Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old

 

 "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 selling 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 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 

 

Presently, we are reading in chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel, the chapter in which Jesus introduces His style of preaching in parables.  After teaching the parable of the Sower (explaining in private to His disciples), then the parables of the Wheat and the Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven, 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 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 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 selling beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."   These two parables illustrate the priceless nature of God's Kingdom.  My study Bible explains that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field is an illustration of those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, but receive Him nonetheless with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price is an illustration of people who, on the other hand, have been searching in their hearts for Him, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls, it says, represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world.  These treasures are hidden in the sense that they are neither recognized nor valued by those immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, my study Bible further notes, to receive the treasure requires that everything else must be sold; that is, a person must surrender all things in order to receive Christ (see also Romans 14:11).

"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."   My study Bible describes the image of the fishing net gathering the good and wicked as similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (in this reading).  But this parable extends the understanding that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said 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 the commentary of St. John Chrysostom on this passage, who notes that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament, but is praising it 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, for both are holy, with the New the fulfillment of the Old.  My study Bible further comments that this is indeed how St. Matthew composed his gospel.  In this Gospel, we will frequently read the words "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" accompanied by Scripture from the Old Testament. 

It is amazing and illuminating to consider all these treasures that Christ describes, stretching from the period of the Old and through the New Testaments.  If we roughly generalize that time period, the revelation to Abraham is thought to have been approximately 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, and now we are 2,000 years after it.  Of course, the Old Testament does not begin with Abraham, but with the creation of all the universe, and the existence of the God without beginning.  (Let us once again ponder the beginning of John's Gospel, which echoes Genesis 1, but teaches us about the One who makes all things new; see John 1:1-5.)  The Bible as a whole teaches us about the continual intervention of God throughout our worldly history, and God's revelation to us -- which is all of a whole.  It is all a part of the treasure that Christ describes, "old and new" to us.  When we go through periods of life where we feel a great instability, either on a personal scale or a larger one, we should consider this consistent spiritual revelation throughout the history of the world as a reminder that God is always with us, no matter what our experience or what we think we see in a worldly sense.  Moreover, in the context of today's reading, it might give us pause to observe the evolution of our spirituality through the Bible Scriptures, and the history of worship indicated therein and through the Church.  Because while we may hear within our own understanding of time, so often the words and teachings we're given indicate something timeless, and outside of time.  Christ's miracles may be immediate, but this is part of the manifestation of the divine Son as Incarnate Jesus, a "sign" that the kingdom is present to us in that immediate and extraordinary form.  But we should not confuse, for example, the pearl of great price as indicating that its discovery is a kind of once-in-a-lifetime action only.  For the pearls that Christ gives us, the great pearl that is our faith, is something we need to understand as part of that timelessness of God also that runs through time and history in our world:  it continues to give as we continue to evolve in our faith.  The parable expresses the idea that we give all that we have for this pearl of great price, and we must not necessarily confuse that with a one-time choice, but with an action that continues throughout our lives.  As we are human beings in time, our capacity for repentance comes not as an all-at-once learning curve.  On the contrary, the learning curve of the disciples throughout the Gospels is there so that we learn how we grow in our faith, coming to discard what needs to be put aside, and to more deeply embrace what this pearl of great price does in us, and how Christ leads us.  So let us not be discouraged by what seems a tall order, or setbacks, or confusion, or things that seem to contradict what we find in our lives.  For this pearl of great price is the one thing that unites all contradictions, and it is and must be to that pearl, to our treasure, that we turn to find resolution and to continue "asking, seeking, and knocking" (Matthew 7:7).  Indeed, if we know where our treasure is, every obstacle, setback, or seeming contradiction must work to spur us to look "upward" to that place where all contradictions are resolved, to go to prayer, to seek guidance, to go forward in this journey of faith -- just as we see that spiritual journey of God's revelation in the Bible.  We await, as Christ has taught, the end of the age, when all things will be revealed (1 Corinthians 13:12).  But through everything we experience, we are taught to cling to this treasure, old and new, to learn it more deeply, to pray with it, to experience its truths which deliver us more of the same, and hope, and faith.  For this is the journey we are on, the priceless pearl we have been given, if we can receive 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

Christ Pantocrator (detail from Deisis mosaic).  1261, Haghia Sophia cathedral, Constantinople (Istanbul)

 "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 has 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 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 preaching several 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 has found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  My study bible takes these two parables together in a commentary.  It explains that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field is an illustration of those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, but nevertheless receive Christ with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price is an illustration of those who have been searching in their hearts for Christ, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls give a picture of all the varied teachings and philosophies of the world.  These treasures are hidden in the fact that they are not recognized nor valued by the people who are immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, to receive the treasure asks of the purchaser that everything else must be sold.  In other words, a person surrenders everything else 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."    My study bible comments that the image of the fishing net, which gathers the good and wicked together, is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares.  (See yesterday's reading, above, in which Jesus gives His interpretation of that parable to the disciples; and also His original telling of the parable in this reading from last week.)   However, the parable of the fishing net further emphasizes that even those who are gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said 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 here, who comments that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament, but rather praises it as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven, my study bible says, will draw from the unity of the new and old Testaments, as both are holy, with the New being the fulfillment of the Old.   This, in fact, is how Matthew composed his gospel, in which we frequently read of events which happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken (see 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

So, what is treasure to you?  What constitutes treasure?  A treasure is something more prized above all else.  It is something coveted, and zealously guarded, as that which brings and adds value to us and to our lives.  A treasure is something which is loved, held highest in value, given esteem in some sense.  A treasure is also something which we will go out of our way and make the greatest effort to preserve and to protect, even to enhance its value if possible.  All of these qualities Jesus ascribes to the kingdom of heaven, teaching those who would be His followers about how they should prize what He offers, and what they might participate in and be a part of through His ministry.  In the parables of the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price, we're told that this one prized thing is worthy of the sacrifice of everything else in order to have it.  The treasure hidden in the field reminds us of the secret and hidden nature of this treasure as well.  It's in the prayers we say in secret to our Father in the secret place, and who hears in secret (Matthew 6:6).   The very word mystery, so frequently given to us as part of the Church and all of her sacraments, means "hidden" or "secret" -- and so we are given yet another understanding of this Kingdom.  It may not appear to all, nor be apparent to anyone else, but becomes real and present to us through faith.   The parables of the mustard seed and leaven also gave us hints of the hidden mystery of the Kingdom.  The leaven was hidden in the meal until it transformed the whole thing through an inner, mysterious action.  The tiniest of seeds produced a great tree.  The pearl of great price is the parable most often cited when we're speaking about the value and worth of this mystery of the Kingdom.  But even such a pearl and its value would not be obvious to everyone.  It would take a kind of expertise, and one who has searched such treasures with a long experience, to know it when he or she found it.  Again, the parable speaks of a kind of mystery that only some will know and understand.  Perhaps in looking at these parables and the "hiddenness" that we find in them, we come to understand another important facet of our faith and about the Kingdom.  Not everybody is going to love this or understanding it.  Not everybody is going to value it, or be aware of its value.  Each parable asks us to be aware of what it is that we are being offered, and even if no one else knows or understands what treasure we have, we are to value it as priceless, and above all other things.  Finally, in today's reading, Jesus gives us yet another parable invoking the image of judgment.  We will find in this world both good and bad, valuable and worthless, all somehow bound up together.  But that is not to be our concern except for our need for discernment.  This is the way that things must be, and only God's judgment is to separate good from bad, and that will come at the end of the age.  Our work is to hear His commandments, to value what He offers, and to be the best disciples that we can be, even in the midst of a confusing world where not everyone is going to value the same things that we do.  Finally Jesus speaks once again of treasure:  "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  We have a long, long tradition of treasures, and each year, each century, every saint, and every faithful person, brings more to this treasure.  New or old makes no difference to the value of the treasure -- each one adds to the other.  Let us consider the frame of mind which Jesus asks of us:  we are to learn to discern true value, and live by such an understanding.  We place the treasure of this Kingdom first, and we recognize its value and the worthiness of all parts of it, both old and new.  This isn't a fad and it isn't a fashion.  It's not the "latest thing" -- but it is the greatest thing.  Let us live in accordance with the vast value He places upon this treasure.  In the icon above, which is the center of a mosaic in Haghia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom"), the cathedral of Constantinople, we see Christ as ruler of all.  He is pictured holding the Gospel, the living word.  We notice its bejeweled and golden cover, indicating that it is the true treasure.  It almost looks like a treasure box.  But let us remember that the treasure is "hidden" within, in His living word to us and given for us -- even as He is also the "Living Word" who gave His life for ours.

One pearl of great price

 "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 them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

- Matthew 13:44-52

Yesterday, we read that after preaching various parables, Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  (Read the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and the parables of the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven.)   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."  This parable tells of the incomparable joy of finding this "place," the kingdom of heaven.  My study bible says it illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, yet receive Him with great eagerness.  We see the astounding worth of this treasure -- it's worth selling everything else.

"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."  About this parable, my study bible tells us that it gives us a picture of those who have been searching in their hearts for Christ and finally find Him and His Church.  It says, "The other pearls represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world."  Both the treasure hidden in the field, above, and the one pearl of great price are hidden, in the sense that they're not recognized nor valued by "those immersed in worldliness" -- those too busy and occupied with other things to undertake this particular search and the careful, time-consuming focus and stillness it requires.  My study bible also notes that both treasures carry a high price and value:  receiving them requires that everything else must be sold.  That is, a person must surrender 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."  Here is another parable that involves Judgment, similar to the Wheat and the Tares.  My study bible points out that it emphasizes that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  It seems to portray Christ and His Church as a gathering place that draws all kinds of people.  We remember that this is a picture of the time in which we live, like the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, we live all together even gathered into the Church -- and Judgment is for the end of the Age, reserved for Christ only and His angels.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said 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."  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  My study bible refers us to St. John Chrysostom's commentary on these verses.  St. Chrysostom notes that Jesus doesn't exclude the Old Testament, but rather praises it as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven will draw from the unity of the new and old Testaments.  Both are holy, and the New is the fulfillment of the Old.  This is how Matthew composed his gospel, as we see the repeated formula "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" -- some examples we've encountered:  Matthew 2:15, 23; 4:14-15, 8:17; 12:17-18; 13:35.

What does it mean to have a great treasure?  In the context of Jesus' parables, and other sayings of Jesus, a treasure is something beyond all else.  In Matthew 6:21, Jesus teaches that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  A treasure, in His context, is something that's worth everything else, a prize above all.  And that's the way He wants us to understand the kingdom of heaven.  If we want to understand a "pearl of great price," then we also have to understand the historical value of pearls.  It's a relatively recent innovation that we have cultured pearls, "grown" by pearl farmers by deliberately introducing a kind of irritant inside a pearl oyster in order to produce a pearl.  But up until recent centuries, pearls were discovered (not cultivated), and they were made of pure nacre, naturally formed.  A pearl represented purity and was supreme among gems, highly valued throughout history by royalty around the world.  A true natural pearl is still extraordinarily valuable; a natural pearl of gem quality is an extremely rare commodity.  But Jesus teaches us about the value of this Kingdom:  it's a pearl among pearls.  It's a great treasure that is hidden in a field:  the one thing that is really valued above all else.  A "true" pearl, then, is something we  liken to the great truths of the Kingdom, just as Christ is called the Person who is Truth.  Jesus also gives us the image of the dragnet, something that pulls everything from the bottom of the sea (where one would find pearl oysters) into itself:  the sorting will be done later.  And a human being, too, can be likened to a natural pearl:  the effect of the Kingdom creating a kind of purity -- the same on the inside as on the outside, without duplicity or hypocrisy.  Finally Jesus' pearls of truth are given in a context of Scripture:  old and new, the good is brought out of this good treasure of the Kingdom, all of it contained in this "place."  Elsewhere in the gospel, Jesus has warned His disciples that they must not "cast their pearls before swine."  The treasures of this Kingdom belong to those who can truly value them, and realize them for what they are.  A great value can only be perceived by those who seek truth, because it is a great truth to know and to understand that this Kingdom is worth everything else in our lives, that its value outweighs all else.  The Kingdom becomes this pearl or this treasure precisely because it is of such immense value that anything else has to come second -- and the value of everything else will in turn be measured and recognized by the power and beauty and intrinsic worth of the Kingdom.  All other standards fail to measure up to what this one does, in us and for us.  The things we used to value pale.  Instead, what is used in good service to this Kingdom becomes valued by its usefulness.  As those who may be bearers of this Kingdom within ourselves and among ourselves, we become a kind of treasure box, a treasure house, a place where the good gifts of the Kingdom may become useful, expanded, developed and shared with others.  The Church itself is like this treasure of the scribe -- full of old and new pearls and gems that enrich the lives of those who realize the great gift of God, freely given to us, incomparably and immeasurably valuable. When Jesus teaches, in the Sermon on the Mount, that we are to go to our "inner chamber and pray to our Father who sees in secret," the inner chamber referred to was a storeroom inside a home, in which valuables were kept.  (The modern usage of this Greek word tameion is extended to mean a cash register.)  Jesus teaches us all about pearls of great price, the magnificent value of this Kingdom, the treasure worth saving and keeping and protecting above everything else.  Let us remember He has assured us of our great value to God the Father, and consider what it means that we are the recipients upon whom is bestowed such great treasure, and endowed with the potential to live it, build it, magnify it.  St. Paul has told us that we are temples of God, and we must consider what it means that Christ has said that this Kingdom -- this extraordinary treasure -- is something we carry within us.  How can we measure such a treasure?  We can't.  Its value goes beyond any kind of way to price it.  To do so is to deny its real worth, a heresy.  Grace is given with love, with freedom, with the kind of truth that can't be bought.  So -- it's up to us to treasure it and realize it and cherish it, whether or not "the world" can understand.

Every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old

 "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 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

In our recent readings, Jesus has begun to preach to the crowds in parables.   On Friday, we read that Jesus taught the parable of the Wheat and Tares.  Yesterday, we read that 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."  New parables give us new glimpses of the nature of this Kingdom.  My study bible tells us, "The Kingdom of God is compared to an earthly treasure and a costly pearl.  The driving desire of men for wealth pictures the desire of the soul for heavenly riches.  The jewel is described as hidden because it requires faith and perseverance to discover it.)  Recent readings have taught us about mysteries, things "kept hidden" (such as in the statement, "I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world").  Again, it is the same Greek word used here.

"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."  My study bible tells us:  "The Kingdom is compared to a fishing net which gathers the good and the wicked, an image similar to that of the parable of the tares.  The point is that the final judgment will finally disclose and separate the wicked from the righteous."  Again, as in yesterday's reading (and the parable of the Wheat and Tares which it explains), the subject of Judgment returns.  The end of the age is the time when the world is claimed for this Kingdom, a kind of completeness of reconciliation.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said 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 says here:  "Jesus does not reject the Old Testament; rather, He commends it and calls it treasure.  Fulfillment is found, however, in the New Testament, which leads to a complete understanding of the Old Testament.  This parable describes how Matthew, a Christian scribe, composed his Gospel."

It's important that we understand the concept of mystery, of things hidden.  The sacraments in the Church are also called mysteries (especially in the Eastern Churches), and it is important that we understand that when we participate in worship and in divine grace, we are opening up to mystery.  That is, to the Kingdom which is so often described by Jesus as containing "things hidden"  or "kept secret."  The Eucharist, for example, is a perfect illustration of this mystery of the Kingdom.  It's not just the mystery that we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, but the mystery goes far beyond that.  It is the Kingdom itself into which we are invited to participate, and we simply don't know all the treasure that is contained therein.  In Baptism, we are given the gift of Baptism into the Spirit.  How can we possibly know or understand the great mystery -- the things "hidden" or "secret" -- in the grace that is conferred upon us at Baptism?  Can we know how God will come to work in our lives?  Can we understand or predict exactly how the Spirit will work with us and within us?  When we participate in the life of the Kingdom we are invited to an overwhelming mystery, something unknown, that cannot possibly be calculated, by anyone.  The infinite creativity of God goes to work in us, and in that mystery is also the workings of the Father that bring us to faith, and the mystery of the cooperation of our own spirit with this work.  No one can predict any of these things, nor can we understand the full workings of the Kingdom.  Therefore, the things kept hidden or kept secret become of fundamental importance to us.  When we enter into a life of faith, it becomes an unfolding journey.  Our own reconciliation, and the process of healing us as those who become members in this Kingdom, becomes a kind of a process that the leaven hidden in three measures of flour illustrates.  The journey we are on may be filled with treasure hidden in this field for which we are willing to give up all else, and that beautiful pearl that is worth everything else in our lives.  What could that be worth, and what could it be?  This is also part of the mystery.  We don't know what God will bring us, what this relationship with Christ will give us, or what it may call on us to discard.  But we do know that it must change and transform us, in a hidden and secret way, in a mysterious process that we can't predict.  Standing on the shoulders of others, advised and guided by those who've made the journey before us, treasures old and new from the spiritual experience of other scribes can help to point the way, and to affirm our faith.  In this we take sustenance and nurturing.  In the Kingdom, there is a great cloud of witnesses, a communion of saints, to teach us more about our faith and to help strengthen and encourage us in the journey, with things both new and old.