Finding and Gathering

July 30, 2023 Background Scripture: Matthew 13 :44 - 52 Lesson Passage: Matthew 13:44 - 52 "Have you understood all these things?" That's the question Jesus asked His disciples after teaching them several parables about the kingdom of heaven. They answered Him, "Yes, Lord." Of course, their behavior after those lessons indicates they did not understand "all these things", The three short parables of this lesson focus on the main objective of the disciples' future ministry, making other disciples for Christ. The first two parables are a reminder of the value of a single soul in the kingdom of heaven. In the first parable, it appears that the man accidentally stumbled upon a hidden treasure. In the second parable, a merchant went in search of an expensive pearl. In both cases, finding the treasure and the pearl brought much joy. Both the man and the merchant were willing to sell all they owned to purchase what they had found. The object's value was not diminished whether discovered accidentally or sought after diligently. The value of the object was highly esteemed in both cases. Again, they were each willing to sell all they had in exchange for the right to own the object. That gives new meaning to the statement, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God gave all He had in exchange for the soul of the loss. I believe if God intended to save only one soul, He would have given all He had to do so. That's how valuable souls are to God! The last parable in today's lesson takes us back to the parables that were before this lesson. Here, Jesus talks about a dragnet being used to gather fish of all kinds. The dragnet takes in all types—good and bad. The catch must be sorted after the net is dragged through the sea. But even in this parable, Jesus again stresses that the sorting is done at the end of the age by the angels. When one considers these three parables in the context of the kingdom of heaven, the disciples work is about making other disciples, valuing each disciple made, and foregoing the separation of saints from sinners until the end of the age. Even then, the separating will be done by angels—and not people. These lessons seem so simple when one considers Jesus teaching them to His disciples. The difficulty is in applying the principles of these lessons to our present situations. These parables all focus on the ministry of evangelism for the kingdom of heaven. Today, we are most likely to do evangelistic work for the purpose of increasing the membership in the local church where we are rather than in the kingdom of heaven in general. What's the difference? Who is willing to reach out to sinners to persuade them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and then be happy for them if they choose to join another congregation? We tend to be predisposed to selfishness even in ministry for the kingdom of heaven. It is easy to be content within our own small circle of influence. We know everybody and they know us. We don't mind adding others to the mix, but we prefer they join our local group and not just the kingdom in general. Furthermore, it is easy to talk about end-time separation when one doesn't have to live with bad actors in the congregation today. It is different when they will be in the congregation with us until death separates us. The kingdom of heaven today is the same kingdom of heaven as the first century. Believers today have the same responsibility as believers of the first century. We must be about our Father's business of finding and gathering souls for the kingdom of heaven. Robert C. Hudson July 22, 2023