NOTES for Mat 13:44-54
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. |
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: |
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. |
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: |
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. |
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, |
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. |
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. |
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. |
53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. |
54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? |
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Today's Gospel reading brings together three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven from a whole series gathered by the evangelist Matthew in chapter 13. Two of them are very similar to each other; the third is noticeably different: they look at the Kingdom of Heaven from two different sides.
The parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl approach the Kingdom of Heaven as the greatest treasure a person can find. For the sake of this treasure, one can give up everything else: its value fully justifies that. For a person, this is the heart of the doubt: what if what I leave behind for the sake of this pearl turns out to be more costly and more valuable? Only Christ can know this with certainty, and therefore we have to trust Him. And the parable of the net tells us about the result of the choice. Once you trust that the Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest possible value, you receive the chance not to be thrown out when the catch is sorted.
And then, in Christ's words, there appears "a scribe instructed in the Kingdom." The point is that the parables of the treasure and the pearl have another important aspect. The treasure does not simply go to someone lucky, but to the one who persistently seeks it. That is why the Lord, and the evangelist after Him, does not limit Himself to the single parable of the treasure. If it stood alone, it could be understood as a parable about luck. But the merchant in the second parable purposefully seeks fine pearls, and nothing else interests him. He is the one like the scribe who does not simply wait for "manna from above," but spends his whole life seeking the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Readings for 18 July 2025
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