Sermon – 07/26/20

Text – Matthew 13:44-52

Theme – “God’s Treasure”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The last couple of weeks, we have heard two longer parables from Jesus: the parable of the

Sower and the parable of the Weeds and Wheat. Today we have three very short parables, all illustrating the same point but coming at it from different angles. The first is about a treasure hidden in a field; the second, a merchant seeking fine pearls; and the third talks of fishermen and their great catch of fish. As

I said, all three of these stories are designed to teach us the same underlying truth: that of God’s great love for us in Christ. So, let’s go through these parables individually first, and then kind of sum up all of them at the end. (pause)

The first parable today – that of the hidden treasure in the field – is one that is often misunderstood. If you look at Bible commentaries, you might find any number of them telling you that this refers to us discovering the Gospel (or Jesus) and how we respond by sacrificing everything to have it. A very attractive interpretation, I agree. But one that is full of problems.

First of all, that understanding would make us the ones who find God, and not He who finds us.

And that we know cannot be. No, it is as we were taught in the Catechism:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel….

No, left to our own devices we could never find God. Even worse, we never would want to find Him.

We are all, by nature, just like Adam who hid himself from God, who trembled at His coming, because of sin. We know what we are, and we know what we deserve because of our sin. So why would a

1 sinner go looking for the God who promises to punish sinners? And if he did stumble upon God, would a sinner really see such a God as a treasure?

Secondly, seeing the man of the parable as standing for us would make God passive and not active. But God is love, the Bible tells us. Yet what kind of love would it be if God just sat around and waited for us to find Him? No, true love seeks out the one who is loved. And so that would mean it must be the Lord who does the finding, not us.

Thirdly, the parable says the finder sells all he has in order to buy the field and its treasure. But, have you really done that? Have you (or any of us) given everything for the Gospel, for Christ? Sure, we talk about sacrificing and giving for Him and His Kingdom; we even maybe make little lists of what we have done for Him. But is it true to say that we have sold ALL, given ALL, sacrificed ALL for Him?

I think not.

So then, if that interpretation of the parable (that Christ or the Gospel is the treasure which we have found, and for whom we give everything), is not correct, then how should we understand Jesus’ little story? Well, like this: the man in the story represents God, the field is the world, and YOU are the treasure. The treasure is lost and cannot do anything but remain so. That is, sin has separated us from

God – we are poor, miserable, lost sinners. We have no more chance of changing that than the treasure did of uncovering itself. But God finds us, buried though we are under layers and layers of dirt and sin.

And He desires us so much that He has given everything to purchase us. Note that the man in the parable does not just dig up the treasure and keep it. No, he does the necessary and right thing – the thing required by the Law – he buys the whole field just so that he can have its treasure. Even though it cost Him everything, God was willing to pay that price, for you. So it was that He came down from heaven, took on our human flesh and blood, put Himself under the Law and its demands, suffered our hell on the cross, dying so that we might live. There He paid the price for the whole world’s salvation.

2 The whole world. That means that Jesus has suffered and paid for ALL people. For ALL sins.

Because He loves ALL. There is not one person for who Jesus did not die. There is not one sin left unforgiven. No, Jesus has done it all. For everyone. However, not everyone believes that. Not everyone puts their faith in Christ, in His finding and saving them. Some imagine that they do not need a Savior; that they are good enough on their own. Others follow after different “saviors”, different

“gods”. And it is that faith in Christ which makes the treasure the treasure, and the field just the field.

Yet remember this: even that faith is a gift from God. It is not anything you have achieved or created yourself. But God gives you that gift because you are infinitely precious to Him. So precious that He would pay any price – even the GREATEST price. But, in God’s eyes, YOU are a treasure well worth it.

Imagine that. (pause)

In our second parable, we are told of a merchant who goes looking for fine pearls and when he finds one, he sells everything he has just to gain possession of it. Like the first parable, Jesus here illustrates the value that God places upon each of us, that we are a precious treasure to Him. But whereas the first parable speaks of how our Lord treasures the whole Church, this parable – with its illustration of the merchant seeking ONE pearl of great worth – shows that same love and devotion and sacrifice are for YOU. Personally. If it were only you, Jesus would still have come. He still would have lived and died. He still would have suffered hell. Because YOU are infinitely valuable to Him.

But this parable also highlights one additional facet of all this saving work of our Lord: the desire, the longing, the eagerness, the passion that motivates His search for us. In the story, you get the impression of this merchant going from market to market, from city to city, from nation to nation, never stopping until he finds what he is so diligently seeking. So it is with God’s search for us. He doesn’t just kind of stumble upon us by chance, but rather He goes to the ends of the earth for us. And when He

3 finds us, He rejoices and pays that infinite price – the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of

Calvary – to buy us back from our sin, to return us to His side where He treasures and keeps us.

No matter where you are – physically, spiritually, or emotionally – God is looking for you.

Searching for you. You are the object of His intense desire. God will go anywhere, everywhere, for His own. You are His child, and He will NOT forget that. He will go to the ends of the earth for you. He will pay any price for you. And even if you wander and stray, He comes looking for you, seeking you.

Wanting only to forgive and restore and reclaim you. For you are His, bought and paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

If you feel separated and isolated and alone, remember, your Father is looking for you. Calling you. Inviting you to come home. Home, where you are safe. Home, where you are loved. Home, where you have His promise of eternal life. (pause)

Now we move to the final parable of our text, the great catch of fish. In this parable, we are told that the fishermen let down their nets and bring in a huge haul of fish. Of course, those fish represent the whole human race. And the fishermen (like the reapers in last week’s parable of the Wheat and

Weeds) are the angels of God. The casting of the net is the end of the world. The sorting of the fish is the judgment of God at that Last Day. And the “good” fish are those who believe the Gospel Word, while the “bad” fish are those who reject it.

We need to remember, though, that those “good” fish were not good in themselves. That is, they were not better-behaved fish. They were not necessarily bigger, or stronger, or prettier than the other fish. They did not even swim into those nets of their own choice. No, they were caught up by the net and dragged ashore, despite themselves. And the goodness – or badness – of each fish was decided only by the fishermen.

4 So, on the Last Day, when the angels pull in their nets we will have no cause to boast of anything we have done. Our “goodness”, our worth, is purely that which has been given to us – attributed, ascribed, imputed, credited to us – from Christ. He alone is truly good. But as those who have been caught in the Gospel net, His goodness and holiness literally have become ours. God declares you to be righteous -- not because of your keeping of the commandments, or your goodness, or your love – but solely because of Christ’s perfection, given to you by faith. And even that faith is gift from God – given you by the Holy Spirit as the Gospel is made yours in baptism, in preaching, in teaching, in confession and absolution, in reading/hearing the Word, and in the Lord’s Supper. It’s is ALL a gift. From God to you. In Christ Jesus. (pause)

The thing about all these parables today is how they all emphasize God’s grace. We are nothing wonderful or great on our own. We have nothing to commend ourselves to God. In fact, it is the very opposite: we are foul sinners who run away from His love. And yet He loves us! With an infinite love.

And He places the highest price tag on us.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say. And that is most certainly true here. The treasure in the field was buried under lots of dirt. Pearls are the result of irritation to the oyster that forms them.

Fish are slimy and messy and smelly. But these things in Jesus’ parables were valuable to the ones who wanted them. So it is also with us and God. He finds us buried up to our necks (or more) in the filthy dirt of our sin. Likewise, we are no small cause of irritation to Him, with our constant straying and complaining and doubting. And it is true that we are quite often disgusting and slippery, hard- to-hold and messy. Yet God still loves us. So much so that He lowered Himself to be our Servant and Savior.

He has found you and claimed you as His own, even though He had to give everything for you.

He has marked you with the sign of the cross. He has called you by name, and He has given you His name. He has adopted you into His family and made you His child and heir. He blesses and keeps you

5 – even when you stumble and fall, He gently calls you back, He restores you as the Gospel is again applied to you in Word and Sacrament. And all this, simply because He loves you and declares you valuable.

So, when Satan whispers in your ear, when he tries to get you to doubt or worry, when he tells you that you are nothing – remember these parables. You are that pearl of great price. You are the

“good” fish, so eagerly sought by the fishermen. You are God’s treasure. Each and every single one of you — but today, I especially want to impress that upon our new graduates: Quinn and Eliza. Never forget that. And then rejoice in His love for you, in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

We continue with our next hymn (LSB #549, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”), as found in your worship folders……

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