Treasures of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:44-46; 14:13-21

GOLDEN TEXT: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”—James 1:17

IN OUR Scripture lesson for this week we have two viewpoints of the Kingdom presented to us. The first pertains to the great privilege of participating in the work of dispensing the blessings of the Kingdom to a sin-sick and dying world, while the second is an illustration of the benefits to be derived from the Kingdom by the masses of mankind. It is necessary to keep these two viewpoints in mind whenever we read the Scriptures else we shall fail to understand the full significance of what we read.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field,” Jesus said, “which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” (Matt. 13:44) The “field,” as Jesus explains in another parable, is the whole world of mankind. The hidden “treasure” is the blessed opportunity of restoring mankind to human perfection and giving health and everlasting life to all of Adam’s race who will accept God’s loving provision through Christ and obey the laws of the Messianic Kingdom. Both Jesus and His joint-heirs gave up their all in order to obtain this Kingdom treasure.

The parable speaks of the “joy” on the part of the one who found the treasure, and indicates that it was this joy which induced him to sell all he had to acquire both the field and the treasure hidden therein. Of Jesus, Paul writes that “for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) The honor of sitting at the right hand of the throne of God was an exceeding great reward for the Master; but we may safely assume that even more than this, He was stimulated to faithfulness in laying down His life by the prospect of restoring the lost world of mankind to life and to at-one-ment with His Father.

We who are following in the footsteps of Jesus are encouraged to hope for a share in this same “treasure,” but on condition that we, like Jesus, also give up all that we have. True, we have very little to “sell,” but we could share with the world in future restitution blessings, hence we have this human hope as something of value to give up in order thereby to become joint-sacrificers with Jesus.

The parable of the merchant man seeking goodly pearls conveys the same general lesson. The reward of the divine nature offered to the church, together with the glory of partnership with Jesus in the work of dispensing Kingdom blessings, constitutes the “pearl of great price” indeed. And in this parable also, our appreciation of the reward is manifested by willingness to give up everything we hold dear in order to obtain it. Every Christian who gives all that he possesses is able to purchase this treasure, but anything less than our all will come short of the required purchase price.

The miracle of feeding the five thousand (Matt. 14:13-21) illustrates the dispensing of Kingdom blessings to mankind in general. During the day, prior to feeding this vast multitude, Jesus had been busily engaged healing their diseases. All in all it was a great day for these Israelites who for so long had been without sympathetic leadership. The scribes and Pharisees were more intent upon exploiting the people than they were upon ministering to their physical and spiritual needs. But it was different with Jesus. He was filled with compassion and was ever ready to help those in need.

The holy prophets of the Old Testament had foretold the blessings of the Kingdom to be those of physical healing and bountiful supplies of all the necessities of life. A “feast of fat things” had been promised, together with the wiping away of tears and the destruction of the great enemy, death. (Isaiah 25:6-9) Certainly there will be no lack of material food for those who obey the laws of the new Kingdom, but the abundance of food alone, apart from the favor of God, will not give life to the people.

One of the greatest contributing causes of unhappiness in the world today is the famine which exists for the hearing of the Word of the Lord. What a “feast” it will be for the people when, under the administration of Christ’s Kingdom, the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea! Without this knowledge, together with whole-hearted conformity to it, all the other blessings of the Kingdom would be of no lasting value.

The feeding of the five thousand was a demonstration of divine, miracle-working power. It is well to remember that the foretold “restitution of all things” will require the working of miracles. While many of the Kingdom blessings will doubtless come about in seemingly natural ways, yet the direct use of the power of God will be necessary to give life to the people. It is because the Scriptures assure us that divine power will be thus employed that we can have confidence in the triumph of the Kingdom.

How it strengthens our faith to recall the many miracles performed by Jesus, and realize that the same divine power which operated then is to be employed world wide! That will mean “times of restitution of all things.”—Acts 3:19-21

QUESTIONS:

What two viewpoints of the Kingdom are presented in this lesson?

Who is the “man” who sold all he had to purchase a “field” in which was hidden treasure?

What lesson do we get from the feeding of the five thousand?

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