The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it

 

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  

 

Then He said to to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

- Matthew 13:44-52 

 

Yesterday we read that, after telling them more parables, Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  My study Bible explains that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field illustrates people who unintentionally happen upon Christ and His Church, but receive Him with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price shows those who wee searching in their hearts for Christ, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls are meant to represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world, it says.  These treasures are hidden in that they are neither recognized nor valued by people immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, to receive the true treasure asks of us that everything else be sold.  That is, a person surrenders all things in order to receive Christ. 

 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."   My study Bible comments on this image of the fishing net gathering the good and wicked together -- noting its similarity to the parable of the wheat and the tares (see yesterday's reading, above).  It explains that this parable further emphasizes that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  

 

 Then He said to to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary here.  St. Chrysostom notes that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament.  Instead, it is praised here by Christ as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven will draw from the unity of both new and old Testaments.  Both are holy, and the New is the fulfillment of the Old.  This is truly how Matthew composed his gospel, my study Bible adds.  We can see this in Matthew's repeated use of the phrase, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" (Matthew 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).  

Today's reading asks us to question ourselves, in some sense.  We're asked to question what our own treasure is, or what we think our treasure is.  Christ clearly sets out His own definition of treasure, and that is the kingdom of heaven.  He compares it to a pearl of great price, which is worth selling everything else a person has in order to attain it.  (We have to keep in mind that at Christ's time, pearls had much more value than they do today, as there was no such thing as cultured or farmed pearls -- only natural ones found in the "wild.")   Christ also describes the kingdom of heaven as like treasure hidden in a field, for which a man for joy went and sold all that he had in order to purchase the field.  So clearly He is teaching us that the kingdom of heaven is worth everything else in life, in terms of what we value or how highly we esteem something we may have.  But also contained with these parables about great beauty and great joy and real treasure is also another parable about judgment:  the dragnet that will catch everything at the end of the age, and -- once again, as in yesterday's reading, above -- about the angels who will come and separate out the good and the bad, the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth is a phrase denoting judgment.  So while we have this great and tremendous treasure, of joy and beauty and incomparable, nearly immeasurable price, we also have judgment, and "wailing and gnashing of teeth."  In Jesus' teaching and in His parables we've read in this chapter, those two things come together as part of the teachings He presents.  Somehow, the text insists, you don't get one without the other.  Many of us take great joy in this treasure that surpasses all others, in the pearl of great price.  There is so much beauty that can be seen in the Church, and rightfully so -- and there is beauty in the personal prayer in which we discover God's all-encompassing love, and the compassion of Christ and the saints.  But judgment is not something any of us is happy pondering, and moreover it's in a category of mystery that we can't know the answers to.  We don't know the secrets of judgment, but we're given today's parable (and the earlier parable of the wheat and the tares in yesterday's reading) in order to affirm that there will be a judgment, and to make certain that we are aware of this.  It is a reminder that gifts come from God with a great deal of spiritual power attached to them.  It is our refusal of that gift that is the cause for judgment.  We often think of judgment as punishment, but this isn't really the picture presented here.  Although "wailing and gnashing of teeth" presents us with a certain picture of suffering, that suffering is the result of a failure to grasp this kingdom and embrace it and treasure it.  That failure becomes one of not cherishing what we're given, and not holding it as precious as it truly is.  It's a lack of something due to our own neglect of a priceless treasure in our midst that is offered to us, and so we become part of what is discarded from that dragnet and not kept.  If anything, Christ's parables of judgment are meant to get us to regard what He offers with all seriousness, and not to take lightly what are gifts of God, a revelation of covenant.  In the Old Testament, the Law given by Moses also includes statements of judgment, of what will happen if Israel abandons her covenant with God.  But again, these may seem like punishments, while in reality they are the spiritual consequences of the rejection of such gifts.  Will we accept Christ's treasure, and value it in accordance with its true value?  How does this treasure play a role in your life?  Do you make sacrifices to keep hold of it, to cherish it?  This is the true value of the kingdom of heaven, a treasure which consists of things both old and new.  Let us not neglect our pearl of great price.