Matthew
13:44-46
As
we come to the end of our series on Parables, Jesus gives us a doublet—two
parables that are related…yet oh so different! We recall that Jesus takes
something common and ordinary in a parable and infuses new meaning and a deeper
understanding.
Both
of these parables are about the “kingdom of heaven.” Matthew uses the phrase
“kingdom of heaven” because he writes primarily to or for Jewish
Christians…something he reveals by his many quotations from the Jewish
Scriptures/Old Testament. Because this is his audience, he is by tradition
reluctant to even write the word “God” because God is so respected, so he uses
a common literary device—the metonym. Just as we might say, “Washington is
certainly keeping life interesting these days” in reference to our federal
government, so Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” in place of “kingdom of God.”
Now, on to the parables!
The
first parable opens with “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure….” Someone
stumbles upon the treasure…realizes they want this in their life, they have to
have it…and they sell out everything to have this treasure. The treasure is the
kingdom of heaven or the reign of God in their lives. The treasure includes the
peace, wisdom, grace, and love of God. Determined to have this, the person who
makes the discovery sells out and goes “all in.”
Going
“all in” looks different in different people’s lives. “All in” is not about
t-shirts, bumper stickers, hairstyles, or affected speech. When we look in the
Gospels, being “all in” for some means leaving their nets and family, for some
it means selling everything they have and giving their wealth to the poor, and
for some it means walking away from being with Jesus to go home and tell their
community about the goodness of God. While there are no hard and fast rules for
what “all in” looks like on the outside, we do know that Jesus makes it clear
to us what going “all in” is about: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and
follow me.” We let go of our self-centeredness, recognize that we have to live
today, and learn from Jesus. That is how we go “all in.”
The
second parable is a bit trickier. In fact, most people miss it. They’ll say,
“Yeah, the kingdom of heaven is like a pearl.” But, that’s not what Jesus says.
He says, “…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant….” And that changes
everything. Four other times in “kingdom of heaven” parables, Jesus compares
the kingdom to a person—to a man, a landowner, a king, a farmer. Every time he
does this, that person represents God. Every time. So, why would we presume
Jesus is doing something different here? The merchant is God. And God goes
looking for the pearl of great value. In the Old Testament (Malachi and
Zachariah), the people of God, the “saints of God,” are compared to jewels, so
does it not make sense that the pearl stands for us? God finds us—and God lets
go of everything. God leaves heaven, lets go of omniscience and omnipotence,
and allows himself to be born as a frail human in a dingy manger—God goes “all
in” for us.
In
effect, these parables are mirror images of each other. In one, we are moving
towards God…even stumble upon God. In the other, God is moving towards us. In
fact, while we’re stumbling around looking for life and purpose and meaning,
God has already gone “all in” for us…determined to have us.
What
a beautiful way to come to a close for this sermon series as we move towards
Advent. Even in the parables, we are reminded of the best news of all: God’s
love for us and God’s action on our behalf. May we go “all in” for the God who
has gone “all in” for us. Amen.
Sunday, November 23, 2025
“Parables: ‘All In”
Watch/Listen: HERE
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