Walking in the Reign #5
Treasure and Pearl - Matthew 13:44-46
SLIDE 1
A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer
drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my
money back." The farmer said, "Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.
"Kenny said, "OK then, just unload the donkey." The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?" Kenny replied, "I’m going to raffle him off."
Farmer, "You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!" Kenny, "Sure I can. Watch me." A
month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"
Kenny, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.
"Farmer, "Didn’t anyone complain?" Kenny, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."
No one likes to be scammed
When we buy something, especially something of any worth we often come down with something called buyer’s remorse.
Ever have buyer’s remorse
SLIDE 2
Buyer’s remorse is an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of higher value items which could be considered "bad" although it may also stem from a sense of not wishing to be "wrong".
The anxiety may be rooted by various factors: the person’s concern they purchased the wrong product, purchased for a bad price, purchased instead of waiting for a newer model, purchased in an ethically unsound way, purchased on credit, or purchased something that would not be acceptable to others.
Buyer’s remorse can be caused or increased by the knowledge that other people will later question the purchase or claim to know better alternatives.
Car, House, Computer – any item over $25 for me
The underlying question is, “Was it worth it?” No one wants to be ripped off. No one wants to be scammed.
Today we look at the Parable of the Treasure and the Pearl – Matthew 13:44-46
SLIDE 3
Summary
Man finds a treasure in a field, sells all he has, buys the field an in turn now owns the valuable treasure
A merchant searches the world for the ultimate pearl. Finally finds it but has to sell all he has to purchase the pearl of great price. He does that joyfully and becomes the owner of this ultimately precious gem.
Little background:
Treasure
Sounds odd to us but could happen in ancient times
No bank, at least only for rich
Ground was a safe place to keep belongings, like a mattress
Imminent violence – if house taken I can come back for the treasure
Is this unethical?
Finders keepers world
People could have moved
Family may have been deceased
Let’s not get caught up in the ethical implications
This could happen, perhaps not often, but to the 1st century mind this is a plausible story. Something people could relate to.
Pearl
In the ancient world the pearl was the loveliest of all possessions
In Revelation – gates of pearl
There were indeed merchants who would travel the world looking for the pearl fo great price
The simple message of this parable is that the kingdom is that treasure and that pearl. That the kingdom is well worth the investment of a person’s life. No matter what you have given up, it pales in comparison to the kingdom.
I wonder if the apostles ever had buyer’s remorse
You know they gave up quite a bit to follow this new rabbi, but ever since then there has really been nothing but trouble. They had given a lot and this guys asks for a lot – I mean a lot!!
SLIDE 4
Matthew 4: 18-22
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
SLIDE 5
Matthew 9: 9-11
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
SLIDE 6
Luke 5: 27-30
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
SLIDE 7
Matthew 19:26
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Here comes a potential follower
SLIDE 8
Matthew 8: 19-22
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
SLIDE 9
Matthew 10: 17-19
“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say.
SLIDE 10
Matthew 11: 2
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples.
I would bet that the disciples, when Jesus was off praying by himself, would discuss among themselves whether all this was worth it. Have we been scammed? I bet they had some buyer’s remorse. Some anxiety. Some uncertainty about their choice.
I would!!
Interesting note – this parable is told only to the disciples, not the crowds
SLIDE 11
Mathew 13:36
Then he left the crowd and went into the house.
Getting all his investors together.
Things may not look good. The product is not selling like you may have thought it was supposed to. That’s why Jesus tells them these parables – to reassure them that what they have invested in is well worth it. No matter what you have given up you need to remember that you have found a treasure beyond imagination, that you have found that pearl of great price. And don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that the kingdom is not the most valuable thing in the world!
The kingdom is well worth the investment of a person’s life.
Here’s a quick and simple three part investment strategy. For hose of us who have made the investment this is a reminder. For those of you who haven’t here’s a plan for you that will pay off into eternity.
SLIDE 12
Fact #1
The Kingdom of Heaven is found only with some effort. (Matthew 7:7-8; Deut. 4:29)
Treasures don’t come popping out of the ground and pearls don’t appear pout of thin air.
You must make some effort to discover this treasure especially in this world of junk.
We are surrounded by so much junk.
SLIDE 13
Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
SLIDE 14
Deut. 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
We can’t buy the kingdom. We don’t deserve it. God is seeking us.
But we must take some initiative.
What are you doing to discover this great treasure?
SLIDE 15
Fact #2
Sacrifice must be made. (Matthew 6:24; Philippians 3:8)
You have to give up something to get it.
We have a choice, have to make a decision.
We must decide where we will invest.
Jesus made the choice pretty clear
SLIDE 16
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
SLIDE 17
Paul understood this:
Philippians 3:8
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Obtaining this great treasure means giving up a lesser treasure
I heard about an expert in diamonds who happened to be seated on an airplane beside a woman with a huge diamond on her finger. Finally, the man introduced himself and said, "I couldn’t help but notice your beautiful diamond. I am an expert in precious stones. Please tell me about that stone." She replied, "That is the famous Klopman diamond, one of the largest in the world. But there is a strange curse that comes with it." Now the man was really interested. He asked, "What is the curse?" As he waited with bated breath, she replied, "It’s Mr. Klopman."
You can have all the diamonds and jewels and money in the world – but there’s a curse – eternal damnation.
What are you clinging to that is preventing you from receiving the Kingdom?
SLIDE 18
Fact #3
The Kingdom is of far-surpassing value. (Hebrews 12:18; Matthew 6:19-20)
What you will receive in return is a kingdom that is unlike any other.
Unshakable/Long Lasting
SLIDE 19
Heb 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken
SLIDE 20
Matthew 6:19-20
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Linda was on vacation, playing the slot machines. It was her first time in a casino, and she wasn’t sure how the machines operated.
"Excuse me," she said to a casino employee. "How does this work?" The worker showed her how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release handle.
"And where does the money come out?" she asked.
He smiled and motioned to a far wall before saying, "Usually at the ATM."
Ever been to a casino – you don’t have to answer that. Maybe you’ve seen one on TV. There are some pitiful people. Hours on end feeding money into a machine and there’s no payoff. It may happen once in a while, but they wouldn’t have casinos if people were walking out with more money than they walk into with.
The world is full of people feeding their money, their time, their talents, their lives into a slot machine that will never pay off. Jesus says, invest in my kingdom and the payoof will be eternal.
SLIDE 21
Ever have buyer’s remorse?
Do you wonder if it’s worth it? All this church business.
Is it worth it…
… to keep writing the checks in this economy where I’m not sure if I’ll be able to retire
… to invest this time in studying the Bile and worshipping God. There are so many other ways to use my time.
… to serve other people especially when they show no gratitude whatsoever. I’m going to start thinking of myself more.
… 3to risk the embarrassment to stand up to the people I’m around and tell them what I feel about their language, their jokes, their choices. Why not just be silent.
Is any of this worth it?
Jesus says, “You bet it is!!”
Isn’t it good to have someone confirm your purchase?
We bought a new computer a couple of months ago – of course I had buyer’s remorse not being a tech expert and having so many choice - and Henriann had to get set up for remote use for her work. So she calls the technician and he remotely accesses the computer. After everything is set up he says, “You got a nice computer there.” When Henriann told me that I said, “I did make a good investment.”
When I hear these parables I get the same feeling, even greater. I have made a good, no make that great, investment.
SLIDE 22
Mathew 19:27, 29
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
That is a good investment!!
SLIDE 23
Jim Elliott, martyr/missionary, said it best:
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Don’t doubt one minute that giving your entire life to God is not worth it. If you’re not a Christian today don’t miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
