LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:07	it was
0:08	[Music]
0:17	hello
0:19	today
0:20	let’s talk about the joy of the Kingdom
0:24	we’re going to take a few minutes to
0:26	look closely at two of The Parables that
0:28	Jesus told in Matthew chapter 13 verses
0:32	44 to 50. they’re very short Parables so
0:36	let’s begin by hearing them
0:39	the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure
0:42	hidden in the field which a man found in
0:45	hid and from Joy over it he goes and
0:47	sells all that he has and buys that
0:49	field
0:51	again the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
0:53	merchant seeking fine pearls and upon
0:56	finding one pearl of Great Value he went
0:59	and sold all that he had and bought it
1:03	so these two Parables stand as a pair
1:06	each teaching basically the same message
1:09	what is the meaning of these parables
1:12	someone finds Riches of Great Value like
1:17	a treasure or a pearl
1:18	he sells all that he has and he buys the
1:22	treasure
1:23	simple a story in three parts he finds
1:26	he sells and he buys
1:29	it seems pretty straightforward and
1:31	perhaps even simplistic but as you will
1:34	soon see Jesus is teaching us more than
1:37	first meets the eye
1:39	part one he finds
1:42	yes Jesus says that the two fellows each
1:45	find
1:46	the strange thing is that neither fellow
1:48	is actually looking for a great treasure
1:51	they’re just going through their
1:53	ordinary tasks living their everyday
1:55	lives
1:57	one is a farmer he’s out in his field
1:59	clearing or tilling or plowing he is no
2:03	doubt a little tired dirty thirsty like
2:07	he is on most days
2:09	but in the middle of a seemingly
2:11	Ordinary Day suddenly he’s confronted by
2:13	the most extraordinary thing a treasure
2:16	box buried in the field
2:20	in much the same way a merchant was
2:22	going through his regular routine
2:25	he’s in the marketplace showing his
2:28	Wares receiving merchandise from others
2:31	he’s wondering
2:33	how much can he get for this or did he
2:35	really pay too much for that
2:37	but during this regular day at the
2:39	trading Booth unexpectedly
2:42	there it is the most Exquisite Pearl
2:45	that he has ever seen
2:48	something has happened to these two in
2:50	much the same way Peter saw Jesus while
2:54	he was fishing and Matthew heard Jesus
2:57	while he was at the tax table
3:00	in much the same way a woman met Jesus
3:03	while drawing water at Jacob’s Well
3:06	and Luther met the Lord while traveling
3:08	home in a storm
3:10	you could say that they each found God
3:12	or you could say that God found each of
3:15	them at any rate
3:17	it was unmistakably a life-changing
3:20	event
3:21	and this finding
3:24	could happen to anyone a farmer who’s
3:26	poor or a merchant who’s wealthy a
3:30	fisherman who’s part of a family in the
3:32	community or a woman who is at the well
3:34	as an outcast and alone
3:37	if you were to ask any of these people
3:39	they might say
3:41	on that great day I found a Priceless
3:44	treasure I couldn’t believe it
3:46	I was so excited to see what I had found
3:50	but that same person might just as
3:52	easily describe the experience by saying
3:55	I don’t know how it happened
3:57	it is as if the Priceless treasure found
3:59	me
4:01	so
4:03	is Jesus telling us that the kingdom of
4:05	God is like a treasure that you happen
4:07	to find in the middle of an otherwise
4:09	ordinary life
4:11	or is Jesus saying that the kingdom of
4:13	God is like living an ordinary life
4:16	until suddenly a Priceless treasure
4:19	finds you
4:20	well
4:22	we’ll see
4:23	next
4:25	he sells
4:27	the next thing that we’re told
4:30	is that the farmer and the merchants
4:31	sell all that they have in order to get
4:34	their treasure
4:36	but isn’t it interesting that neither of
4:38	them declare
4:40	good grief why do I have to pay so much
4:43	this is a ridiculous price for this
4:46	thing
4:47	you know that might be what you say when
4:50	you buy a new set of tires for your car
4:52	foreign
4:54	you know that you have to buy them but
4:56	gosh do they really cost that much
4:59	do I have to pay for mounting and
5:01	balancing too and what is this there’s
5:03	even a discard fee for getting rid of
5:06	the old ones come on what’s going on
5:07	here
5:08	is that what the Kingdom of Heaven is
5:10	like absolutely not
5:12	the farmer and the merchant are not
5:14	distressed to sell all that they have
5:17	they each are so happy it is the
5:20	happiest day of their lives they’re
5:21	Overjoyed to sell all that they have
5:24	they they don’t even consider it a
5:26	sacrifice because they know they’re
5:27	getting the very best in the whole wide
5:29	world
5:31	this will change their lives forever
5:34	notice that neither man has to go into
5:36	debt they don’t have credit cards of
5:39	course but they don’t need credit cards
5:41	the Priceless treasure and the Peerless
5:43	Pearl do not cost more than they have
5:47	indeed the Kingdom of Heaven costs
5:50	exactly what they have
5:52	it costs all that they have but not a
5:56	penny more
5:57	what does that mean
5:59	of course it means that the Kingdom of
6:00	Heaven costs them themselves the cost of
6:04	the treasure is who they are
6:06	but just finding the treasure is already
6:08	changing who they are they will never be
6:11	the same this is a life changer and they
6:14	have to have it and they’re thrilled
6:19	but what they do what they do not yet
6:21	realize is that this treasure though it
6:23	will cost them all that they have will
6:26	give them a thousand times more
6:29	this treasure will not take their lives
6:31	it will give them life this Kingdom will
6:34	not deduct from them it will benefit
6:36	them it will add to them and multiply
6:38	them in every way
6:40	their minds will be cleared and cleaned
6:44	their emotions will be stabilized with
6:47	peace and their hearts will be filled
6:49	with joy and love
6:53	I remember traveling into Eastern Europe
6:56	to a country that had formerly been a
6:58	communist country
7:01	it was strange that everything
7:02	everywhere was gray I was not kidding
7:06	when I thought this whole place is gray
7:10	the buildings are gray the clothing of
7:13	the people were Gray
7:15	the skies were Gray
7:17	most especially the faces of the people
7:22	were Gray
7:23	no one made any eye contact no one would
7:26	speak or engage one another there was no
7:28	joy no color to life
7:31	it was like Dorothy in Kansas before she
7:33	got to Oz everything was still in black
7:36	and white these poor people were still
7:39	living in fear and Christians were
7:40	living in persecution
7:42	it looked like they had never been to
7:45	munchkin land
7:46	that is to say until we went to church
7:51	and Oh My Worship that was the place to
7:54	be
7:55	the church was an old building that
7:56	didn’t resemble a church from the
7:58	outside but when people went inside they
8:01	literally came to life they smiled and
8:04	laughed and hugged with joy and their
8:06	worship was incredible
8:09	worship was all they had
8:11	their food was poor their homes were
8:13	poor their lives were poor but their
8:16	worship was rich
8:19	Debbie and I stayed with a couple in
8:21	their home he was the worship leader
8:23	there was no church organ of course he
8:26	played abasuki a long-necked member of
8:29	the loot family
8:31	it is a national instrument and he
8:33	played and sang wonderfully
8:35	and his wife played the violin
8:39	but she played with more expression than
8:40	I had ever seen as she played every
8:44	fiber of her body sang to God she played
8:48	to praise and to pray and to thank God
8:50	and to cry out to God she used her whole
8:53	body to express
8:55	her prayers
8:57	to an audience of one
8:59	in fact it seemed like the whole
9:00	congregation had an audience of one one
9:03	treasure one pearl one Lord and Savior
9:07	Jesus Christ
9:09	now part three is when he buys
9:13	but now
9:15	we come to the ending of the parable and
9:17	perhaps you’ve already begun to realize
9:19	a difficulty
9:20	the third and final part of the parable
9:22	tells of how the farmer buys the field
9:25	how the merchant buys The Pearl
9:28	but the Kingdom of Heaven is not for
9:30	sale
9:31	you and I both know that we didn’t buy
9:34	the kingdom of God
9:35	we did not purchase our way into the
9:38	kingdom the Kingdom of Heaven if
9:40	anything purchased us yes
9:42	more literally Jesus Christ paid for us
9:45	by his death on the cross there was
9:47	literally nothing that we did to deserve
9:50	or to Merit or to purchase the kingdom
9:53	it costs us nothing zero
9:57	the entire payment was made by Jesus on
10:01	the cross of calvary
10:04	so at this point the interpretation of
10:06	the parable seems to fall apart but The
10:08	Parables of Jesus can’t fall apart so he
10:11	must we must find a different way of
10:13	looking at The Parables
10:15	beloved when I first saw The Parables I
10:18	assumed that the farmer and the merchant
10:20	represented us
10:22	but it may well be that we are not the
10:24	main characters it may be that Jesus is
10:28	the central character so please let me
10:31	suggest a different interpretation of
10:32	these Parables with Jesus as the central
10:35	figure
10:37	now we find a whole new interpretation
10:40	what if Jesus is the farmer not me
10:43	what if Jesus is the merchant not you
10:46	and when Jesus comes to the Earth
10:49	he’s going through what appears to be an
10:52	ordinary day in an ordinary human life
10:56	but Jesus is no ordinary human fellow no
10:59	he’s the Lord of Heaven in human flesh
11:02	Jesus Is God incarnate with the heart of
11:06	God and the power of God and the love of
11:09	God in the midst of what appears to be
11:11	an ordinary human life Jesus discovers
11:15	that is to say Jesus finds Treasures
11:19	Hidden Treasures
11:21	they are Peter and Andrew Mary of
11:25	magdala and the woman at the well he
11:27	finds Saul and Timothy and later Jesus
11:30	finds Martin Luther and Jesus finds you
11:34	you may have been hidden from others but
11:37	he knew exactly who you were and exactly
11:39	where to find you
11:41	and when he found you he was delighted
11:43	he was ecstatic he was excited as
11:47	excited as an old man who was waiting
11:49	for his prodigal son to come home his
11:51	happiness was so great that he didn’t
11:53	mind grinning from ear to ear and
11:56	laughing with delight and running to
11:58	scoop you up and hold you in his arms
12:00	quick he says get the best robe put a
12:04	ring on the hand and sandals on the feet
12:06	of this my beloved child and bring the
12:09	fatted calf and let us eat and let us be
12:12	merry for this child of mine was dead
12:15	and has come to life this child was lost
12:18	and has been found
12:21	and when it came time to sell all that
12:25	he had for you
12:26	no price was too much to pay for you it
12:30	did not matter to him that he must sell
12:33	everything
12:35	his Precious Blood his last gasp of
12:40	breath his very life yes he would sell
12:43	it all if that were the price necessary
12:46	for you
12:48	finally he declared it it is finished he
12:51	cried he had paid the price and now he
12:54	bought you now after the cross and
12:57	passion and death and Resurrection by
12:59	grace through faith in Jesus Christ you
13:02	were his he purchased you and he bought
13:04	all of you he bought all all your sin
13:08	your stubbornness your sorrow he bought
13:10	your Temptations and your worries and
13:13	your fears he bought all of you he even
13:15	bought your death and your judgment and
13:18	your Eternal punishment yes all that was
13:21	you he bought
13:22	and now all of you belongs to him you
13:26	had cost him everything but that was the
13:29	way he wanted it because in exchange for
13:31	what he bought
13:33	all of him
13:35	now belong to you
13:38	oh what a Heavenly and happy day now
13:41	you are the father’s child you are the
13:44	son’s purchase you are Heaven’s own and
13:47	it is not that you found a treasure or a
13:50	pearl but that Jesus found you and to
13:53	him you are a treasure you are his Pearl
13:59	now I want to tell you an embarrassing
14:00	story that’s true 44 years ago I served
14:04	a congregation in Fayetteville North
14:05	Carolina and my little boy Robbie was
14:08	just starting school I was to pick him
14:10	up each day but one day I ran very late
14:13	I was making a visit in the town far
14:16	away and I got very tied up and on my
14:19	ride home to Fayetteville although all
14:21	the while all I could think was
14:23	frantically that my son might not be
14:25	there when I arrived I would gladly give
14:28	my own foolish life just to save his I
14:31	drove like a madman and when I got to
14:34	the school there he was my little boy
14:36	standing waiting I was so Overjoyed I
14:39	remember the relief and Thanksgiving and
14:42	joy and I was so happy when I held him
14:44	in my arms
14:46	obviously I’m not the heavenly father
14:49	for he is never late and he never makes
14:52	mistakes but I cannot help but think
14:54	that my joy as an Earthly parent holding
14:57	my little one is something like the joy
15:00	that your heavenly father has as he
15:03	thinks of the precious treasure and the
15:05	cherished Pearl that he has
15:08	when he’s holding you
15:12	amen
15:19	[Music]
15:30	[Applause]