THERE IS MORE SAID IN THE PODCAST AUDIO THAN IN THE NOTES BELOW
The Thing to Give Up Everything For / Jesus and the Purpose of the Parables, Part 30 (Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 1767 since Jan. 20, 2017 / Day 2152 since Jan. 1, 2016)
TEXT: Matthew 13:44-46:
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.
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In our last few messages in this series, we have been looking at the parable of the leaven. Now we are going to move on to the next parable in this passage, which is the parable of the treasure.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says about this passage, “In a fifth parable Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to treasure hidden in a field. A man, having discovered the treasure, then bought that field in order to have the treasure for himself. Since the Lord did not interpret this parable, a variety of interpretive views are held. In the flow of this chapter, it seems best to understand this to be a reference to Israel, God’s “treasured possession”. One reason Jesus came into the world was to redeem Israel, so that He could be viewed as the One who sold all He had in order to purchase the treasure.”
Similarly to the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven, there are multiple interpretations of this parable. The first, most traditional interpretation is that the hidden treasure is salvation through Christ, and the man who finds the treasure represents true followers of Christ, who are willing to give up all the world to obtain the salvation He has provided. In this view, the main emphasis of the parable is on the preciousness of the Gospel and the salvation offered through Christ’s sacrifice. However this interpretation has been criticized, especially because of false teachers twisting this to mean that people can buy salvation and that we purchase Christ instead of Him purchasing us. Newer interpretations understand the treasure in the field to represent either Israel or Christians, and the man purchasing the field to represent Christ. Like the man in the parable who sells everything he has to buy the field, Jesus Christ gives up his life in order to redeem those who believe in Him.
In regards to the first interpretation, John MacArthur said, “The kingdom is priceless in value. And when we talk about the kingdom of the Lord, we’re talking about salvation; we’re talking about Christ Himself and the gift of salvation that He gives. The knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, the preciousness of what it is to be in His kingdom, the preciousness of fellowshipping with the King, the preciousness of being a subject of the sovereign. The blessedness of the kingdom is so valuable that it is the most valuable commodity that can ever be found, and only a fool is not willing to sell everything he has to gain it. Nothing comes close in value. In Christ and in His kingdom there is a treasure that is rich beyond comparison. There is a treasure that is incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, and eternal. There is a heavenly treasure lying in the field of this poverty-stricken, bankrupt, accursed world, a treasure sufficient to eternally enrich everyone of earth’s poor, miserable, blind and naked inhabitants, and that treasure is salvation. It’s what the hymn writer said when he said, “I found the pearl of greatest price, eternal life so fair, ‘twas through the Savior’s sacrifice I found that jewel rare.” Of all the excellent pearls in the world, of all the treasures that might be in a field, salvation outstrips all of them in its eternal value.”
In regards to the second interpretation, Warren Wiersbe said, “The common interpretation of this parable is that the sinner finds Christ and gives up all that he possesses to gain Him and be saved. But this interpretation presents several problems. To begin with, Jesus Christ is not a hidden treasure. He is perhaps the best-known Person of history. In the second place, the sinner cannot “find Christ” for he is blind and stubborn. It is the Saviour who finds the lost sinner. And no sinner could ever purchase salvation! Please note that the man in the parable did not purchase the treasure; he purchased the whole field. “The field is the world”. Must the lost sinner purchase the world to gain Christ? Does he hide Him again? Once again, Old Testament symbolism assists us in our interpretation. The treasure is the nation of Israel. That nation was placed in the world to bring glory to God, but it failed. It became a nation hidden, a treasure not being invested to produce dividends for God. Jesus Christ gave His all to purchase the whole world in order to save the nation. On the cross, Jesus died for the whole world; but in a special way, He died for Israel. The nation suffered judgment and seeming destruction, but in God’s sight it is “hidden” and will be revealed again in glory. There is, then, a future for Israel. Politically, the nation was reborn on May 14, 1948. But the nation is far from what it ought to be spiritually. God sees Israel as His treasure, and one day He will establish her in her glorious kingdom.”
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Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Mark 9:43-38: “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign 