced adventure reality series, multi-player teams try to stay one step ahead of each other as they are mentally and physically challenged in their quest of a promised hidden treasure. The teams must avoid elimination as they travel to historically significant locations where they must decipher cryptic codes and puzzles, each with a clue leading them closer to solving the ultimate puzzle, and obtaining the coveted grand prize.” This grand prize was 3 million dollars in 2006.
And a little closer to home, the “Treasure Hunters Roadshow,” based in St. Helens, Illinois, has grown from four teams to twenty that travel all over the United States and is now getting ready to expand into Europe.
This past weekend, treasure hunters looking for pirate gold off the coast of Cape Cod found a lost treasure belonging to the late John Kennedy, Jr. Treasure hunter Barry Clifford was diving in an area he and Kennedy once dove in and that’s when he discovered the compass with JFK’s initials on it. Clifford has uncovered millions of dollars worth of treasure from the sunken ship since 1982: “We’ve brought up over 100,000 artifacts from the ship already...with coins and jewelry.” Clifford and his dive team were back out at the site Monday, hoping they might find more treasures (www.whdh.com).
This morning we’re going to go on a treasure hunt. We’re given some clues how to find this fortune by Jesus Christ Himself. Comparing coins and precious pearls to the kingdom of heaven, we’re going to discover that if we truly crave the coveted grand prize, then we can’t hold anything back.
Last week we learned in Mark 4:26-29 that when the seed of the Word of God takes root, there will be fruit. We can sow but we can’t make the seed grow and growth is slow but it will eventually show. As we continue in our summer sermon series called, “Practical Parables,” this week we’re back in Matthew 13 where we’ll look at two very short and simple stories. We’ll take them together because their themes are so similar: True treasure is found only in the kingdom of Christ.
Once again Jesus is talking about the kingdom of heaven, which was one of his favorite teaching topics. He began his ministry proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matthew 4:17) and sent his disciples out in Matthew 10:7 to proclaim the same message. I don’t want to take a lot of time on this but the kingdom of heaven essentially refers to the reign of God in a human heart. In a real sense, the kingdom of heaven was inaugurated on the Day of Pentecost and also has a future element to it that will consummate with the second coming of Christ.
As we begin I want to acknowledge that I’m using some of John MacArthur’s sermon called, “Entering the Kingdom” as background source material (www.gty.org). We’ll start by explaining the parables and then we’ll apply them. The outline is simple – we’ll begin with the parables and end with some principles.
Hidden Treasure
Turn your attention to Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” While most of us don’t bury our treasures in fields, it was very common to do so at that time. They didn’t have banks for ordinary people and they didn’t have mattresses to hide their money under so many made their deposits in the dirt. We see this in Matthew 25:14-18 where we read of three servants who were entrusted with money. The first two guys invested theirs and made some interest while the third guy just wanted the shekels to be safe so he “dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
The word “treasure” in this first parable is the Greek word “thesauros,” which refers to a treasury of words. In the original the word referred to a treasure chest or storehouse where a great treasure was kept. It’s the same word used in Hebrews 11:26 to describe Moses’ turning of his back on the “treasures of Egypt” in order to follow God. In other words, this not just a coin found in the dirt (or on the carpet) but a huge treasure chest. Over time, either because this person died or was forced from his land by war, this buried treasure was unclaimed. In this story that Jesus told, a man was out in one of these fields when he inadvertently came across this cache of cash. Not wanting anyone to see what he found, he reburied it and was so ecstatic that he went and liquidated all of his possessions and purchased the field.
While something about this doesn’t seem ethical to us, it was quite acceptable back then. According to Jewish Rabbinic law, “If a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” It’s kind of like, “Finders keepers, losers weepers.” Let’s not lose sight of the primary point of this parable: A man found something so valuable that he immediately, and joyfully, sold all he had in order to make the field his own.
A Priceless Pearl
Let’s look now at the parable of the priceless pearl in Matthew 13:45-46: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” This man is a merchant who would buy pearls at wholesale and sell them to retailers. The Greek word is “emporos,” from which we get the English word “emporium.” Pearls back then were the most valuable gem available, much like diamonds or gold today.
Pearls were not easy to come by. Pearl divers would search for oysters in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. One reason they were so valuable is because divers would literally die trying to find them. They didn’t have any of our modern techniques or equipment so they would find a rock and tie it to their body with a rope in order to sink quickly to the bottom. Since pearl oysters thrived at an average depth of 40 feet it was hard work to find just one of them. As they went down they hoped they didn’t go too deep or stay underwater too long while they scoured through the murky mud looking for an opulent oyster. On top of all this, an average of only one oyster in a thousand contained a pearl. The odds haven’t changed much even today. According to the online encyclopedia called Wikipedia, “In a haul of 3 tons, only 3 or 4 oysters will produce perfect pearls.”
That’s why pearls are so precious. Revelation 21:21 paints a picture of the pearly gates: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.” The Jewish Talmud said, “Pearls are beyond price.” The Egyptians actually worshipped the pearl and when women wanted to show their wealth they put pearls in their hair. Jesus also stresses the value of pearls, when He contrasts the preciousness of a pearl to a pig in Matthew 7:6: “…do not throw your pearls to pigs…” By the way, if you’re a Christian and seeking what the world offers or just caught up with the thrills of life, you are throwing that which is exceedingly precious and priceless into the pigpen.
Let’s go back to the parable. This merchant is on a mission to find the biggest and brightest pearl. When he finally finds it, he can barely contain himself. The phrase “of great value” literally means, “Priceless.” That reminds me of an experience Beth and I had when we went out on a date when we lived in Mexico City. Someone recommended a nice restaurant to us and after ordering our diet cokes, we were handed a menu. It was hard enough trying to translate the entrees into English, but we became very nervous when we realized that there were no prices printed anywhere. I was well aware of the adage that says: “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” We knew we couldn’t just get up and leave but we were also concerned that we didn’t have enough pesos with us. I think we ordered just one entrée and shared it. This man is so eager to obtain this priceless pearl that he doesn’t even care what it costs. He too liquidates all that he has so he can possess the pearl.
Now that we understand the parables let’s turn our attention to some kingdom principles.
Principles of the Parables
1. Knowing Christ is priceless. Of all the things that clamor for our attention there is nothing more valuable than knowing Christ. One commentator offers this insight: “The point of the parable is that…the glad recognition of God’s rule over heart and life…is a treasure so inestimably precious that one who obtains it is willing to surrender for it whatever could interfere with having it.” Friend, do you prize the kingdom more than you prize anything else?
2 Corinthians 4:7 says that while our bodies are like clay pots, what believers have inside is a priceless treasure: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Colossians 2:3 says this about Christ: “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” 1 Peter 1:7 says that our faith is “of greater worth than gold.”
2. Spiritual truth is often hidden. The treasure of the kingdom is unrecognized, unknown, and walked over by millions of people. People can be standing right over it and not know it’s there. While those who follow Christ know how valuable a relationship with Him is, most of the world has no clue. The bulk of unbelievers are caught up in other pursuits, oblivious to the true treasure that could be theirs. If you’re serious about spiritual matters, you must be willing to go below the surface.
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 13:11 that the point of parables is made clear to Christ-followers but is hidden from those who don’t really want to listen: “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
And Satan is also at work causing confusion and spiritual blindness in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
3. Salvation must be personally appropriated. These stories show that individuals must respond in order to obtain the kingdom. In both cases a decision was made. It doesn’t happen automatically just because you’ve been raised in a Christian home or you’ve been in church all your life. The call to conversion is personal and individualistic. Unless you are personally and individually born again, you cannot enter God’s kingdom (John 3:1-8). Each one must personally respond to Christ. Here’s how Jesus said it in John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from life to death.” Romans 10:9-10 is very personal as well: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
I was greatly grieved to read what the presiding bishop of a mainline denomination said earlier this month. You’re welcome to look this up for yourself - I don’t want to mention the name of this denomination publicly since there’s a church in that denomination in this community that I respect. Here is what this particular leader said about salvation at their General Conference in California: “The great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be right in relationship with God.” This same denomination is also considering whether they should bless same-sex marriages and lift an informal ban on consecrating more gay bishops (see http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/July/Episcopalians-Weigh-Gay-Initiatives/).
Let me ask you a very personal question. Life is fragile and like a vapor. None of us know how long we will live. The man in the field immediately “goes and sells” everything. The merchant does the same thing and immediately “went and sold” all he had in order to buy it. Here’s the question. Have you ever been converted? If not, it’s time to exchange all that you are for all that He has. Once you see the incomparable value of knowing Christ you should have an extravagant response to Him. Are you ready right now? 2 Corinthians 6:2: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
4. Jesus is the only way but people are saved in different ways. Simply put, different people discover the truth about Jesus in different ways.
* Some seem to stumble upon Christ. The man in the field was looking for nothing but found everything. I’m reminded of Isaiah 65:1: “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.” Some of you had no intention of ever following Christ and you stumbled almost accidentally and unexpectedly upon Him. The woman at the well in John 4 came looking for water and had her thirst quenched by Christ. Saul was not searching for Christ when he was on the road to Damascus and was knocked off his high horse and onto the ground where he discovered the treasure of Christ (Acts 9). The Philippian jailer was about to take his own life in Acts 16 when Paul prevented him. The man then said, “What must I do to be saved?” And he received an answer even though when the night started he wasn’t looking for it: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
John MacArthur tells about Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who when he was young, resolutely attended church because it was the thing to do, but he didn’t know Christ. And he wasn’t seeking Christ. He was content with his religiosity. When he was 15 he decided to go to church on New Year’s Day. His biographer said there was such a blizzard that he was not able to reach the church he was in the habit of attending. “When I could go no farther,” he said, “I turned down a court and came to a little primitive Methodist church. The preacher who was to have conducted the service, never got there because he was held up by the weather, and quickly one of the officers had to be brought forward to conduct the service with the congregation of perhaps 15 people. The man,” said Spurgeon, “was really stupid. His text was - Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. And he just kept repeating it because he didn’t have anything else to say.”
And something about young Spurgeon caught the preacher’s eye. “Young man,” he said suddenly, “You look very miserable. Miserable in life and miserable in death, you will be if you don’t obey my text.” And suddenly he literally shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus, look, look, look.” And said Spurgeon, “I looked. And then and there the cloud was gone and the darkness rolled away and that moment I saw the Son.” He wasn’t searching for anything but it got him anyway. He stumbled into a fortune. Few people who have ever lived have affected so many souls as Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I don’t know who that guy was that just kept repeating the text, but it was of God.
* Some seem to seek out Christ. When I was in college I was definitely on a search for the Savior. Acually, God moves within a person for this to happen – it’s not so much that they find Christ but that He finds them. Romans 3:11 says that no one seeks after God. When someone is reaching out for God, according to John 6:44, God is the one doing the drawing: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” The pearl-pursuer is dissatisfied with what he has and searches with determination, knowing that there’s only one pearl among many that can satisfy him. When he finds what he is looking for, he makes a decision to commit himself completely to acquiring it. Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Maybe you weren’t looking for God but in the ordinary course of life God came looking for you. Or is it possible right now that you’re searching for truth, hungry for something more, and on a pursuit for the purpose of life? Perhaps there’s a combination of both stumbling and seeking going on right now. Whatever the case, it’s time to make a personal decision to turn from how you’ve been living and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
5. Knowing Jesus should lead to joy. The man who stumbled upon this tremendous treasure went “in his joy” and sold everything in order to gain even more. This literally means “from the joy of it.” Joy comes to those who know Jesus. In John 15:11, Jesus said this: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I love the response of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:39 after getting saved: “…but went on his way rejoicing.” John Piper writes this about the kingdom: “It’s the reign of God triumphing over everything that stands between you and everlasting life and joy, if you will treasure it more than anything else.”
Alan Smith tells the story about two wealthy American Christians who traveled with a group that was going around the world. As they were visiting in Korea, they saw by the side of the road, a field in which a boy was pulling a crude plow while an old man held the plow handles and guided it. One man was amused and took a snapshot of the scene and then he turned to the missionary, who served as their interpreter and remarked, “That’s a curious picture. I suppose they are very poor.” The guide replied, “Yes, that is the family of Chi Noue. When the place of worship was being built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring, they are pulling the plow themselves.”
The men were silent for several moments, and then the second man replied, “That must have been a real sacrifice.” To which the guide replied, “They do not call it that. They thought it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell.” Perhaps the real test of our commitment is not so much whether we are willing to make sacrifices for our Lord, but whether we are able to make those sacrifices with joy (www.sermoncentral.com). That echoes Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
6. Salvation is free but costly. Scripture is clear that salvation is not for sale. When a man named Simon Magus tried to use money to gain the kingdom, Peter rebuked him in Acts 8:20-21: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.”
Every time I hear of what Christians go through in other parts of the world, I’m reminded of the cost that comes when we follow Christ. 2 Timothy 3:12: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” I’m challenged by what D.A. Carson says: “The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies, joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.”
Did you hear about the guy in New Hampshire last week who bought a pack of cigarettes and was charged over 23 quadrillion dollars on his debit card? According to a July 15th AP story, Josh Muszynski checked his account online a few hours later and saw the 17-digit number -- a stunning $23,148,855,308,184,500 (twenty-three quadrillion, one hundred forty-eight trillion, eight hundred fifty-five billion, three hundred eight million, one hundred eighty-four thousand, five hundred dollars).
The now impoverished smoker then spent two hours on the phone with Bank of America trying to fix the problem – and remove the $15 overdraft fee. (Who knew it only cost $15 to overdraft 23 quadrillion dollars?) The bank corrected the error the next day. Bank of America says only the card issuer, Visa, could answer questions. Visa, in turn, referred questions to the bank. Meanwhile, the same gas station has now put cigarettes on sale -- only $12 quadrillion a pack this week.
Friends, there’s no way that anyone has enough money to purchase salvation because it’s not for sale. It’s free but it’s costly. Check out this invitation in Isaiah 55:1: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Simply put, we can purchase all that we need because God has already provided it through the costly death of His Son. But we must come.
When I was exercising this week an individual who doesn’t attend PBC came up to me and told me that she’s been reading the “Love Dare” book. We’ve talked about spiritual matters before so I asked her how she’s doing. Her response was startling: “I was halfway through the book when I came to a chapter that challenged me to surrender everything to Jesus. I’ve quit reading because I’m not ready to give it all to Him.” We talked about this some more and I encouraged her to give herself completely to the Lord.
Are you at the same place? Salvation is free but it will cost you the price of commitment. After hearing a man say that he would follow Jesus wherever He went, Jesus said this in Luke 9:58: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” In essence Jesus is saying to each of us: “You give up your comfort and I’ll give you my kingdom.” On the one hand, salvation is free; on the other hand, it will cost you everything. Just like the two men were willing to give up everything they owned, is your commitment to Christ greater than your commitment to anything else? Let’s be honest. Most of us on a daily basis value other things more than we value Christ.
Closing
True treasure is found only in the kingdom of Christ. One pastor has made the point that there are really two things that stand out in these parables: (1) What you need to give up, and (2) what you stand to gain.
Imagine that you’re a customer inquiring about a priceless pearl, “I want this pearl. How much is it?” “Well,” the seller says, “it’s very expensive.” “But, how much?” you ask. “Well, a very large amount.” “Do you think I could buy it?” “Oh, of course, everyone can buy it.” “But, didn’t you say it was very expensive?” “Yes.” “Well, how much is it?” “Everything you have,” says the seller. You make up your mind, “All right, I’ll buy it.” “Well, what do you have?” he wants to know. “Let’s write it down.” “Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank.” “Good- ten thousand dollars. What else?” “That’s all. That’s all I have.”
“Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket.” “How much?” You start digging. “Well, let’s see—thirty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty dollars.” “That’s fine. What else do you have?” “Well, nothing. That’s all.” “Where do you live?” He’s still probing. “In my house. Yes, I have a house.” “The house, too, then.” He writes that down. “You mean I have to live in my camper?” “You have a camper? That, too. What else?” “I’ll have to sleep in my car!” “You have a car?” “Two of them.” “Both become mine, both cars. What else?” “Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper, my cars. What more do you want?” “Are you alone in this world?” “No I have a wife and two children…” “Oh, yes, your wife and children, too. What else?”
“I have nothing left! I am left alone now.” Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children, house, money, cars—and you too.” Then he goes on, “Now listen—I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them you must give them up, because now I am the owner.” (From Juan Carlos Ortiz, “Disciple,” pages 34-35 as quoted in Charles R Swindoll, “Improving Your Serve,” pages 35-36).
Are you ready to do that? It’s time to come back to the center of what is most important. True treasure is found only in the kingdom of Christ. Ask Him now to be the center of your life.
Closing Song: “Center”
