A, Post Pentecost 9 Proper 12 - Romans 8:37, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Treasured Conquerors
In
the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Your kingdom come”. What hinders God’s kingdom from
coming? The answer is also in the Lord’s Prayer. We ask God to “lead us not
into temptation”. In other words, we pray for ourselves and for one another. We
ask God to protect us from being led into temptation — by ourselves, by someone
else, or by something else — to seek other kingdoms.
Luther
tells us in his explanation to the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer that, “God’s
kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His
grace we believe His holy word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven
for ever.” (Luther’s Small
Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, 2nd Petition)
Luther
also demonstrates in his explanation of the sixth petition that temptations
shut out God’s kingdom from coming, saying, “God tempts no one to sin, but
we ask in this prayer that God would watch over us and keep us so that the
devil, the world, and our sinful self may not deceive us and draw us into false
belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins. And we pray that even
though we are so tempted we may still win the final victory.” (Luther’s
Small Catechism: Lord’s Prayer, 6th Petition)
The
kingdom of heaven comes when God gives us His Holy Spirit. So that the devil, the world, and our sinful
selves, do not lead us to faith in ourselves. Faith in the self ends in death.
It ends in vanity — in vainglory or vain despair! Those who live without the Holy
Spirit, for whatever reason, are not led to Jesus Christ. They live without peace
with God the Father. And that can only end in despair and eternal death.
The
devil is the master of this deception. He deceives people into believing they
are either too good to need help, or too bad to deserve help. The devil, the
world, and the sinful self, tempt people into isolation from God and into opposition
against God.
Throughout
Matthew’s Gospel, the parables of the kingdom of heaven call for careful
listening. They call us to listen in the light of all God’s Word. Jesus’
parables of the kingdom lead you to pray and ponder what He is saying about
eternal life!
The
parables call you to take time in the Word of God!
In
Romans chapter ten we are told, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing
through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 ESV) So, to those who have ears
to hear, let the Holy Spirit enlighten them within. Let Jesus’ teaching in the
parables give faith.
Over
the last couple of weeks, we have heard parables about sowing seed from Matthew
chapter thirteen. Today we hear the last five shorter parables from that
chapter. In the first, the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus paints an
exaggerated picture. He does this to get the hearers’ attention.
“The
kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in
his field. It is the smallest of all
seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its
branches.” (Matthew 13:31–32 ESV)
Jesus
uses exaggeration to shake the hearer’s expectation. These seeds are tiny. They
come from the same family as canola or broccoli. We do not expect them to grow
into trees, nor do we expect birds to live in them. In the same way, the
kingdom of heaven seems small, even hidden. But once the cross is planted and
Jesus is lifted up, what seems likely to fizzle out after His death does not die.
It is raised. And it continues to grow greater than anyone would expect. Even
today, the kingdom of heaven is still the same!
Soon
after hearing this parable, the disciples saw Jesus feed the five thousand,
leaving twelve baskets of leftovers. They collected more after everyone had
eaten than they had found at the start. We believe because the Holy Spirit works
faith within us. And, like birds in the branches of the mustard tree, we trust that
we will be nested and rest in the kingdom of heaven eternally — with God, in peace
— even though we see neither Him nor His kingdom!
The
parable of the leaven is next. “The
kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of
flour, till it was all leavened.”
(Matthew 13:33 ESV)
Leaven
is what we would call yeast. It is the raising agent in bread! Once, people
kept back some leavened dough to put into the bread mixture the next day. Here
we get a picture of succession. Every loaf of bread is born from the dough from the day before.
Elsewhere,
leaven is used negatively, but not here! The leaven is added to three dry
measures of flour. That is three measures of thirteen litres — thirty-nine
litres of flour — made into dough, yet to rise! That much bread dough overwhelms
the mind. It also helps the hearer realise Jesus is not just talking about
making bread. He is raising an eternal point.
Like
the mustard seed that grows into a tree, the leaven also points to something
greater. Elsewhere it may be bad, but here it’s good leaven. It points to Jesus’
resurrection and the growth of God’s church into eternity.
The
mustard seed and the leaven seem insignificant and hidden. Yet both become
something great. One is not expected to grow into a tree. The other is expected
to rise out of the kneading bowl and overwhelm everything!
Such
is the kingdom of heaven! What we would expect to end in death after the
crucifixion flowers and flourishes into eternal fruit. And it raises up those
who believe.
This
leads us to the next two parables.
“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. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great
value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 ESV)
Many
times, we have probably been told these parables are about what we should “do
as disciples”. But the cost of discipleship is not our cost. We cannot buy the
kingdom of heaven. Rather, these two parables are about being discipled by
Jesus.
What
do I mean by this? Jesus pays the cost. He does so because you and I are the
treasure and the pearl. We cost Jesus His Sonship, so that He might make us sons
of heaven, sons of God. It cost Him His human life. In complete selflessness He
served, suffered, and died to save you from everything sinful in yourself. You
are so treasured by Him. You are the pinnacle of God’s creation! He became weak
so that, despite your weakness, you would become more than conquerors.
To
that end, God treasures us so much that He sends the Holy Spirit to help us in
our weakness and in our discipleship. Even today, the Spirit intercedes for us
with groans that straighten out our prayers. And our prayers are presented to
Jesus, “who is at the right
hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34b ESV)
Jesus
Christ treasures you so much that, through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, our prayers are joined with all His treasured people,
in every time and every place. They are united with the eternal petitions of
Jesus, our great high priest. He intercedes for us at the right hand of God,
until He comes as the victorious merchantman to unveil you and me, His
treasured possessions!
The
parable of the dragnet is possibly the easiest of these parables to
understand.
“The
kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish
of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the
good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the
age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and
throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50 ESV)
This
parallels the parable of the weeds that come up among the wheat. They too will
be burned in the eternal furnace. It paints a picture of suffering, mentally
and physically, in hell without God. This simple parable warns that the
unbelieving hearer will be removed and will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Finally,
Jesus asked the disciples if they understood what He was saying. They said, “Yes”.
But their desertion at the cross shows they still had much to learn.
Yet
they were Jesus’ Apostles — His twelve baskets of treasured leftovers! Even
Judas was treasured, though in unbelief he would turn and betray Him. Jesus
said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom
of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is
new and what is old.” (Matthew 13:52 ESV)
God
trained His Apostles to be the scribes of the kingdom of heaven. They were sent
so that you might believe the old and new treasures of His Word, to be his treasured
ones in heaven.
Having
received these treasures of the kingdom of heaven, we who are treasured are
given the Holy Spirit. He gives us relief as He leads us to repent. And He
gives us faith to know we are loved by God.
The
kingdom of heaven is Jesus’ victory for you. He treasures you so much that He
makes you more than conquerors! Those who have ears, let them hear! Amen.
Sermon Summary
This sermon
proclaims that the kingdom of heaven comes not by human strength, achievement,
or self-confidence, but through the gracious work of God. As we pray, “Your
kingdom come” and “lead us not into temptation”, we ask the Father to give us
His Holy Spirit, guard us from the devil, the world, and our sinful selves, and
keep us in true faith in Jesus Christ.
Through the
parables in Matthew chapter thirteen, Jesus shows that the kingdom often
appears small, hidden, and unexpected. Like the mustard seed and the leaven, it
begins in what seems insignificant, yet it grows and fills all things according
to God’s promise. The cross itself appears weak and defeated, yet through
Christ’s death and resurrection the kingdom flowers and flourishes into eternal
life.
The hidden treasure
and the pearl of great value are heard not first as a demand that we purchase
the kingdom, but as good news that Christ has purchased us. Jesus treasures
sinners so deeply that He gives His own life to make us sons of God. In Him,
the weak become more than conquerors, not through their own power, but through
Him who loved them.
The parable of the
dragnet brings a sober warning. The kingdom will be revealed fully at the end
of the age, when evil is separated from righteousness. Yet the sermon ends in
comfort: those who are treasured by Christ are given the Holy Spirit, led to repentance,
strengthened in faith, and assured that they are loved by God.
Reflection
This sermon invites
hearers to listen carefully to Jesus’ parables and to receive the kingdom as
gift. It challenges the temptation to trust in the self, whether through pride
or despair, and turns the hearer instead to Christ, who has borne the cost of salvation.
The sermon helps
the hearer move from fear of judgement to confidence in the One who intercedes
for us. From Jesus’ prayer petition on the coming kingdom, and temptation to build
our own kingdoms, to the hidden growth of the kingdom, to Christ’s costly love,
and finally to judgement and comfort. The repeated language of being
“treasured” calls us to hear and believe the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
A helpful point for
personal reflection is this: where am I tempted to seek another kingdom? The
sermon answers by directing us back to the Lord’s Prayer, the Word of Christ,
and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Luther’s Small Catechism teaches us that God’s
kingdom comes to us through Christ’s victory as the Holy Spirit keeps us in
repentance, faith, and the peace of Christ.
The final word is gospel comfort: Jesus Christ treasures His people. He has bought them not with silver or gold, but with His holy and precious life. Therefore, even in weakness, temptation, and suffering, believers may hear again the promise of Romans 8:37: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
