Sermon for Pentecost 9: "The Treasured Possession" (Matthew 13:44-52)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Today’s Gospel lesson delivers three parables for the price of one. This is quite a bargain price! To get caught up, parables are stories comparing the kingdom of heaven to common things on earth. Parables are intended to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to believers, but hide them from unbelievers, making the hearer dependent on Jesus. 

 

Over the past couple weeks, we have heard Jesus speak parables about seeds and soils, wheat and weeds. To those parables, the disciples needed further explanation of what those stories meant. So, Jesus revealed the meaning. Today, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to buried treasure, a pearl-seeking merchant, and as a dragnet trolling the waters. But to this three-in-one parable spectacular, Jesus asks His disciples, “Have you understood all these things?” To that, they reply, “Yes.”

 

But did the disciples truly understand? Do you understand? Remember, Jesus explained the Parable of the Sower. He explained the Parable of the Weeds. But Jesus never explains the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value, and the Parable of the Net. He only asked His disciples, “Do you understand?”

 

I don’t know if they truly understood. Maybe they did? Or could they just not want another explanation. We do not know. But due to the non-explanation, today’s parables come with some questions. What does it all mean?

 

First, the Parable of the Hidden Treasure. Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).

 

So, the kingdom of heaven is hidden from plain sight like a buried treasure. People have walked right over it, picnicked on it, or planted grain on it for years, not knowing that treasure was buried right beneath.

 

Since Christ never explained this parable, a couple interpretations have been taught on its meaning. 

First, for centuries, the consensus of the early church and medieval church was that Jesus is the treasure hidden in the field. So, it is up to us to sell our possessions and follow Him. You may be very familiar with that interpretation. It’s a discipleship reading. It’s about giving up everything for Jesus, which shows our complete trust in Him.

 

But what about this other interpretation. What if the treasure is not Jesus, but you and me? What if Jesus is the one who finds us – the hidden treasure?

 

Now, we don’t deserve to be regarded as treasure. We don’t deserve to be called treasure at all, since we are poor, miserable sinners who fail to trust in God and His promises. Instead, we like to trust in other created beings who make promises that they are unable to fulfill. But despite our sin of lack of trust, Jesus does calls you His treasure. He calls you treasure, because of His grace toward sinners. Jesus found you and He rejoiced! So, in His joy, He sold everything He had. In 1 Corinthians 6(:20), the Apostle Paul was inspired to write, “You were bought with a price.” 

 

You see, Christ paid the purchase price for the whole field. He purchased us all. He emptied Himself and became obedient to death even death on the cross. He redeemed the field for you! 

 

But which interpretation is right? Could they both be right?

 

Jesus continues, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).

 

So, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking pearls. Imagine a Middle Eastern pearl dealer working the venders in the jewelry market. He bargains, he wheels, he deals, looking for the best pearl at the best price. But then he finds the one, the pearl of pearls, the rarest and finest that ever popped from an oyster, and for the sheer joy of owning it, he literally sells everything he has.

 

Like the hidden treasure, one of the interpretations of this parable was that Jesus is the pearl and we are the merchant. But what if it is actually the other way? What if you are the pearl and Jesus is the merchant? It’s not hard to see that. Remember John 3:16? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son”?

 

Look at it this way: Jesus looked for you intently like a merchant who knew what He wanted. And when He found you, you were like a fine pearl to Him. Yes, you. You with your sin stained all over you. Yes, you. That’s called grace. Then Jesus spent it all on you. He died to give you eternal life.

 

So, the kingdom of heaven is like the seeking love of God, who searches high and low for that one pearl of infinite value, the apple of His eye, the world He created and loves, and, finding it, gives everything He has, His only-begotten Son, in order to make it His treasured possession.

 

We think we can bargain with God. We think we’re the shrewd merchant who works through the pearls of the religious jewelry market and having found Jesus, gives up everything to own Him. Don’t you want to be the hero of these parables? But do you really want to give up everything to follow Jesus? Recall that rich ruler in Luke 18, when he was given that prospect, what did he do? He turned around and went home with a long face. Now, we can’t scoff at that rich ruler since we’d likely do the same.

 

Thankfully, the kingdom of heaven isn’t up to us. The kingdom of heaven is about God seeking us and God saving us. The kingdom of God is about the love of God in Christ Jesus that stops at nothing to rescue us – and the entire world – from sin and death. It’s about the God who works hiddenly and mysteriously, in, with, and under the things of this world to redeem the world. The kingdom of God is about your value – as His hidden treasure and His fine pearl. 

 

Never forget, you are precious to God. You are worthy of His only Son, His shed blood, His innocent suffering, and death. That’s what He paid to redeem you, to make you His own, so that you might live under Him in His kingdom.

 

Now, what about the third parable? Jesus says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind” (Matthew 13:47).

 

Well, this one is the easiest of today’s trifecta. The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea. This dragnet is big – it’s huge – it’s wide, and it hauls in everything. I mean everything. It hauls in good fish, bad fish, old tires, shoes, hubcaps, those plastic rings that go on our sixpacks of pop and beer. It hauls in the entire world in all its goodness and badness and ugliness. No one and nothing is outside the dragnet of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He died for everyone. He rose for everyone. This is known as universal grace, since Christ embraces all in His death. 

 

Now, if it was up to us, we may have wanted to be more selective when it comes to salvation. Why not fish with a fishing pole? Why a net? Shouldn’t salvation only be for the good? Well, God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

 

Instead of being selective, God drags the whole world into one dark death on a cross and then out of that death raises up a new creation. Then and only then can good and evil be properly sorted.

 

But what about this sorting? “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:49-50).

 

Well, there are only two destinations. You are either numbered among the righteous or you are numbered among the evil. As sinner-saints, the line separating the evil and the righteous runs right through each of us. We ought to be deeply grateful knowing that the net drags in everybody, because if God only picked up what was good, we would be left out, due to our sin.

 

But God doesn’t do that. Again, He hauls in everybody. In fact, we are still in the process of being caught. He is growing us up into Him through His Word and Sacraments in repentance and faith. So, while we were still dead in our sin, He rescued us. He pulled us in.

 

Now, for those who are continually opposed to God, they will receive their just reward. By denying Christ, they are choosing to separate themselves from God. But Jesus came to save them too. They were in this dragnet, but they chose to have nothing to do with God, so they will receive the same judgment as Satan in the fiery furnace of hell. But for us, who are in Christ, this dragnet is comforting. He chose you! He chooses everyone! The only ones who are not saved are those who continually deny Christ. 

 

Until Christ returns, everyone is in this dragnet, since we are all of great value to God. We are His priceless, hidden treasure. We are His priceless, precious pearl. We are all gathered into His net.

 

You may not always feel like you have great value. You may feel like you are insignificant. But you are priceless to God. He died for you. God purchased you when you were against Him. He saved you before you got the notion of being saved. He rescued you before you even called for help. He purchased you. He redeemed you while you were still dead in your trespasses and sins.

 

Even if Christ didn’t explain these parables, we do know one thing for certain: we are His treasured possession, since Jesus died for you, so that you could experience the kingdom of heaven and all by grace through faith in Him. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 6: "True Rest" (Matthew 11:25-30)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me? You may not be too familiar with that hymn, but as you sang it, did you notice all those comforting words? 

 

I first came to notice this hymn as I sang it with family and friends on the first birthday of our son Henry. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I expected a birthday cake or cupcakes surrounded by family and friends as we asked Henry to blow out his candle. But here we were singing this hymn at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in St. Louis. 

 

One year before, Henry was born as a stillborn. It was a shock. Melissa and I were weary. We each thought, “Could we have done something different?” But now a year had gone by. And time itself does not heal all wounds. It’s hard to just move on. Henry was a person and a child of God. We can’t forget that. But as I sang this hymn, I was given a lot of hope, and not just the kind of hope that comes and goes, but a hope that is sure and certain.

 

Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me is based on our Gospel text where Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

 

Each one of us needs rest for we have been laboring. We work hard at our jobs, putting in long hours, and even when we put in those long hours, we still struggle to get ahead. Utility bills, credit card bills, loan payments all take away from our hard-earned wages. We work hard at being a loving spouse. We work hard at providing for our families. But often the harder we work, the more regret we have. “I wish I could have been home more.”

 

Besides work and money, we face other burdens. As Christians, we face opposition toward the Church. This fallen sinful world has indoctrinated so many people into believing that the Christian Church in its truest form is a place of hate. I say “truest” because so many Christian churches have given up on Jesus and have just joined the world, because they want to be of the world. 

As I said last week, Christ’s truth often results in a sword. So, by proclaiming any sense of absolute right and absolute wrong results in conflict.

 

I’ll admit, I am comforted that Henry is in the arms of Jesus, but now we have a daughter Elsie and now I am weary for another reason: her future. I see all these changes of this world and most of these changes I don’t believe are for the better. I see Satan playing a very prominent role in our culture in what is deemed appropriate. The fallen world has always been against Jesus, but in my short life, this is the worst I have ever seen. I remember those days when going to church was seen as a good thing for society. That wasn’t long ago. Today, the Church is ridiculed and attacked, while paganism and every other religion is praised. But despite what I may think, God is still in control. He knows what He is doing.

 

Many of us face guilt and frustration. We face guilt and frustration in what we have done and what we should have done. 

 

What makes you weary and burdened? What makes you tired?

 

So, when we hear Jesus say, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” we say, “Thank you!” since we are all in need of rest. We want our hard labor and our burdens wiped away. We all desire rest.

 

But what sort of rest does Jesus give? Well, what sort of rest do we really need? Is it the rest we get with a day off from work to grill out and enjoy the beautiful fireworks? The kind of day off we enjoy on Independence Day? Maybe it’s the sort of rest that comes with sleeping in. That is a kind of rest, which is especially popular on Sunday mornings sad to say, since the fallen world has relabeled Sunday as Sunday Funday. And I’m sure that no one will complain about an extra day off from work. Work wears us out. Work wears us out since we live after the Fall. To Adam God said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat of the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).

 

This is why we are tired. Before the Fall, work was enjoyable. After the Fall, work is often unbearable.

 

But is this the sort of rest that Jesus is speaking? Is He promising to give rest to the working man and working woman?

 

The answer, of course, is no. Jesus isn’t speaking of a rest that is simply a break from work. We really don’t need Jesus to give us a day off. So, what sort of rest is He promising to give? To that question, we must take a closer look at the sort of person to whom Jesus promises to give this rest. 

 

Jesus is not promising to give rest to those whose work caused them to be burdened, but Jesus ispromising rest to those whose work has caused them to be burdened in conscience.

 

You see, Jesus’ words to the crowds here are offering true rest for all who are laboring and heavy burdened because they had not been obedient enough to the demands of God’s Law. It was thought that Jews had to earn their way to a saving relationship with God.

 

God’s Law is demanding. The Law demands that you do it. No ifs, ands, or buts. This caused so much of a burden. So, when a Jew failed at being obedient to God’s Law, they wearied that God would have nothing to do with them.

 

To this, Jesus is promising them rest. You know that your work falls short of the will of God, and as a result your conscience is burdened. Jesus promises to give rest to those who know their work is full of sin, and whose consciences are plagued by what they have done and what they have left undone. He promises to give rest to those who know they justly deserve His temporal and eternal punishment. We deserve that, since we have not kept God’s Law and we know that we have not kept God’s Law. Jesus is not promising rest to those who only work and labor, day after day, but to those whose consciences are burdened by their sin.

 

This is our real burden. We have fallen short of what God expects from us. 

 

The Apostle Paul gives us a great example of this. He was full of burdens. Paul wrote, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but do the very things I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the Law, that it is good” (Romans 7:15-16).

 

Paul knew the Law. He studied under Gamaliel who was an esteemed teacher of the Law (Acts 22:3). He also studied under Jesus. So, Paul knew that the Law was good, since it is from God. But like you, Paul knew that, try as he might, he could not keep the Law. He wrote, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19).

 

Paul wants to observe God’s Law. But day after day, he fails. He keeps on doing the things he doesn’t want to do. He is burdened by his sin. He is at conflict with himself. He can only say, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).

 

This is a plea from a man who has labored but is also heavy laden. This is the very sort of person whom Jesus promises to give rest. This is not simply a person who works or has regret. This is a person who knows that he deserves nothing but temporal and eternal punishment because of his work. This is a person who labors and is heavy laden.

 

To such a person, Jesus says, “I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:28-29). 

 

“Take my work as your work. Take My life as your own. Let it be credited to you so that you might rest and not live in fear. For that is My yoke. The Law is My burden to pay so that you might learn from Me that I am gentle and lowly in heart, and so that you might find rest for your souls. Take My yoke, the work I am doing on your behalf, even unto death, and have it as your own. My yoke, given to you, is easy. The burden I bear is light when it’s given to you as a gift.”

 

To this, we say with Paul, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ Our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). From this section of Romans 7, we have the doctrine known as “Simul justus et Peccator” or in English, simultaneously just and a sinner. We are sinner-saints when we are heavy laden by God’s Law and seek true rest.

 

Only Jesus gives true rest. Only Jesus gives peace for the consciences that are burdened by sin and live in terror under the weight of the Law. Only Jesus took all of that. He bore all of that. Only Jesus died for all of that, so that you would have peace in Him.

 

Here in the Divine Service we receive God’s rest. This is the place you come with all the burdens, regret, and sin that plagues our consciences. This is the place where you meet Jesus. You hear His voice in the Scriptures promising you the certain promise of rest. Here, you receive His rest. 

 

Our church services are called the Divine Service for a reason. It’s because God is here to serve you – and not the other way around. This is the place where you are able to stop your work and rest while Jesus fulfills His promise.

 

Jesus says, “Come to Me … and I will give you rest.” When the Law shows your sin, which it always does, Jesus gives you rest with the Absolution that forgives your sin. When the Law shows you that you haven’t lived as you ought, Jesus reminds you that you are united to Him through Holy Baptism, which gives you His life as your own. As we are constantly burdened by sins, Jesus gives you rest in His very Body and His very Blood under the bread and the wine showing you that He died for those sins. He says, “Rest in Me.”

 

Jesus promises to give peace to you who know the Law of God and who know you haven’t kept it. He kept the Law in your place, so trust in Him, repent and follow Him, for in Him, you have rest. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 5: "Not Peace, But a Sword" (Matthew 10:34-42)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Wait. Does my greeting sound right? Well, maybe not with today’s Gospel lesson. Not with this text. Not with this Jesus, who says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

 

How about this instead: “In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord who says that He did not come to bring peace. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:”

 

As Christians, these words shock us, since we look to Jesus to provide the peace that the world cannot give. But here, Jesus says to us, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

 

What happened to peace on earth? What happened to the Prince of Peace? This congregation is named Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Is it time to change our name to Sword Lutheran Church? Well, let’s not jump to a name change too quickly.

 

Jesus did come to bring peace. Peace is what was proclaimed by the heavenly host to the shepherds on the day of Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14).

 

The Prince of Peace was born to bring us peace. What joy! What a relief! 

 

To be sure, Christ did bring “peace on earth” and He did send His Twelve apostles with His “peace” on the houses and individuals who received their words. So, the purpose of His coming was to bring peace. But then why is Jesus saying today, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”?

 

Well, Jesus isn’t contradicting Himself on why He has come. He has come with the purpose of peace, but so often people do not want His peace, they think, “Why do I need a Savior? I’m good just the way that I am. Don’t tell me how to live.” So, even when He comes with the purpose of peace, a sword may end up being the result.

 

Christ’s “peace” may result in a son going against his father, a daughter going against her mother, a daughter-in-law going against her mother-in-law, and a son-in-law going against his father-in-law. Christ’s “peace” may result in your greatest enemy being those in your own household.

 

Christ’s “peace” often results with a sword. This sword cuts us, and it’s more common that you may think. In divided families, the Christian may sooner or later face this challenge from unbelieving loved ones: “Choose me and my ways rather than Jesus and His ways.”

 

We hear things like, “If you don’t agree with me, you must hate me.” Or “If you don’t like me for who I am, you must hate me.” God’s truth hurts. It really hurts. Just try it: Say that every life is precious and sacred, from conception to natural death. Say that human sexuality is a gift of God to be enjoyed in the context of marriage between a biological man and a biological woman. Say that there are only two sexes. Proclaim any sense that there is an absolute right and wrong and that some actions bring life and joy, and that others bring death and destruction. Oh, just watch the sparks fly.

 

We feel the pressures from our non-Christian loved ones who demand allegiance and conformity in ways that a Christian simply must not agree. We are constantly pressured to stray from Christ. Pressures like denying Christ in order to receive a good grade or even to remain employed or to get employed.

 

So often, instead of speaking God’s truth, we seek temporal peace. Who doesn’t desire peace? We desire this kind of peace because it is comfortable. Afterall, who likes to come home to a house where everyone is constantly arguing? Who likes to see classmates or coworkers constantly arguing? In situations such as these, it forces you to be constantly on edge. It gets rather exhausting. So, we chase after peace, even if it means ignoring – or rather pushing under the rug – the things that we shouldn’t. So, instead of speaking about Christ and coming to church with our loved ones, we don’t.

 

Temporal peace is also about safety. When things change, change unsettles us. As people, we don’t like change, even if change would be for the better. This is what keeps a woman trapped in an abusive relationship. Deep down, she knows that it’s wrong and broken and unhealthy, but the abusive relationship is also familiar and safe in its own way. I have heard things like, “I love him. Yes, he lies to me. He cheats on me. He insults me. But I can’t leave him. I love him. He can be so loving. And, he buys me such nice things.” Positive change can be frightening. And so, we refuse to change, even knowing that what exists is destroying us. 

But that isn’t real peace. We can avoid talking about it, but by avoidance, we aren’t really figuring anything out. Have you ever had one of those meals when two of the people at the table have this relationship that is broken, and they are dealing with it by not actually dealing with it? It’s miserable! You can cut the tension with a knife. Even if we tiptoe around the topic, it’s plain and simple that this isn’t what real peace is supposed to be.

 

It's no use in pretending. When you do that, you live in fear. Things covered under the rug will eventually become uncovered. It looks like peace, but it’s fake peace.

 

Fake peace comes with a cost. Think about this. How many of us have that one relationship where we know things aren’t how they should be, but we don’t know how to change it? How many of us have a family member or friend with whom we’ve just agreed to disagree about those subjects that everyone knows not to bring up? 

 

And, so what do you do? We compromise. We “live and let live” in the name of fake peace. But again, fake peace is just a lie. As long as our friendships are about getting along instead of a loving discussion, they are mere shadows of what they are intended to be. As long as our relationship with God is primarily about concealing our sin from Him, from others, and from ourselves, we can’t find real peace.

 

Jesus came to give real peace. So, think of Jesus’ words this way, “Do not think that I came only so as to bring peace upon the earth. I came not only so as to bring peace, but even more, a sword.”

 

Christ came as the Prince of Peace. He came to restore the relationship between God and man, and between man and man. But where Christ comes, there will be two hostile camps locked in battle – those who hear Christ’s call and repent and live, and those who reject His call due to their own ingrained sin and stubbornness. This division and warfare will go on without truce or armistice until Christ returns. 

 

This fierce struggle has been ongoing since the Fall of Adam and Eve. This is an unceasing warfare between the followers of God and the followers of Satan. This old conflict became even more pronounced and fierce when Christ became Man and accomplished salvation for all mankind.

 

This fallen world is comfortable with its lie of fake peace, but for real peace to take root, the lies must first be challenged and revealed for what they are.

 

And, that conflict, that sword, brings true peace. When we confront the lies, we know that, ultimately, things aren’t how they are supposed to be in our relationship with God.

 

We all know that we have done things that we shouldn’t have, and said things that we know we shouldn’t have. We know that we should have spoken up in times that we remained silent.

 

There is so much fake peace in this fallen world. And we, too, have fallen into this trap of fake peace. We wonder, why is there no peace? Well, without Christ as the Shepherd, there can be no real peace. Everyone serves a master. We are either slaves of righteousness or slaves of sin.

 

But the problem is, we can’t make peace with God. We can try, and try, and try. But we always fall short. The problem is that some of us settle for the false peace where we ignore the whole thing. But underneath it all, we know that isn’t peace at all.

 

So, instead of us making peace with Him, He makes peace with us. God the Father sent His only begotten Son into this world not just to bring a sword and cut through the false peace this world seeks, but to establish real peace with us. Jesus, fell on the sword, took the nails, the spear, the death of the cross to take on Himself all of our sins that separated us from God in order to give us real peace.

 

In Christ alone, we have received reconciliation. Yet, each time we confess our sins to God, we should feel demoralized. We should receive our just reward, which is eternal punishment in hell. But, through repentance and faith in Christ, we don’t get what we deserve. Instead, we receive peace. Christ’s death and resurrection gives us peace between God and man.

 

Now, this peace isn’t worldly peace, but spiritual peace. We will still face trouble as we live in this fallen world, but the good news is that everyone who endures will be saved. And God gives us what we need to endure in this fallen world. He gives us His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, so that we are given the nourishment to endure. There may not be worldly peace now, but one day, when Christ returns, there will be peace. There will be joy and contentment for all who trust in Him. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +