A shocking and scandalous response to a timeless question...

This week we are looking at an event from history where Jesus closest followers asked Jesus a question that we can find ourselves asking today. Jesus closest followers wanted to know who of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. The disciples basically approached Jesus as a group and basically said to Jesus “Hey Jesus we have a question that we want to ask you so that you can help settle an argument that we are having. So Jesus, here is our question: Which one of us will have the highest status in the kingdom of Heaven? Which one of us will be viewed as being most important in your kingdom? Which one of us is superior to the rest? Which one of us is the best disciple over the rest of the disciples?

We discovered that there is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to compare ourselves with others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as being superior to others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as being more important than others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than others.

And it was this desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest that had emerged to the surface in the form of this question that the disciples asked Jesus. And it is this desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest that can emerge in our lives as well. And as Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this event from history, we see Matthew record for us how Jesus responded to this question that had emerged from each of the disciples desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest. So let’s look at Jesus response together, beginning in Matthew 18:2-4:

 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, ³ and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew tells us that Jesus responded to the disciples question by bringing a child into the middle of their conversation and stating that “unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Now did you notice what Jesus just said to His disciples? Unless you are converted you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

In other words, Jesus basically said to His disciples “The fact that you just asked Me this question reveals the reality that you are not at a place where you are ready to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven. For you to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven you need to be converted and become like children.”

What is so interesting is that when Jesus uses the word converted here, this word literally means to experience an inward change that results into one entering into a certain state that possesses certain characteristics. And that state, those characteristics that His closest followers needed to possess in order to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, were those possessed by the very child that Jesus placed in the middle of their conversation.

Now for us living in 2020, we cannot even begin to wrap our minds around how mind boggling this statement by Jesus would have been. We cannot even begin to comprehend how controversial and unsettling Jesus words would have been to His closest followers.

You see, in the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, children had no rights under the Law. In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, little thought or value was directed toward children. In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, the high rates of infant mortality reinforced the view of children as physically weak and vulnerable. In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, children were utterly dependent upon their parents are required to submit to them in a way that they were not to be seen or heard. In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, children were viewed as possessions and were excluded from adult society and lived in the margins of society.

In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, for Jesus to even bring a child into the middle of their conversation would be shocking. In the Jewish culture of the 1^st century, for Jesus to say that to enter the kingdom of Heaven, a person would have to embrace the status of a child would have been scandalous.

And if that was not shocking and scandalous enough, Jesus continued by stating that “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus basically said to His closest followers “So you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven, well here is the thing: to be greatest in the kingdom of Heaven requires that you embrace that same status that this child has, which is the lowest status.”

Jesus painted this word picture because Jesus wanted His closest followers to clearly understand that just as a child in the Jewish culture of Jesus day had no self-rule and must submit to the will of their fathers, their involvement in the kingdom of Heaven would require a surrender of status and a submission to the will of God the Father. Jesus then continued to answer the disciples question by revealing the implications that would come to those who embraced such surrender of status and a submission to the will of God the Father as part of the kingdom of Heaven in verse 5-6:

"And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Now can you imagine yourself as one of Jesus closest followers. Can you imagine what they were thinking? How they were feeling? You ask Jesus who among you will be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven; you ask Jesus who among you will have the highest status in the kingdom of Heaven?

And instead of getting the answer you were hoping or expecting to get, Jesus basically tells you that you are not at a place where you are ready to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus basically tells you that to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, you would have to embrace the status of a child, who had no status. Jesus basically tells you that to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, you would have to surrender your pursuit of status and instead surrender to the will of God the Father.

And then Jesus basically says to you that the person who demonstrates that they are receptive to the child that He had placed in the middle of their conversation, a child who was universally viewed by the culture of the day as having no status or rights, will be the person who will be receptive to the things of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus explains to you that true greatness in the kingdom of Heaven is demonstrated in how on welcomes one who has no status, because to welcome someone who has no status is to welcome Jesus. To welcome the least of the Kingdom of Heaven is to welcome the King of the Kingdom of Heaven.

And if that was not enough, Jesus then tells you that for whoever would cause a child, like the child that Jesus has placed in the middle of your conversation, who has no status, but has placed their confident trust in Jesus, to be brought to a downfall by influencing them to selfishly rebel against God; it would be better for that person to have a large, heavy millstone that was moved by the power of donkeys to crush grain to be placed around their necks and them be thrown overboard into the open sea.

Now imagine yourselves as one of Jesus closest followers. Jesus has just blown up every category that you had held when it comes to status, to position, to greatness. Jesus has just told you that everything that you had learned and embraced in the Jewish culture that you had been raised in was wrong.

What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond? However, before the disciples could respond, Matthew tells us that Jesus hammered His point home in what He had to say next.

Friday, we will look at what Jesus had to say next…

A timeless question that reveals what lurks just beneath the surface...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. 

During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.   

This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at another event from history that is recorded for us by Matthew in the account of Jesus life that bears his name. However, before we jump into this event from history, we first need to understand the context in which this event from history takes place.

In the 17th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, Matthew records for us how a glimpse of the glory of Jesus as God in a bod was revealed to three of His closest followers in an event from history that is referred to in churchy language as the transfiguration. Matthew then records how Jesus miraculously healed a young boy who was tormented by a demon, in spite of the littleness of the faith of the disciples and the crowds that were following Jesus. Jesus proclaimed to His closest followers that they would soon head to Jerusalem, where He would be delivered over to the Roman Empire to be killed, but that He would be raised from the dead three days later. The disciples, who were grieved by Jesus prediction, kept silent about His prediction. Jesus then proceeded to miraculously provide the money necessary to pay the poll tax that every person who lived in the Roman Empire over the age of 20 was required to pay. 

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as one of Jesus closest followers. I want us to take a minute and place ourselves in the shoes of the disciples. You are one of Jesus closest followers. For three years, you have watched as Jesus has performed miracles that no one else had done. For three years, you have listened as Jesus taught as no one had ever taught. For three years, you have heard Jesus talk about the kingdom of heaven. And then you happened to be with Jesus when you were given a glimpse of the glory of Jesus and heard the very voice of God.

You have come to believe that Jesus was the fulfillment of a promise that God had made to the Jewish people to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who you believed would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world. And because of all that you have seen and heard from Jesus, because of what you have come to believe about Jesus, you have a question that you would like to ask Jesus. You have a question that you would like to ask Jesus when it comes to the nature of the kingdom of heaven.

Because it is in this context that Matthew gives us a front row seat to this event from history. An event from history where the disciples ask Jesus a question that is still asked today when it comes to the kingdom of Heaven. A question that Matthew records for us in Matthew 18:1. Let’s look at that question together:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Matthew brings us into this event from history by revealing the question that the disciples posed to Jesus: "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Now, this morning did you notice that is was the disciples, not a disciple, that asked Jesus this question. You see, Jesus closest followers wanted to know who of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

We know this to be the case because in two other accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel of Mark and the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus closest followers arguing with themselves about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. In Luke 9:46, we see Luke reveal for us the reality that this question was asked because, as Luke pointed out, an argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

What is interesting is that when the disciples asked Jesus this question, the word greatest conveyed a clear sense of being superior in importance or status. In other words, the disciples basically approached Jesus as a group and basically said to Jesus “Hey Jesus we have a question that we want to ask you so that you can help settle an argument that we are having. So Jesus, here is our question: Which one of us will have the highest status in the kingdom of Heaven? Which one of us will be viewed as being most important in your kingdom? Which one of us is superior to the rest? Which one of us is the best disciple over the rest of the disciples?

Now here is a question to consider: Is this not the same question that we all have a tendency to ask today? How often can we find ourselves in a place in life where we are asking “Who has the highest status? Who is viewed as being most important? Who is superior to the rest? Who is the best over the rest?”

How often can we find ourselves in a place in life where we are saying to ourselves or telling and arguing with others “I should have the highest status. I should be viewed as being most important. I should be viewed as being superior to the rest. I am a better follower of Jesus than these other followers of Jesus?

You see, there is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to compare ourselves with others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as being superior to others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as being more important than others. There is something that lurks under the surface of every one of us that desires to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than others.

And it was this desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest that had emerged to the surface in the form of this question that the disciples asked Jesus. And it is this desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest that can emerge in our lives as well. And as Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this event from history, we see Matthew record for us how Jesus responded to this question that had emerged from each of the disciples desire to be viewed as deserving of a higher status than the rest.

Tomorrow we will be looking at Jesus response…

A parable that reveals a responsibility...

This week we have been looking at an event from history where Jesus told a fishing story that revealed for us the timeless truth that the kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation. We discovered that the timeless reality is that at the end of God’s story here on earth, all of humanity will be gathered before Jesus. And at that gathering, an evaluation will be made based on this question: Do I know you? Are you a member of the kingdom of heaven?

For those who responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, they will be gathered together to participate as part of the kingdom of Heaven. However, for those who have selfishly rebelled and rejected the relationship with God that they were created for; for those who rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, they will be separated out from those who are members of the kingdom of heaven and sent to a place where there is no return from, only judgment and punishment. Today we see Jesus close His conversation with the disciples with a question and a final parable in Matthew 13:51-52:

"Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes." And Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

Matthew tells us that Jesus asked the disciples “have you understood all these things?” In other words, Jesus is asking “do you get what I have been talking to you about?” The disciples responded to Jesus question with a simple answer- yes. Jesus then responded to their answer by telling them another parable. In this parable, Jesus explains that a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of the household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.

Jesus used this parable to contrast His disciples with the scribes and Pharisees. In the gospel of Matthew, we see the scribes and Pharisees revealed by Jesus as self-religious people who misunderstood and misinterpreted the Bible and misled people about who God was. They opposed Jesus and His message and targeted Him as being a heretic.

Jesus point behind His parable was that His disciples, unlike the scribes and Pharisees, were trained to correctly interpret and teach what Jesus and the letters that make up the Old Testament taught about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus point here is that if the disciples have truly understood His teaching about the message of the kingdom of heaven, then they are prepared to teach others the value of the kingdom.

Jesus is explaining that as the disciples, as the ones who understand the message of the kingdom of heaven, are also responsible for revealing and proclaiming the message of the kingdom of heaven, thus providing people the opportunity to understand and embrace the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus uses the phrase, treasures new and old, He is explaining that this message of the kingdom of heaven, while new in the sense of being fully revealed by Jesus, is old in the sense of having been revealed throughout the message of the Old Testament as well.

And in the same way, as followers of Jesus, we are responsible for understanding the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, and we are responsible to communicate the treasure of the timeless message of the kingdom of heaven to those around us who God has placed in our area of influence. So with that in mind, here is a question to consider: How have you responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven?

Have you responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader? Or have you responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven by rejecting the message? And if you are a follower of Jesus, are you fulfilling the responsibility that you have been given by Jesus to understand and communicate the treasure that is the kingdom of heaven to those around you?

Because, as we have discovered, the kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation…

The kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew.  During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.   This week, I would like for us to take a front row seat to an event from history where Jesus told a fishing story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s take that front row seat to this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:47:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the disciples a parable about the kingdom of heaven. As we have been talking about through this series, a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a dragnet cast into the sea.

Now a natural question that may have popped into your mind at this point is “what is a dragnet?” A dragnet was a type of net that the Jewish people would use to fish in the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, along with the large crowds that were listening to Jesus, were very familiar with a dragnet and with fishing, as it was one of the primary sources of food for the Jewish people who lived in this region.  

This net would be thrown into the sea by fishermen and then gathered back, either into a boat or dragged by the boat onto land. And as this dragnet was gathered back by the fisherman, whatever fish were in its path would be caught into the net and captured.

Jesus then explained that this dragnet would gather fish of every kind.  Scientists believe that there are between 20 and 24 different species of fish that lived in the Sea of Galilee, which is where the disciples and the large crowds that were listening to Jesus lived and fished. You see, a dragnet is indiscriminate; it simply gathers all the fish that are in its path. The fishermen would simply throw out the dragnet and then wait until they believed that it was sufficiently filled with fish. The net would not be pulled out prematurely, as that would allow some fish to escape the net’s grasp and would cause the fisherman to be less productive in their catch.

Now of these 20-24 different species of fish, there were several that would be considered “unclean”, as Jewish dietary laws permitted that only fish with fins and scales could be eaten. Also some fish that would be caught in the dragnet may have been too small or diseased to be kept to eat. Because of these realities, Jesus explained what every fisherman and disciple already knew: that after the dragnet was filled with fish and then gathered and dragged onto land, the fishermen needed to do some evaluating. The fishermen needed to evaluate and separate all of the fish that had been caught.

Jesus explained that these fishermen, like all good fishermen, would evaluate and gather all the good fish into containers.  As the fishermen went through the nets to separate the fish, the fish that were healthy and met the Jewish dietary standards as being “clean” would be placed into containers to be processed for food.

The bad fish, however, received a different fate. As the fishermen went through the nets to evaluate the fish, the fish that were unhealthy and unclean would be separated and removed from the clean fish and then thrown away to die. Matthew then continued to give us a front row seat to the event from history as Jesus, who wanted to make sure that the disciples and the large crowds listening understood the deeper spiritual meaning of this parable, provided that deeper meaning to them in Matthew 13:49-50. Let’s look at it together:

"So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus explained and applied this fishing scenario that the disciples would be very familiar with to the kingdom of heaven by saying that this process of gathering and evaluating will apply to the wicked and the righteous. Jesus explained that God, through the angels, will gather all of humanity to stand before Jesus at the end of God’s story here on earth.

And at the end of God’s story here on earth, when Jesus returns to usher in the kingdom of heaven is its fullest, all of humanity will be gathered and evaluated. Jesus then explained that the angels will take out the wicked from among the righteous. The phrase take out from among here literally means “to take out of the middle of the righteous”. When Jesus refers to the wicked, He is referring to those who rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.

You see, Jesus wanted those listening to this parable to clearly understand that, just like the dragnet that remains in the sea until it is full of fish, those who reject the kingdom of heaven will coexist side by side with members of the kingdom of heaven until they are all gathered before Jesus at His second coming. At that time, the angels will separate those who have rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven from those who are members of the kingdom of heaven as a result of believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

For those who have been evaluated and separated from the kingdom of heaven as a result of rebelling and rejecting the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, Jesus explained that they will be thrown into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus is pointing to the harsh reality that those who rebel and reject the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven will be evaluated based on their rejection and be sent into eternal separation from the relationship with God that they were created for, but rejected, in hell. And in hell, Jesus states that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth by those who have rejected Him and His kingdom as a result of the punishment that they will experience for their selfishness and sin.

And in this parable, we see Jesus reveal and timeless and sobering truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless and sobering truth is this: The kingdom of heaven is going to be gathering for an evaluation. The timeless reality is that at the end of God’s story here on earth, all of humanity will be gathered before Jesus. And at that gathering, an evaluation will be made based on this question: Do I know you? Are you a member of the kingdom of heaven?

For those who responded to the message of Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, they will be gathered together to participate as part of the kingdom of Heaven. However, for those who have selfishly rebelled and rejected the relationship with God that they were created for; for those who rebelled and rejected the message of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven, they will be separated out from those who are members of the kingdom of heaven and sent to a place where there is no return from, only judgment and punishment. Jesus then closes His conversation with the disciples with a question and a final parable. 

A question and a parable that we will look at on Friday…

The kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for...

This week we have looked on as a man named Matthew gives us a front row seat to an event from history where Jesus told a story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. Wednesday, we looked on as Matthew began to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the crowds listening to him a parable about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in the field.

Jesus told this parable to reveal the reality that Jesus calls for those who stumble upon His kingdom to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven, not just acknowledge its existence out of duty and pass by it as though it did not exist. Jesus point is that the kingdom of heaven calls for followers that must be willing to enthusiastically and joyously embrace the kingdom of heaven and be willing to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom of heaven.

The point that Jesus is making to the crowds listening to this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is such a treasure that those who find it will be willing to invest all that they have in the surpassing greatness of the kingdom. Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him to understand that they must be willing to risk all if the priorities of the kingdom of heaven threaten or compete with the security of the things on earth.

And, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that causes people to do things that may make no sense to those to whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from. And to make His point abundantly clear, Matthew tells us that Jesus continued by telling the crowds listening to Him another parable, beginning in Matthew 13:45. Let’s look at it together:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,

Matthew tells us that Jesus told the crowds a second. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a merchant seeking fine pearls. Unlike the previous parable, where a man stumbled upon the treasure hidden in the field, this man, who is a merchant, was seeking fine pearls. In the Jewish culture of Jesus day, just like today, fine pearls were considered a valuable treasure.

And in the same way, there are some people who stumble upon the treasures of God and the kingdom of heaven as a result of God revealing the treasures of the kingdom through His gracious activity in their lives. And then there are other people who are spiritually seeking answers to questions that they have about God and His kingdom. We see Jesus continue and conclude this parable for us with what He says next, which records for us in Matthew 13:46:

and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that the merchant, after seeking and searching in many different places, found only one pearl. This one pearl that he found, however, was very precious and was of exceptional value. And just as this merchant was searching far and wide to find a valuable treasure, there are many people who are seeking and searching for spiritual truth in a variety of places.

The very nature of religion, by definition, is man’s attempt to find and connect with God. Think of all the religious systems that exist in the world today. Here is just a small sampling; Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Judaism, Humanism, Wicca, Scientology, Darwinian evolution, New age and eastern pantheism, and atheism, which is a religious system. We could go on and on and on. All of these religious systems are seeking and searching for spiritual truth. And many of these religious systems have similar lists of do’s and don’ts.

The problem with all of these religious systems, however, is that while all of them tell you how you are to live your life in the present and the future, none of them tell you how to deal with your past. Christianity is the only religious system that provides a way that deals with our past lives of selfishness, rebellion, and sin. Christianity is not a religion where we do things in order to experience a right relationship with God. Christianity is a relationship with God as a result of what God has done for us. And while there are many different religions that attempt to explain the things of God, there is only one kingdom of heaven. And the kingdom of heaven is a precious treasure of exceptional value.

Jesus then explained that upon finding this one pearl of great value, the merchant responded to this treasure by selling all that he had to buy it. The merchant viewed this pearl as so precious of a treasure that he was willing to invest everything that he owned so that he could have it. Once the merchant had the pearl, he realized that he did not need his other treasures. He responded to the treasure that he had found by valuing it over everything else that he owned.

The fact that he valued this treasure more than all else was revealed in his actions; he sold all that he had so that he could invest in the surpassing treasure of that one pearl. And in this parable, we see Jesus reveal the reality that the kingdom of heaven is uniquely precious and worthy of our investment. Jesus point in this parable is that once we have found the precious treasure of the kingdom of heaven, we need no other treasure.

Just as the merchant was willing to invest all that he had in the surpassing treasure of the kingdom of heaven, we must be willing to invest all into the surpassing treasure the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is calling the crowds listening to Him to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven as the ultimate treasure, not just acknowledge its existence and then invest our lives into lesser treasures.  

And it is in these two parables that we discover a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless truth is this: The kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for.  The timeless reality is that some people stumble on to the reality that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for. And there are people who walk past the treasure of the kingdom of heaven day after day, unaware that such a treasure exists.

For other people, their life can be described as a spiritual journey that seeks and searches to find answers to the profound questions of life. Who Am I? Why am I here? Do I matter? And some of those people come to a place in their lives where they see the kingdom of heaven as a treasure worthy of investing everything for. And others walk past the kingdom of heaven, seeking to find answers in religious systems that provide a false promise for the present and the future, while never dealing with the problems of past selfishness, rebellion, and sin. And for some, the kingdom of heaven is more of a duty than a delight. And the timeless reality is that everyone fits into one of these categories.

So here is a question to consider: which category would you describe yourself as fitting in? Do you feel like you have stumbled onto the claims of Jesus and His offer to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven? Or maybe you are on a spiritual journey searching and shopping for answers when it comes to the most profound questions in life? Or do you view the idea of being a follower of Jesus and apart of the kingdom of heaven as being a duty, not a delight?

And how have you responded to the kingdom of heaven that Jesus has presented to you? Have you responded to the surpassing treasure of the kingdom of Heaven by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader? And if you are a member of the kingdom of heaven, do you see the kingdom of heaven as more of a duty than a delight? Do you view the kingdom of heaven as a treasure worthy of investing everything for?

Because the timeless reality is that the kingdom of heaven is a treasure worth investing everything for…

Stumbling onto something that requires a response...

At the church where I serve, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made about the kingdom of heaven that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew.  During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.  This week I would like for us to take a front row seat that Matthew gives us to an event from history where Jesus told a story that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s take that front row seat to this event from history together, beginning in Matthew 13:44:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus is telling the crowds listening to him a parable about the kingdom of heaven. As we have been talking about through this series, a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a treasure that is hidden in the field.

When Jesus stated that this treasure is hidden, he was explaining that the treasure is always hidden. I mean, the reason that hidden treasure is hidden is because it is hidden, isn’t it? The treasure needs to be discovered by someone. Otherwise it remains hidden. Jesus point here is that the kingdom of heaven is always hidden unless it is discovered as a result of God’s gracious activity in the lives of people.

Jesus continued this parable by stating that a man found this treasure and hid it again. Now a natural question that could arise here is “Why would you hide a treasure that you found?” I mean that seems weird, doesn’t it?  The reason why the man hid the treasure was due to the fact that while man discovered had the treasure, he did not own the field. So legally, in order to receive the treasure, he had to go and buy the field. This man stumbled upon the treasure in the field and had to respond to what he had stumbled upon. 

In this parable, the man who stumbled upon the treasure represents anyone who becomes a child of the kingdom. Jesus point in this parable is that just as this man stumbled upon the treasure hidden in the field, many people stumble on the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then explained that this man responded to what he had stumbled upon by going and selling all that he had to buy that field.

But did you notice the attitude by which the man was selling all that he had? Jesus explained that he sold all that he had with joy. Because of his joy over the surpassing nature of the treasure, the man was willing to sell all that he had and invest it into the field. This man was responding by buying the field out of delight, not out of duty.

Jesus here is revealing for us the reality that Jesus calls for those who stumble upon His kingdom to genuinely embrace the kingdom of heaven, not just acknowledge its existence out of duty and pass by it as though it did not exist. Jesus point is that the kingdom of heaven calls for followers that must be willing to enthusiastically and joyously embrace the kingdom of heaven and be willing to give up whatever stands between them and the kingdom of heaven.

The point that Jesus is making to the crowds listening to this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is such a treasure that those who find it will be willing to invest all that they have in the surpassing greatness of the kingdom. Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him to understand that they must be willing to risk all if the priorities of the kingdom of heaven threaten or compete with the security of the things on earth.

And just like man and his wife with the plot of land, the kingdom of heaven is a treasure that causes people to do things that may make no sense to those to whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from. Why would you go to church instead of skiing or on the lake? Why do you invest your time and go to community groups? Why would you give so much money to the church, when you could use that money for yourself and your family to have fun and buy stuff?  Why do you spend your time and talents volunteering and serving your church and doing things with your church for the community, instead of hanging out and going on vacation with your family?

Jesus is revealing the reality that when we treasure the kingdom of heaven above all else, we leverage our time, our talents, and our treasure in ways that those whom the kingdom of heaven is hidden from do not understand or relate to. And to make His point abundantly clear, Matthew tells us that Jesus continued by telling the crowds listening to Him another parable.

Friday we will look at that parable together…

The kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially...

This week we have been looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. We looked on as Matthew gave us a front row seat to this event from history where Jesus presented another parable to the large crowds that were following Him about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was a very small seed that the crowds listening to Him would be very familiar with. Jesus picked the mustard seed because it was an exceptionally small seed that had a small and inauspicious beginning. No one expected much from a mustard seed. However, Jesus explained that the mustard seed that He was talking about was no normal mustard seed. Jesus explained that this mustard seed was different because, while this particular mustard seed had a seemingly small and insignificant beginning, when it became full grown, it became larger than the garden plants and became a tree so large that the birds of the air would come and nest in its branches.

Jesus painted this word picture for the crowds to reveal the reality that while the kingdom of heaven would have a small and seemingly inauspicious beginning, at the end of the day the kingdom of heaven would become so large in size and scope that a multitude of nations, cultures, and ethnicities  would be represented as participating in the kingdom. And as Matthew continued to give us a front row seat to this event from history, we see Jesus tell another parable to reinforce His point. A parable that Matthew records for us in Matthew 13:33:

He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

Jesus continued by explaining to the large crowds that were following Him that the kingdom of Heaven can be compared to leaven. Now for those of us who are not cooks, leaven is another word that we use for yeast. And when you go to Wal-Mart or Smiths, you usually find yeast sold in small packets or containers that look like this.

But in this parable, Jesus is not referring to a package or a container of yeast; Jesus here is referring to a single seed of yeast. Jesus is talking about just one, single seed of yeast. Jesus then continued His parable by explaining that a woman took this single small, seemingly insignificant seed of yeast and placed it in three pecks of flour. To fully understand the significance of Jesus statement here, we first need to understand a few things.

The first thing that we need to understand is how much flour is contained in three pecks. In the Jewish culture of Jesus day, three pecks of flour is the equivalent of roughly 25-40 liters of flour. However, since we usually do not buy flour by volume, but by weight, three pecks of flour would translate to roughly 55-60 pounds of flour.

Now that leads us to the next thing that we need to understand, which is what Jesus said the woman did with the yeast and the flour. You see, in the language that this was originally written in, Jesus explained that the woman hid the yeast in the flour. She did not purposely mix it in the flour. She hid it in the flour. Now the reason why this is so important to understand is because of the point that Jesus is making here in this parable.

You see, a single, small seemingly insignificant seed of yeast would be impossible to find if it was hidden in the midst of 55-60 pounds of flour. Yet Jesus explained that this single, small, seemingly insignificant grain of yeast ended up raising 60 pounds of flour. Now 60 pounds of flour, when fully leaven and baked would produce enough bread to feed over 100 people. One single, small, seemingly insignificant grain of yeast would be powerful enough to impact the lives of over 100 people.

Jesus point was that while the kingdom of heaven may seem to be hidden from sight and seemingly small and insignificant at its outset, and the end of the day the kingdom of heaven would have the power to influence and expand beyond any and all expectations. And it is in these two parables that we see Jesus reveal a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless truth is this; the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially.

The timeless reality is that the kingdom of Heaven, while having a seemingly small and insignificant start, has grown, and is growing exponentially. Jesus, as the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a rescuer, a deliverer, a Messiah who would usher in the kingdom of Heaven, seemed to usher in a kingdom that was small and insignificant.

After all, upon Jesus death and the hands of the ruling Roman Empire, Jesus had less than 120 committed followers at His death, most of who bailed on Him when He needed them the most. There was no palace to mark His kingdom; there was no White House or capital building to mark His rule; there were no borders to protect or land to conquer.

Yet, some 2,000 years later, how many millions of lives have been influenced and impacted by the kingdom of heaven? How many nations, cultures, and ethnicities are now represented in the kingdom of heaven? And the timeless reality is that we have seen firsthand the reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially.

The reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially is seen in the stories of those who are baptized. The reality that the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially is seen through the worship that has occurred, and continues to occur, throughout the world. And the kingdom of heaven will continue to grow exponentially until Jesus returns to this earth to usher in the kingdom of heaven in its fullest sense.

So, here is a question to consider: Are you a member of the kingdom of heaven? Have you come to the place in your life where you have received the forgiveness of your sins and have entered into the relationship with God that you were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus Christ as Lord and Leader?

And, if you are a member of the kingdom of heaven, how are you living in the kingdom of heaven? Are you embracing the kingdom mission that you have been given to be the vehicle that God uses to reveal His Son Jesus to a lost and hurting world around us? Because even though God does not need us to advance His kingdom exponentially, God invites us to play a small role by investing our time, talent, and treasure, in that kingdom mission.

And the kingdom of heaven is growing exponentially…