A sermon based on Matthew 13:44-52, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn
What is the most valuable thing in your life? Is it money, fame or reputation, comfort, material possessions, family, or some other pleasure? Of course, we are in church this morning, so you will say, “God.” I understand. But is God really the most valuable thing in your life?
It’s like someone asking you, “What is the one thing you would risk everything to save if your house were on fire?”
We have been exploring a series of messages from Matthew 13. This is a challenging chapter that invites us to examine our relationship with God more deeply. If you’ve been following these parables closely, you’ll notice that Jesus describes God’s kingdom in ways that are surprising and unfamiliar. He compares the kingdom to a field full of wheat and weeds, to a tiny mustard seed, and to yeast hidden in three measures of flour.
Even His disciples, who walked closely with Him, found it difficult to understand these parables. So they asked Him privately, “Lord, help us understand more about these stories.” Jesus explained that all of this points to a single truth: His kingdom is not of this world. As King, Jesus would not lead an army to overthrow Roman oppression. He is not involved in earthly politics—neither Democrats nor Republicans. Instead, He allows His enemies to remain alongside His people until the end, when God will bring true justice and vindicate His people.
Today, I want to focus largely on verses 44-46. It reads, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”
These two parables are very similar. The man in the story searches for pearls, hoping to find valuable ones to sell for a profit. Pearls were considered extremely valuable in those days. Even today, the most valuable pearl is worth one hundred million dollars. This man was searching for something of incredible worth, and when he discovered “the one”—the pearl of great price—he sold everything he owned to purchase it.
But what is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is not mainly a physical realm or place, but rather God’s rule and reign—the saving reign of God—which is present now in part, and will be fully revealed in the future when Christ returns. The terms “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” mean the same thing; there is no significant difference between them.
So, what is the single most important thing that Jesus wants us to learn from these parables about the hidden treasure and the pearl? Simple: the kingdom of heaven—the kingdom of God—is the most valuable treasure of all. And so, if we lose everything else on earth but gain the kingdom, we receive the greatest joy imaginable, both now and forever.
APP: Let this sink in….What could be of more value than having the Most High God and the redeeming reign of Christ in your life?
In those days, it was common for people to hide their treasure in a field, as it was considered the safest place during times of war. But if the owner and his family were killed, the treasure would remain buried and forgotten. Now, imagine someone passing through or working in that field and stumbling across the hidden treasure. Suppose this treasure is worth a million dollars, and the field costs only a few thousand. Would it be worth the investment? What if your family was upset with you and thought you were making a foolish decision because they hadn’t seen the treasure and believed you had lost your mind? Would it still be worth it?
Jesus says in verse 44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.” Jesus’ focus here is on the incredible value of the kingdom—it is a hidden treasure. The worth of having God, the Creator of heaven and earth, rule over your life—and knowing that He gave up everything to make you His son or daughter—is truly a great value.
Application: If God is ruling over all things for your joy, and if He is working everything for your good—no matter how painful your current experience in this broken world, and then to know that, in the end, God will triumph over all evil and pain…..it makes the kingdom of heaven truly a 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.” In biblical parable you do not focus on every detail in the story; you have to discover the one key point in the parable and stay with it. In this case, the main point is not that we can earn or purchase the kingdom by our efforts.
No! The point Jesus is making is that, even if the kingdom of heaven costs you everything you have, it is still worth it—because it is more valuable than anything else in life.
The man, “in his joy, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything else on earth in order to gain it is the greatest thing that can happen to you. That’s the main point Jesus is making here.
Listen to the apostle Paul how he expresses the same thing in Philippians 3:7-8, ‘Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
Application: Is that how you view your relationship with Christ? In the parable, the man sells everything he has in order to gain the kingdom. Similarly, Paul suffered the loss of all things and considered everything he once valued as rubbish, as worthless as refuse or animal waste, so that he may gain Christ.
Application: Listen again! The point here is not that we can buy, bargain for, or negotiate our way into the kingdom of heaven. God’s kingdom is received as a gift, freely given. In our brokenness, we are like destitute children begging for help—not wealthy businesspeople trying to buy our way into heaven.
In fact, how could we—wretched and spiritually bankrupt sinners—ever hope to earn the kingdom ourselves? We have nothing to offer; we are broken, sinful, and weighed down by our iniquities. All we truly deserve is separation from God……..But God in His mercy, He loves us, cares for us, and gave His Son to die for us. Christ rose again, conquering death and the grave, so we could be forgiven and live eternally with Him. We don’t come to the kingdom with wealth or self-righteousness to earn it…..God isn’t interested in our credentials or achievements.
Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Again, Jesus teaches, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
So who is the man who discovers the treasure hidden in the earth and sells all he has to buy it? Who is the one who sees the priceless pearl and gives up everything to possess it? Is it you or me? Ultimately, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Hebrews writer says, “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It is Jesus who, in His joy, gave up everything and purchased that field…..Why? Because you worth more to God than anything you can ever imagine.
Illustration: A tourist bought a cheap amber necklace in a small shop, only to find out later it was worth a fortune. A jeweler looked closely and found a tiny inscription: “From Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine.” The object gained massive value because of who was attached to it……just as humans find infinite worth attached to God.
The Apostle John writes, “He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:6, NLT)
Conclusion: Does your heart deeply long for the kingdom of God? Jesus assures us that “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32).
Illustration: A pastor once shared the story of his sister, who lost her husband to cancer at a young age. He was in his fifties and had been a faithful follower of Christ. In his final hours, the wife sat by her husband’s special medical bed at home, gently wiping his forehead and caring for him. She appeared steady and even joyful, smiling as she served him. Among the guests who have come visit, one of them didn’t like what he saw, finally he asked, “Ma’am, how can you be so happy and seemingly callous when something so terrible is happening to your husband?”
The wife answered, “Sir, my husband deserves to go to hell, just like you and me. He deserves to be condemned and separated from God forever. But because of Christ, in just a few hours, my husband will be with God in heaven forever, where there will be no more cancer and no more pain. Isn’t that something worth rejoicing over?”
May the kingdom of heaven become the most valuable treasure to us in this life….
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