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 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 

 

On Saturday, in the midst of Jesus' beginning to preach in parables, He 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."  The parable of the treasure hidden in a field, my study Bible notes, is an illustration of those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, yet receive Him with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price illustrates those who 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 that they are neither recognized nor valued by those immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, receiving the treasure requires that everything else must be sold; that is, my study Bible says, 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."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  According to my study Bible, the image of the fishing net gathering the good and wicked together is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Saturday's reading, above).  In this parable, Jesus further emphasizes that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  

 

 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 tells us that St. John Chrysostom notes on this passage that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament.  Instead He 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, as both are holy, with the New being the fulfillment of the Old.  This is truly how St. Matthew composed his gospel, in which he repeatedly uses the formula, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken," referring to passages from the Old Testament (see Matthew 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17, 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

 

 Jesus submits yet more parables to us illustrating the working and characteristics of this kingdom, what it "is like."  (For the earlier parables of the kingdom of heaven, see Matthew 13:1-43.)   The first two parables in today's reading speak of the precious quality of the kingdom of heaven, and how it exceeds the worth of all else we might have in our lives.   Jesus says that "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."  Note how this hidden treasure and pearl of great price are not simply worth every effort, but they so supersede the preciousness of everything else that all else is subordinate to it.  That is, whatever must be done to keep this treasure and this pearl, or whatever must be sacrificed, is worth the cost and the effort.  Jesus teaches, "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."  This parable points to the continuity of spiritual revelation and wisdom; as St. Chrysostom teaches, the New is the fulfillment of the Old.  It teaches us of the great value of all of this treasure.  But also, like the parable of the tares of the field, He is teaching about judgment, and also about discernment.  Notably it is also a warning to us about the importance of where we place our treasure, what we value and seek in life, that which we cling to.  Additionally, we're given an important teaching about angels; that is, the angels of the kingdom, and the important and active role they play in our world, carrying out the wishes of Christ the judge.  Let us pay careful and even joyful attention to all of the things that Jesus teaches us the kingdom of heaven is "like," for in them we find the greatest treasure, the pearl worth any price, the great sea of the just.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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 preaching to the crowds in parables, a new innovation in His ministry.   (See the reading from Tuesday of last week, in which we began reading chapter 13 of St. Matthew's Gospel, and the subsequent readings.)  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."  My study Bible notes that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, yet receive Him with great eagerness.  It calls the parable of the pearl of great price an illustration of people who've been searching in their hearts for Christ, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls, in this metaphor, represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world.  Such treasures are hidden, in that they are not recognized nor valued by people immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, in order to receive the treasure it's required that all 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."   This image of the fishing net which gathers the good and wicked altogether is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (see this reading for the parable, and also yesterday's reading, above, for Christ's explanation of it).  My study Bible comments that this parable of the dragnet 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, who importantly notes 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 will draw from the unity of both new and old Testaments, for both of them are holy, with the New as the fulfillment of the Old.  This is truly the way that St. Matthew composed his gospel, my study Bible adds.  As evidence of this, it notes that St. Matthew repeatedly uses the formula "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" (see Matthew 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).  My study Bible says that this underscores the intervention of God throughout history, demonstrates the continuity between the Old and New Covenants, and indicates the beginning of the new creation. 

 

Today's reading focuses on treasure.  It invites us to think about what we treasure, what's truly worth treasuring.  Jesus says, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  He's speaking, of course, of spiritual treasure, and we began this chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel with the parable of the Sower, which Jesus gave us regarding His word as the seed which is sown.  If we look at the whole of the Bible, we know already that Jesus is Lord, and so we can "hear" the same Sower and His valuable seed throughout the Bible.  Thus, the entirety of this spiritual treasure is both old and new, and we must cherish all of it together, for it exists for us as we need it, and will profit by it.   In today's reading, Jesus first gives us two illustrations of the kingdom of heaven.  First, He says, "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."   So this immensely valuable treasure is characterized by Christ as worthy of all else that we have, that we know, or that we base our lives upon.  It is that precious that it's worth the sacrifice of anything else in order to have it.   Next Jesus gives another illustration to ponder:  "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."  As my study Bible says, this illustration augments the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the understanding of all things being gathered up for sorting at the end of the age. We go back to Christ's illustration of good trees and bad trees, good seed and bad seed, to understand that this dragnet is, in a sense, the Holy Spirit at work in the world.  The angels will come to separate and to gather up, and to cast out the evil and save the righteous.  This dragnet relates also to Christ's word, and to those whom He called to be "fishers of men."  That is, the apostles who would spread Christ's word, His gospel, the seed of the Sower, to all the world.  One thing we can be sure of, that such a net is wide and sweeping, and catching all things that may come into it, extending from the sea floor to its surface.  If this is the picture that Christ has given us of the working of the Kingdom, it is also an affirmation of His teaching that nothing is left out, even every idle word we utter, even the awareness of every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30).  It's interesting that Jesus' beautiful parables of the Kingdom are punctuated with references to judgment, reminding us that it is what we do with this treasure, and how we will make use of it in our lives, that really counts, that matters in the long scheme of things and the arc of our lives.  Let us then trust to Christ for His good seed, the word He gives us, treasuring it as we should in our hearts, and belonging to His kingdom and the good and precious things He says are worth every price.  For we are each a householder in His kingdom, and we each must value the treasure He gives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer to Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?   Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

- Matthew 25:31-46 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been prophesying to the disciples about the end of the age, and His return, at which time judgment will happen.  In yesterday's reading, He gave the following parable:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went ad traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."  Here begins what my study Bible calls the majestic climax of Christ's discourse.  It notes this is not simply a parable, but a prophesy of the universal judgment that is to come.  As the Cross is now near to Jesus, He is raising the hearer (His disciples and those who will follow) to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat with the whole world before Him.  My study Bible declares that the standard of judgment shown here is uncalculated mercy toward others.  Those works which are produced by faith are emphasized here -- for, my study Bible says, saving faith always produces righteous works.  What we do is a reflection of our true inner state.  

 

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  My study Bible informs us that Christ uses sheep in order to show the righteous, for they follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  Goats illustrate the unrighteous, in the sense that they do not follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, which represent sin.

 

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"  Inherit, my study Bible tells us, is a term that is used with regard to sons and daughters rather than strangers or servants.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  

"Then the righteous will answer to Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?   Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  My study Bible comments that to see Christ in everyone is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).   Additionally, we should consider the least as all those who are poor and needy.  These needs here are not limited to physical needs, but also include spiritual ones.  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study Bible says that as Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil, it shows that God did not create hell for human beings.  But people choose this torment by their own coldness of heart.  Those who are hungry or thirsty, it also notes, are not simply ones who need food and drink -- but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.

 

 An interesting observation we can make here is the correlation between  the choosing of coldness of heart and aligning ourselves with spiritual forces of evil; that is, the devil and his angels, those for whom the everlasting fire was prepared.  Indeed, what does coldness of heart do in this sense?  It neglects to help those in need, it neglects to give love, it neglects compassion.  It neglects to hear the call of those who are harmed or hurt by bad behavior, and neglects to notice those harmed by bad policies or practices many will support because it is encouraged within a social community.  Coldness of heart renders one incapable of considering a "neighbor" to be one who is made of the same stuff one is, created as a human being by God.  It will teach us to neglect to make "neighbors" through our actions, like the Good Samaritan of the parable in Luke 10:25-37.  Coldness of heart renders one capable of thinking of fellow human beings only insofar as they are of use to oneself, and discarding them on the basis of lack of usefulness when that doesn't prove to be the case.  Coldness of heart does not recognize other bonds besides what has usefulness.  It therefore damages relationships, unaware and unconcerned about the consequences.  Coldness of heart renders arrogance, a sense in which all that matters is one's own desire and interest,  a selfish perspective.  This kind of self-centeredness caters to cruelty; for why recognize the pain of others when it is inconvenient to oneself?  In short, such coldness of heart is irresponsible, damaging relations with abuse.  Moreover, it's the foundation of the types of hypocrisy condemned by Christ in His indictment of the practices of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23.   This coldness of heart is described by Jesus when He says of the scribes and Pharisees that "they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" (Matthew 23:4).  Coldness of heart declares, "I don't care," and it is an indication of the kind of laziness illustrated in yesterday's parable (above) by the one his master called his "wicked and lazy servant."  That is, one who doesn't care enough to invest wisely, and according to the instructions of the Lord, whatever resources and life we're given by God.  To be lazy and wicked is to take the easy way out and through things, to want something for nothing, to play the game of entitlements that is borne of arrogance and a sense of superiority, that does not hear the call of Christ and respond to it.  In his conclusion to his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln of the United States used the phrase, "the better angels of our nature" to evoke that which calls us to remember our bonds to others, our union or community.  He said, "Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."  President Lincoln may have been speaking about the looming United States Civil War which would in fact begin in earnest the following month.  But his own understanding of "the better angels of our nature" comes clearly through the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and what it is to prefer such "better angels" to alliance with that which is cold-hearted and neglectful.  Passions, which are seemingly hot or warm, are in fact agents and enablers of this ruthless coldness.   Thus, we have the historical emphasis in the Church teaching discipleship on these terms of self-awareness and self-mastery.  The lack of such is one more example of what it is to be truly lazy and unaware of what it is we are doing.  In Christ's teaching of judgment, the sheep and the goats resemble the difference between those who are paying attention, and those who are not.  The sheep are those who both hear and do the commandments of Christ.  In chapter 12, Jesus teaches, "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (see Matthew 12:46-50).   Let us find the way to hearts that hear and do, who know the voice of the Shepherd.

 

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

- Matthew 16:1-12

Yesterday we read that Jesus departed from the region of Tyre and Sidon, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  A sign from heaven would be some spectacular display of power, designed to be offered as "proof" of Christ's identity as Messiah.  My study bible comments that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs.  But these hypocrites do not recognize the signs Jesus has already done in His ministry (such as the healing of the multitudes in yesterday's reading), because their hearts were hardened; therefore they ignore the works happening all around them.

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.   An adulterous generation is one not loyal to God -- specifically the God of Israel.   This is an echo of the illustration used by the prophets for Israel at times the people were unfaithful in the past (Jeremiah 2, Hosea 2:2-13).  My study bible comments that Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way.  A sign is not given to those whose motive is to test God.  Let us remember also that Jesus' ministry must unfold according to the will of the Father.  He has already been tempted by the devil in the wilderness (4:1-11); this is yet another temptation in that sense to depart from the Father's will and perform some "innovation" because it is demanded of Him by those who are wicked and adulterous.  The sign of the prophet Jonah is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (12:40), the ultimate sign or revelation of Jesus' identity as the Christ.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.   My study bible comments that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).   It offers a reason that the disciples are so painfully slow to understand:  as Jesus states here, it is because they have such little faith.  It was not until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given, that they would fully grasp Christ's teachings.  Jesus' expression of the two distinct miracles of feeding the multitudes affirms that these were two separate events.

What does it mean to demand a sign?  A lot of people seem to have faith in science, and in an absolute way rather than a healthy one.  With this attitude, few people seem to realize that science works best through competing hypotheses, not absolute faith.  Faith and worship belong only to God.  Science is a kind of practice of reason and method, designed to discover new things about our world and how things work.  But we do not forget that above science -- and before -- is Creator, the One who endowed us with minds that can think and create, two signs we are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).  But faith belongs first in God, and faith is not present in these hypocrites' demands for proofs.  This is not a scientific endeavor in a search for the true identity of Jesus, and it is important that we understand the difference.  Neither is it an honest search for an honest answer, or one that seeks honest testimony as in a courtroom (Mark 14:55-59).  To demand a sign in this context is hypocrisy, made with hardened hearts that do not want to see.  And Jesus simply won't go there.  He won't do what is against His Father's will and the plan for His ministry.  He will not add what He is not guided to do.  So often in the popular mind this is the opposite of what is seen as good or reasonable.  I have heard people ask, even recently, "Why didn't Jesus simply appear to all of the Sanhedrin at His Resurrection?  Think of what good that would do to convince everyone."  Well, I think they are missing the point, that Jesus' ministry must evolve a certain way, and that all of those things Jesus is divinely ordained to do as His ministry unfolds affirm the power of faith.  They also effectively separate those with a capacity for faith from those with hardened hearts who do not want to understand, or those for whom appearance is all and the heart is a different matter.  Where faith meets with Jesus is in the deepest places within us.  It is not a sworn allegiance to a side, it is not in shiny pyrotechnics made simply to impress.  Those things -- both the nominal allegiance to a politicized side in which appearance is everything, and the dazzling spectacles that seemingly no one can resist -- belong to the devil, the anti-Christ (24:24).  Let us consider once again the faith of the disciples who follow Christ.  They are not the elect of the society, the great men of education and of power.  They follow Christ in humility, in faith, because there is something in their hearts that moves them to do so.  Let us remember the power of the small, the daily prayer, the seeking of guidance from God for our lives -- and leave off the power to impress, to persuade, and to prove.  Those are all illusions, and they are not where Christ goes for His ministry.  God the Father has not ordained for Jesus to "convince" but rather to elevate faith, to affirm it, to elucidate it, to find it and bring it out wherever it is found and in whomever it is found -- whether that be in a Canaanite woman, a centurion, or two demon-possessed men who live among the tombs in a far away place.  This is the One we seek who came to teach us, and we follow Him.  It might do to think of His words today, for they apply to us now:  "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."