Treasures of the Kingdom
17th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Mt 13: 44 - 52
July 26, 2020
Introduction
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks again about the kingdom of God in parables. He
presents the kingdom to us in an attractive way, comparing it to a treasure and
a pearl of great price.
Gospel
44 “The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and
hid; 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 been trained for the kingdom of heaven
is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new
and what is old.”
Reflection
In
today’s reading, Jesus once more speaks to us about the kingdom of God using
parables. Here are some insights on the three parables in this reading:
The
first parable is about the hidden treasure in a field. For us, modern readers,
stories about hidden treasures are the stuff of legends and fiction. At the
time of Jesus, however, they were real. In those days, there were no
banks. When people had money, they
usually kept them at home. When they had too much of it, they hid most of this beneath
their houses, digging underground spaces to hide their wealth. When for
instance, war suddenly breaks out or for some reasons, the home is suddenly abandoned,
the treasure underground remains hidden and untouched sometimes for years or
even centuries. So it is not surprising that some people are able to unearth
hidden treasures just as Jesus describes it in the parable.
We
can interpret the parable this way: First, the kingdom of God is compared to a
treasure. When we discover God’s kingdom, it is like discovering a treasure; it
overwhelms and simply mesmerizes us when finding it. Secondly, the discovery of
this treasure brings “joy” as Jesus describes it. One is overjoyed when one
discovers the kingdom. Lastly, one is ready to give up everything in order to
posses the kingdom. There are no half measures in the kingdom. Giving up
everything seems to be the natural reaction of one who discovers the
incomparable worth of this kingdom.
The
second parable is similar to the first parable. We know that Israel is a
coastal country. Merchants who traded pearls along its coastal cities were a
familiar sight to many. In the second parable, Jesus talks about a merchant who was in
search for pearls. This merchant knew what he was looking for. Like an expert, or a
connoisseur, he knew the difference between an ordinary pearl and one which was
of great value. In the first parable, the man who finds the treasure may have
found the treasure by accident or by mere chance. Here in the second parable, however, the merchant
who was searching was not playing a game of chance or probability. He was intentional. He already knew
what he wanted; he just hasn’t seen what he was searching for. The
interpretation of this second parable is similar to the first parable. Both men
sell everything they had in order to take possession of their great find.
Unlike, however, the man in the first parable, the merchant who was searching
for great pearls was looking for something perfect or ideal which he hasn’t
found yet. Whether the man was searching for meaning, perfection or something
else, is something we don’t know. But he definitely stopped his search, when
finally, he found the ideal and the perfection he was looking for there in
God’s kingdom.
The
third parable which is the parable of the dragnet, is similar to the parable of the
wheat and the weeds. The kingdom of God is like the sea which holds both good
and bad fish. In the end, however, and only in the end, does God sort out the
good from the bad. God’s patience and tolerance is clear in this parable. His
justice, however, triumphs in the end.
In
these parables, we realize that the kingdom of God is something valuable,
priceless and beautiful. It is simply incomparable. When we find or discover
the kingdom, it brings us much joy and much contentment. It also puts an end to
our longing, our quest and search for anything else because we have finally
found what our heart has been looking for. Anyone who finds the kingdom willingly
gambles and puts everything at stake for the sake of possessing and acquiring
the kingdom because nothing really compares to it.
But
while Jesus has presented to us a kingdom so attractive and so beautiful, it
makes us wonder why we do not have the same joy and passion in pursuing the
kingdom like the characters of this parable.
So
today, let us ask the Lord to surprise us with his hidden treasure and lure us
to the pearl of great price so that we too may long and search for him and his
kingdom and find what has been totally missing in our life.
Prayer
Most
precious and most beautiful one. Draw us ever closer to your beauty and grace
so that we may always seek you until we finally find and rest in you. Amen.
“What no eye has seen, nor ear
heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Cor 2: 9
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Cor 2: 9
Wonderful, Bro. Mike c",)
ReplyDeleteThanks Cerwin. Let's race for the kingdom! God bless.
ReplyDelete