Thursday 13 October 2022

Psalm 77

Background

Today's parables do not require further explanation for the disciples. "‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes'." (v. 51). I wonder if one of the reasons for their comprehension was the teaching method Jesus uses in today's passage – and also in Tuesday’s passage (Matthew 13:31-33) – of saying the same thing twice, but in a different way. One person sells everything to buy a field where hidden treasure has been found. Another person sells everything to buy a valuable pearl. The repeated message is that the kingdom of heaven is a precious discovery.

There is also a clear sense in these two parables that the kingdom of heaven needs to be searched for. The other parables we have read this week also had a sense of hiddenness about the kingdom – the seeds growing whilst we are sleeping and the leaven concealed within the flour. The kingdom may not be immediately obvious. We will need to look for it.

The third parable involves the unseen too. The contents of the fishing net cannot be seen until it has been pulled it out of the water – and, even then, the catch needs to be examined carefully to sort out what is worth keeping and what can be discarded. (Incidentally, this fishing illustration is probably another reason why the disciples did not need to ask Jesus to explain what he meant. Several of them were, of course, fishermen. So, they would have understood this analogy.)

There is a further reference here to the furnace of fire and the weeping and gnashing of teeth. This repetition suggests that these phrases were commonly used in the Early Church when taking about the last judgement, which was expected imminently. They are unlikely to be Jesus' own words.

To Ponder:

• What are you searching for?
• What analogy or comparison would best help your friends or colleagues understand what the kingdom of heaven is like?
• Tell God what you most treasure or value about the kingdom of heaven.