44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place” Matthew 13:44-53.
When I live in Africa the Sukuma love the agrarian parables of Jesus. “Jesus knows us!”, they would say. The idea of a hidden treasure that is not seen by everyone is appropriate for this chapter’s theme about the kingdom not being fully revealed to all. Like the treasure buried in a field, something of great value is present in the kingdom Jesus proclaims, but few are aware of it.
Heaven is a priceless treasure that completely alters our priorities in life. Things that at one time we considered very important now no longer carry as much weight in light of the wealth of God’s Kingdom. We joyfully abandon everything in order to obtain these treasures. This image also recalls how the disciples left everything to follow Jesus (4:20, 22), and stands in contrast to the many in Israel who remain indifferent to Jesus’ Kingdom announcement (see 11:20–24) — especially the Pharisees who are fighting against it
(see 12:14).
The pearl of great price parable offers a second illustration of urgency in responding to the Kingdom of God. Though very small, pearls were considered more valuable than gold. As in the previous parable, the kingdom radically reorients one’s life. The one who discovers the kingdom joyfully gives up things he treasured in the past in order to obtain it, like a merchant who finds a priceless pearl and wisely sells all that he has and buys it. The merchant reflects Jesus’ first disciples, who left everything to follow Jesus (4:20, 22), and he invites us also to prioritize the Kingdom of God above everything else.
I can just imagine Jesus telling the parable of the dragnet in a house beside the Sea of Galilee and its bustling fishing industry. He speaks of a “seine-net,” or dragnet, which is pulled between two boats or thrown into the sea and then pulled to shore with ropes. Such a net gathers fish indiscriminately, both those considered edible and those not. Fishermen would sort the fish on the shore. Jesus loved to use images from the daily life of local fishermen, because He had a powerful visual aid nearby with real-life fishermen dragging in their nets and sorting their fish as He spoke. The dragnet illustration is used like the parable of the weeds and the wheat to explain the coexistence of good and evil in this world and to describe the final separation of the righteous from the wicked at the end of the age (13:36–43).
At the end of His teaching Jesus asks His disciples if they understand all these things, referring to the parables taught that day. Their affirmative response is significant. Understanding of the parables is precisely what Jesus said the crowds would lack (13:13–15). “But truly hearing the word and understanding it is the chief characteristic of the seed that falls on good soil and bears fruit (13:23). Though the disciples still have much to learn, they do at least have an understanding of the Kingdom’s mysteries that sets them apart from the crowds (13:10–17) and will make them fruitful in their mission (13:23).
Jesus says the disciples are like a scribe, a scholar of Scripture who was trained in interpreting the law. According to the book of Sirach, a true scribe can “penetrate the subtleties of parables” and be “at home with the obscurities of parables” (Sirach 39:2–3). Unlike the scribes associated with the Pharisees who oppose Christ (12:38), Jesus’ disciples understand the parables. They are the new scribes of the kingdom because they have been instructed — or “discipled” — in the kingdom of God.
Jesus also says the disciples are like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old. As men who understand the mysteries of the kingdom, they see how Christ’s ministry (“the new”) fulfills the Hebrew Scriptures (“the old”), bringing God’s plan of salvation to its climax. Therefore the disciples are much better interpreters of the Scriptures— and thus better scribes — than the scribes allied with the Pharisees who have rejected Jesus (see 12:38).
When Jesus finished these: This marks the end of this section as Matthew uses his typical formula for closing a discourse: “53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place” (7:28–29; 11:1).”
Take time today in prayer and ask yourself what stood out the most to you among all of these short parables. For me it was the net that the fishermen had to pull to shore and then throw out the useless fish. I pray that God will include me in His net when I die and not throw me out. I must resist what the temptation of impatience, that is, the temptation to insist on immediately finding great success and large numbers. Immediate, massive growth in life is not God’s way. For the Kingdom of God, the parable of the fishing nets, is always valid.” The Gospel and the parables of Jesus are not immediately attracting the large masses that have distanced themselves from the Church by using new and more refined methods. So we must dare, once again and with the humility of the small — but good — fish, to leave up to God the when and how it will gathered.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Matthew 16:24.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.
“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” Romans 10:10.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” John 8:12.
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