This week we cover two parables: the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. This is all part of a collection of parables which start with the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
We’ve now spent two Sundays on Matthew 13. Note how many of the parables start with “The Kingdom of heaven is like”. What is the Spirit highlighting for you?
Luke recounts some of the parables and the circumstances in which they were told. Jesus continues to describe what the Kingdom of heaven is like, including the parable of the banquet. Jesus encourages me to consider the cost and decide whether the Kingdom is for me. He ends with that haunting phrase “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” How does this make you feel? What word or phrase is the Spirit highlighting for you?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out that “where your treasure is, there is your heart also”. Recall the pearl merchant and the person who stumbled on the treasure in the field. Where was their heart? Parables are intended to shine a light on us. Where is your heart? and therefore, where is your treasure?
Isaiah reminds us of some important truths: Kingdom treasures are not earthly treasures. God’s doesn’t think like we do. Its an invitation to dwell in the richness of the Kingdom. What stuck out for you in this reading?
The message closed by considering Philipplians 3. Here Paul describes his pro’s and con’s of being Jesus apprentice. Can you relate to anything Paul is describing? What word or phrase is the Spirit highlighting for you today?