Title Matthew 13:44-50
Even in today's text, there are teachings about the most important choices in our lives. In today's text, there are two parables that begin with the words, "The kingdom of heaven is like a." Through these parables, Jesus is teaching some truths about the kingdom of God. What the first parable in verse 44 is trying to say is that the greatest, most precious, and most important thing for us is the kingdom of God. The fact that a person who found treasure in a field sold all he had and bought the field in order to possess the treasure means that the kingdom of God, likened to a treasure, is more precious and important to us than anything else in this world. The kingdom of God is what we must possess even if we give up everything that belongs to us. There is nothing we can rejoice in more than being children of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God should be the ultimate purpose of our lives.
The second parable is almost identical to the first. However, the emphasis is different. In the previous parable, the kingdom of heaven was compared to the treasure itself, but in this parable, the kingdom of heaven is compared to the pearl trader, not the pearl itself. Here, it can be seen that he is trying to teach what to do for those who want to possess the kingdom of God. In other words, in order to live as the people of the kingdom of God, we must not cling to anything else that can hinder our possession of the kingdom of God. Just as a pearl merchant decides to give up all of the less expensive pearls and all other possessions in order to obtain a single pearl of great value, if the kingdom of God is the ultimate purpose of our life, then everything in our life is the kingdom of God. It must exist for the sake of the Kingdom of God, it must be given its meaning in relation to the Kingdom of God, and it must be dedicated and used for the Kingdom of God.
We will be able to better understand the meaning of the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3, who came to know the kingdom of God immediately after experiencing the resurrected Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul, who first said in verse 1, "Rejoice in the Lord, brethren," says in verses 5-9 how he forsook all that was thought to give him joy, boasting, and benefit in the world because of joy in that Lord. “I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the house of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, without blemish in the law. For the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord is the noblest, for I have lost everything for him and counted it as dung, so that Christ may be gained/ and found in him..."
These two parables seem to have something in common despite their differences in their perspectives. It all comes down to providing principles for our selective living. The first parable presents the principle that the kingdom of God should be the ultimate goal of our lives. The second parable presents the principle that a person who makes the kingdom of God the ultimate goal of his life should relate all his choices to the kingdom of God throughout his life. Choosing the kingdom of God means choosing everything for the kingdom of God, and choosing to give up everything that has nothing to do with the kingdom of God.
Beloved, I hope that each of us will be able to look back at the choices we have made so far. Did I really live the kingdom of God as the highest goal in my life? Or was it that the wealth and glory and pleasures of this world were the goals of my life? Did I really devote my time, energy, and material to seeking the kingdom of God and righteousness, or did I spend my energy and resources to satisfy the desires of the flesh? In every moment of my life, was my concern for God or consideration for others a priority, or was it always only me who was the principle of all choices?
If we have been re-established as children of the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, then our ultimate life choices and choices in every moment and every event should be based on the kingdom of God and toward the kingdom of God. That's what makes for a happy, successful life.