It seemed to me that my mom was on a perpetual hunt for some valuable antique that would somehow turn the tide of her fortunes. She wasn’t materialistic, per se, but just had this indefatigable hope that some day she would discover treasure. By and large, the stuff she had (either passed to her from her family, or found in some market) was of little value. Nevertheless, she persisted in hoping for that bountiful encounter.
Finding something of value is the theme for the passage we’ll be looking at this Sunday as we continue our study of Matthew, reading chapter 13:44-58.
The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price carry on the prior theme of something hidden and unexpected (like that of the wheat and weeds, the mustard seed and the leaven), but now a new dimension is added: value. Jesus is trying to get across the great value of God’s in-breaking kingdom in comparison to all other things/religions/philosophies/pursuits of life. In what way do you understand God’s kingdom to be something of great value to you? What do you think it means to prioritize and value God’s kingdom more than anything else?
If you’re not too clear on how to understand what the Kingdom of God is – check out this helpful video from the Bible Project: Heaven and Earth
The parable of the dragnet leaves the world of agriculture and sets us out to sea. Once again, we have something hidden yet productive as our motif. Why do you think its important that Jesus describes the indiscriminate nature of the net in that it gathers all kinds of fish? When the net gets filled, it gets pulled to shore. There is a finite amount of time for gathering. How does that reality impact your valuation of God’s kingdom?
The parable of the old and new treasure seems to be making a closing point to the line of thought we’ve been on. What do you think the old and the new treasure represents in this story? How can something old shed light on something new, and visa versa? How did we see that being played out in Jesus’ ministry and later in that of the church?
I’m looking forward to exploring this series of parables together. Hope to see you on Sunday!
Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.