The Lord is With Us

“Bread and Water”

(Matthew 14:13-36, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 28, 2007)

Matthew 14:13-36 ¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." ¹⁶ But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." ¹⁷ They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." ¹⁸ And he said, "Bring them here to me." ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. ²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." ²⁸ And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." ²⁹ He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³² And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." ³⁴ And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick ³⁶ and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Introduction – Life in Prison

In this passage we hear of how people followed Jesus based on a report that He had gone to one place or another. A person who is in prison cannot do this. His freedom is restricted. There are other ways for a person to be locked up, in a way, with no option to go anywhere. I visited a good friend of mine this week who just found out that he has bone cancer. He has been in a skilled nursing facility since sometime in September, and now he apparently will be able to go home and to receive Hospice care. Of course that means that his doctors expect that his disease is fatal. Some people find their lives to be hopeless because of some addiction, sin, or emotional condition that they are unable or unwilling to fix. The unwilling part is not a small matter. What if the will is bound up in some paralytic desperation? There can be a prison-house of the will that is more hopeless than physical incarceration. At least if you are in a physical prison of some kind, there is a chance that someone can come and take you out of there. But who will free the person who is enslaved by some devastating habit of the heart or who can never move beyond a powerless good intention to start living again? This is a problem that requires a spiritual liberation.

When Jesus heard this (13)

John the Baptist was liberated in a way. His days in prison were over. Jesus “heard this,” and He went off by Himself. The person who has the ability to bring freedom to people who are in bondage will always be sought after, that is if people know and believe that He has that capability. Perhaps the reason why we are not completely packed out whenever the doors of the church are opened is that people do not believe that Jesus is still alive, or they do not believe that they are going to experience Him in a church service, or they do not believe that He can release people who are living in bondage. Before Jesus died on the cross, while He was displaying His divine power with life-changing life-giving miracles, the people knew about it, they believed that He could free them, and wherever He went, even if it was in some deserted place, they were there. Can you imagine what it would be like here today if you really believed that Jesus was here with us? But this is what He tells us. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Jesus is here. Jesus is alive. Jesus frees the prisoner. They may still be behind bars. Sometimes they may even die of cancer. But have no doubt about it. There are people here that have experienced it, and the Scriptures clearly testify to it, “Freedom Christ has set us free.”

So when the crowds heard where Jesus went, if they were able to move, if they were free enough to leave some place, if they had the will to do something new, they were out of their houses, even if it meant that they had to travel up to the lake, or go out into some deserted field, they were there – thousands of them.

Healing until the day was over (14-15)

And what did they find when they found Jesus? They found the man who had compassion on a vast group of people, many of whom were sick. They found someone who cared – someone who had a true sympathy for even one person who was bound in the chains of a disease or demonic destruction. They found the bread of life. They found a man with resurrection power. They found freedom Christ! So they stayed there with Him, and He healed many people into the evening.

More than bread (16-21)

The disciples were worried. Who was going to feed all these people? They knew that the crowd would listen to Jesus if He told them to go home, or go to some of the surrounding towns to find food. But when they brought the matter to Him, His response was shocking. “They need not go away. You give them something to eat.” His intention was to use the disciples to bring His miracle to thousands of people.

Do you see the importance of this? He could have just said, “They don’t need to go away. I will feed them with bread from heaven.” Instead He commanded His disciples to give them something to eat. The church where Jesus is present is the distributor of spiritual nourishment. This is not because we are able to do this. They were not able to feed thousands. They had five loaves and two fish. But when everything was picked up, there were twelve baskets of broken pieces left over, and it was from the hands of the disciples that everyone was satisfied. Why would Jesus do it this way, if not to set a pattern here for a great work that would come when Jesus Himself could no longer be seen? The One who is alive now works through His disciples who are His hands and feet. They do what they are not able to do, and people feel the touch of a Messiah who feeds the hungry, heals the downcast, and sets the prisoner free. How does God do this? He uses what we have, not what we don’t have. He uses five loaves and two fish, and with that weakness we look up to heaven and ask for His blessing. Then we move ahead and do what is in front of us to do, and when we pick up the pieces we realize that God was with us.

Above the water (22-33)

The disciples must have been shocked. He immediately got them into a boat and he stayed behind to dismiss the crowd. Jesus and the crowd receded into the distance as the disciples went out on the lake. Again, why did He do it this way? Why did He insist that the disciples go on ahead without Him? On one hand, He wanted to be by Himself for the purpose of prayer, which is very instructive to us. He was also setting up the next display of His divine power, this time only for them, something to challenge their faith that they might see their need and grow. Do not be surprised that Jesus would seem to set up situations for you that are difficult. “Lord, where did this threatening wind came from? Lord, I am far away from land, and it feels like I am not going to make it.” He is still challenging the faith of His disciples today – not to destroy us of course, but to grow us into what we will become.

Growth does not normally happen without wind and waves. But we are not alone. There is a Friend who can walk on top of rough seas. When He came to them, they first thought that He was the spirit of a dead man in some strange apparition. They believed in spirits, and angels, and the coming resurrection, as did the Pharisees, but the Sadducees (another religious party) did not believe in any of these things. But when they saw what they thought was a spirit, they screamed. But Jesus spoke to them immediately with reassuring words, and I hope that you are comforted by this passage as He says, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” There is someone who walks above the wild water. He took the fierce currents of God’s anger for sin on the cross. That divine anger surely would have capsized your boat and mine. He knows what you are going through, and He has not changed His mind about saving you from hell. He is here. He has risen. He rules. He speaks among His church to the hearts of those who are willing to hear these words, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

They were not immediately convinced that this image of a man which spoke to them could be trusted. Peter tests the Lord with the words “If it is you,” but it will be Peter who will be tested. How will the church do things beyond our ability? We have feet. The water is there. He says walk. Just keep your eyes on Him. How do you do that? It can start right here, right now, believing that the Lord is alive and that He speaks to His church and He is with us as He promised. Lift your heart up to Him. Believe. Fix your gaze upon His face of grace, the face that smiles upon the heart of faith. Feel the touch of the divine arm that lifts you out of danger through the word and sacrament today. Hear the sweet rebuke of the Father who loves you and sees you sinking in fear and unbelief. He says to you, “Why did you doubt?” Now feel the wind calming down in your turbulent heart. Look, everything is OK again. Your Savior, the Son of God, He saved you again today. You are safe here. You are in the boat again. Worship Him.

Lord, save me! (34-36)

The cry of faith always says, “Lord, save me!” The eyes of faith see that Jesus is in that region, and they gather the sick and bring them to Him. The hands of faith reach out to touch the hem of His garment in the Lord’s Supper. We are not strong in ourselves. That’s not the way we get things done in Christ. We cannot feed thousands with five loaves and two fish. We cannot walk on water. But He can do these things. And He can set the prisoner free. And He commands us to trust Him and to do this work. Many here have been touched by Him. Christ has been and is now our Liberator. He is here, and He will help us again today and tomorrow. Lord, save us!

Questions for meditation and discussion:

1. What is the connection between this passage and the previous one about the death of John the Baptist?

2. What do you make of the words, “You give them something to eat?”

3. Why did Jesus come walking on the water rather than appointing another boat to bring Him to the disciples?

4. Is Jesus with us today in our worship of God? How so? What are the implications for the church and the world?

What do you do with a guilty conscience?

“He Has Been Raised from the Dead”

(Matthew 14:1-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 21, 2007)

Matthew 14:1-12 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, ² and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." ³ For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, ⁴ because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." ⁵ And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. ⁶ But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, ⁷ so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." ⁹ And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. ¹⁰ He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ¹² And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Introduction – A disturbing fear

Shakespeare wrote a play that in part was about a very powerful and ambitious woman who was involved with her husband in the murder of a man. The woman’s conscience troubled her horribly after the man had been murdered and she began to experience strange things. She believed that the physical stains of the man’s blood were permanently on her hands. It can be very difficult to live with a troubled conscience. Most importantly, you need to pay attention to your conscience before you stop feeling it anymore. I gather that Herod still felt his conscience, and that was why when he heard about the miracles of Jesus that He came to the strange conclusion that the man performing these signs must be John the Baptist, who was killed on Herod’s orders, now come back from the dead with tremendous powers. Herod had a disturbing fear. It was a fear that came from a guilty conscience.

This is John the Baptist (1-2)

The news of Jesus was spreading everywhere throughout Judea and Galilee. We are told that Herod heard of the fame of Jesus. Most likely it was the miracles which made Jesus so famous. Who was this man? That was Herod’s question. Before we examine the answer he was considering, what do we know about Herod? There is more than one Herod in the Bible. The one who tried to kill Jesus as a baby was the father of the man in this passage, and was known as Herod the Great. His line is complicated because of multiple marriages and the frequent intermarriage of his descendants. The Herod in today’s passage is Herod Antipas, a man who ruled in Galilee for over forty years. It was this same man who was involved in the events at the close of Jesus’ life together with Pontius Pilate.

Before examining his controversy with John the Baptist, consider what Herod Antipas apparently believed when he feared that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. He believed in life after death, that man had a spiritual component beyond his physical body, and that at least in the case of John the Baptist, this spirit did not die with his body. Herod believed that there was a place of power that a spirit could go after death, and that from the strength of that place a person could be raised in some sense, and could use new powers for various things on earth.

None of these things can be taken for granted. By that I mean that a person can believe other things or nothing at all on these matters. For example, a person can believe what many Jews in high places believed at the time, that there are no spirits, no good place of power, and no possibility of any benefit on earth from one who has no more physical life here. According to these verses, Herod has these other beliefs that were much more supernatural, and his specific beliefs were connected to his fear of a man he had beheaded.

John’s Message to Herod (3-5)

What exactly was the trouble between Herod and John the Baptist? Herod had married the wife of his half-brother Philip. Apparently during a visit to Rome he had made a connection with this woman, Herodias, who was apparently also his niece. Both of them determined to bring about this new union, which they did. Obviously these were momentous events among very public people, so everyone knew about these things at the time. John the Baptist openly spoke against this relationship, claiming that it was a violation of Old Testament Law. At a minimum this relationship was a violation of Leviticus 18:16, which prohibited an intimate relationship with the wife of your living brother. While the people believed that John was a prophet, and in some sense Herod had to agree with them as his guilty conscience betrays, yet it was Herod’s desire to kill John.

The Events of Herod’s Birthday (6-11)

Herod feared the reaction of the people, but it was Herodias who seems to have laid the subtle trap. Here is a woman with an evil plan; or at least someone who has an eye for an evil opportunity – the murder of the one who brought the message of the Lord and who prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. This death also comes through a king’s foolish oath, and a daughter’s horrible request. What kind of anger insists on this particular plan of brutality? It is a vicious wrath against the messenger of God – the power of an inner conviction of sin attempting to get rid of the ugly clamor of a diseased heart by adding more disease. That will not work. Adding sin to sin does not take away sin. The conviction of sin may still remain after the messenger is murdered.

What the disciples did… Is that all there is to say? (12)

The disciples of John faced a horrible loss. What could they do? Verse 12 tells us. They did what they could. They showed respect for the body of John, compared to the horrible disrespect of beheading. They buried his body, and then they went to Jesus Christ – the person that John pointed to as the One who was greater than Him. They buried John, because like Herod they believed in the resurrection of the dead. And then they told Jesus.

What now? What can anyone think, say, or do in response to something like this? There has been, is now, and shall be much horrible brutality, sadness, and horrific disappointment in this world. When I think of things I have experienced or heard about concerning friends and acquaintances just over the last year I am sad. And these things are not the worst of it. What happened to John the Baptist was really unthinkable. But it was not hell. What happened to Jesus was hell. That was the worst of it. He took that hell on the cross so that you and I don’t have to.

That does not change the fact of the pain of this loss. Where is the hope? Where do you go when they have beheaded the best prophet that the Old Testament era could offer? Who will you tell about this? You go to Jesus, and you wait to see what His answer will be, when it seems that there is no answer. There is an answer in the cross if you will give that answer the position of honor in your heart that it deserves.

Is there any answer for the guilty conscience? Is the conscience a part of the body or the soul? How can you face God and not have a guilty conscience? Is the cross and the resurrection of the Son of God enough of an answer for you. Many people seem to decide that Jesus is not enough of an answer for them. Let me approach this from the standpoint of other possible answers – other answers than the cross for a guilty conscience.

Is there any other answer that you are aware of that is at all satisfying? First, let me say that I am aware of no other religious system out there that has any intellectually satisfying solution to the question of guilt, and we know that we do have a problem. It will do no good to tell Lady Macbeth that what she did was understandable, and that no one can say what is right or wrong. Her conscience is telling here the plain fact. She helped to murder a man in cold blood. What I want to explore with you is not some other religious system that works for a guilty conscience. I am aware of none that make any sense on this matter. What other possibilities exist for taking care of our conscience problem? Let me suggest three thoughts that seem to me to be common.

Other possibilities:

1. “There simply is nothing else but your body. There is no soul and there is no God.”

Yet if this is the case, where did the world come from? How could it be that there is no cause of all that your eyes see? Concerning the existence of the soul after bodily death, if there is no spiritual life, what did Peter see on the mount of transfiguration? (Read Matthew 17:1-8 and 2 Peter 1:16-18)

2. “God is going to accept everyone based on the goodness of Jesus.”

But what is your basis for this? What you are suggesting is not the message of Jesus or of the Bible more generally. Could it be that you are just engaging in wishful thinking that would excuse your guilty conscience without having to face any serious changes in your life?

3. “I don’t know. I don’t care. It probably doesn’t make a difference.”

This is the amusing-ourselves-to-death solution. Some people deal with their checkbook this way. Some deal with home repairs this way. Some deal with their kids this way. Some deal with their careers this way. Please do not treat your guilty conscience this way. It sounds kind of funny and easy-going until some day someone sins deeps against you, and treats it as nothing. Then you know full well that the “I don’t know. I don’t care. It probably doesn’t make a difference.” approach is just irresponsible and wrong.

There is something to Lady Macbeth’s bloody hands. There is something to Herod’s fear. There is something to Herodias’ guilt. There is something to her daughter’s complicity in murder. There is guilt, and it does not just go away by evaporation over time, or by pretending that it does not exist. Guilt requires an answer. It is a problem that demands a solution. There is a real answer. The answer is Christ. Do you want the real answer?

Questions for meditation and discussion:

1. What have we seen so far in Matthew’s gospel that led to the “fame” of Jesus?

2. Evaluate Herod’s involvement in the death of John the Baptist.

3. Consider and discuss the actions of John’s disciples in response to his murder based on verse 12.

4. What is the conscience, and how do people try to deal with a guilty conscience, outside of trust in Christ?

Be the master of your training, and the grateful recipient of God's gift.

“Treasure New and Old”

(Matthew 13:51-58, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 14, 2007)

Matthew 13:51-58 ⁵¹ "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." ⁵² And he 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." ⁵³ And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, ⁵⁴ and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." ⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Introduction – Old and new… going home again

Many people find it hard to come back to their hometown after they have been away for some time. In some cases you may not be sure how you fit in. You are not the same, and maybe the people that you have returned to seem different too. In some cases, the people you return to may not be ready to receive the new you. How you are received when you come back home probably has a lot to do with what you are bringing home with you. In the case of Jesus, he came home with the Kingdom of heaven, and many people were unwilling to receive the gift.

A scribe in the kingdom (51-52)

Jesus and his followers were witnessing the end of an era. The Old Testament world would never be the same. Many were unable to receive the message of Jesus because they were unwilling to consider that God would not be dealing with His people based on circumcisions, based on Passovers, and based on clean foods. But there were some experts in the Old Testament (the scribes), who would eventually become captivated by the teaching of the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus says in verse 52 that “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.”

Though there are many new and wonderful things about the New Testament era, Jesus is not throwing away everything from the Old Testament when He comes home proclaiming the Kingdom of heaven. Someone who was an expert in the Old Testament word of God and who had come to understand the wonder of New Testament life, did not have to throw away all his knowledge of the law and the prophets. If you went away to Jesus University and you heard about the Kingdom of Heaven, and then you came back to Old Testament High School you might wonder, “What can I do with all the things that I learned as a child from the Law and the Prophets? Is any of that still useful as a follower of Jesus?” I think there are two things that Jesus wanted any scribe who would follow Him to see.

First, make sure that you understand the Kingdom of heaven well. Understand grace. It has always been the case that salvation was a gift from God given to people that deserved God’s anger for their sin. But many people had used the Old Testament system as a ticket of merit that they thought made them acceptable to God. To be useful scribes they needed to forget any idea that they had been saved by their own works. They were saved by the grace of God. They also needed to understand substitution. The way that God would bring about our safe participation in His family would be through a substitute – Jesus Christ. Our sinful record was put on Him on the cross and His sinless holiness was put on us. Through this substitution we are given God’s grace. They also needed to understand resurrection. The hope of the kingdom of heaven goes far beyond the grave. The King would have victory over the grave for us, and we would be granted this victory in the resurrection of the people of God to everlasting life.

These are not entirely new concepts, but they came with a new clarity in the New Testament era. The scribe that found these truths compelling… what should he do with all his old notebooks? Was it all wasted learning now that a new era had dawned in the coming of the Messiah? This brings us to a second thing to remember. As with many things in life, especially in our spiritual lives, we should be cautious about throwing out good things just because they are from our past. Don’t through out everything old. Many people feel that it is necessary in life to make such a break with their past that they diminish the value of good things from their youth as part of a childish past that means nothing. Particularly during life transitions this wrong thinking can be a great temptation. It needs to be resisted. Especially for the Old Testament scribes, they needed to use their knowledge of the Scriptures as a treasure, now rightly understood in light of the fulfillment of God’s plans for the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of you have received an excellent instruction in the Scriptures from your youth. How are you using this gift today? Don’t give up on the good gift that you were blessed with as a child. You were given the gift then because you could learn some things so well at that young age. But you were given it then so that you could be master over it today, so that you could use them as an adult, not so you could mistakenly throw them off as if they were childish. Now is the time to be the Christian adult you were trained to be. Do you have some knowledge of the Bible and of the faith? Be like the scribe who is able to use it all for blessing in the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus had a tremendous knowledge of the Old Testament. Jesus says in John 8:38, “I speak of what I have seen with my Father.” He surprised people even at a young age with His understanding of the Word. He used that knowledge of the Old Testament after His resurrection to tell two of His disciples about how all the Scriptures testified of Him. There are so many things of ethical, historical, and literary value to us in the Old Testament. But the whole Bible is especially important because it all tells us about Jesus Christ.

Home again to Nazareth (53-57)

This sounds great – and it is. But just try to take this kind of thing home to the old synagogue. Not everyone is going to love it. In verses 53 through 57 Jesus comes home to Nazareth – not always an easy thing to do, particularly if you left town as no one who seemed particularly special, as someone with humble beginnings.

The 40^th President of the United States had very humble beginnings. Born in an apartment above the local bank building in Tampico, Illinois, his parents moved to Dixon when he was nine years old. The town of Dixon, Illinois is known today as the hometown of Ronald Wilson Reagan. He attended Dixon High School and went on to Eureka College, a small liberal arts school in Illinois related to the Disciples of Christ denomination that his mother Nelle belonged to.

When Reagan came home to Dixon, they loved him, and Eureka College lists him as their most distinguished alumnus. Going home again does not always mean facing rejection. But Reagan did not come back to Dixon as the Savior of the world, and he was not working miracles. He did upset many apple-carts in America with his speeches and his philosophy. But when Jesus came back to his hometown, he came with a different way of looking at the holy book of the Jews. There was also the shock of His display of divine authority. People must have thought, “We know this man. We know His family. How is he doing miracles?” They took offence at Him. What if He had changed His message in order to win the approval of the people of Nazareth? Of course this was not really an option for the One who came to die for our sins. Settle your own heart on the truth as well. Not everyone is going to love you for it. Let it be. Keep on going.

Jesus explains the situation this way: “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” This was certainly the case for the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. The men of his hometown of Anathoth came to him and said, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you will die by our hand.” We need to give them some credit for being direct. Now the Son of God has come as the greatest of all prophets to the place where He grew up, and not only is his family skeptical, but the whole town is unwilling to consider Him to be a leading citizen of Nazareth. They are not pleased with the report of His miracles. They are offended by Him.

The mystery and strange power of unbelief (58)

What would we have done if we had the power to do miracles and people were criticizing us for the reports they heard about great things we were doing in other places? “I’ll show you some miracles.” That might have been my response. We are always proving ourselves first, and serving God second. That was not the way with Jesus. He did not come because He had to prove Himself. He did not have to do miracles that day just to show himself or the people in Nazareth who was the real Savior. This is the kind of proof that we would demand from Him so that we could know for sure who He was with our own eyes, but even then we would not be satisfied. Instead God gives the gift of faith. And He chose to connect the visible signs with the miracle of invisible faith. In this case it meant that He withheld miraculous displays of the Kingdom of heaven because of the unbelief of the people of Nazareth.

Treasures of Word and Spirit

What a blessing it is when God gives faith! He gives us treasures of the Word from the New and Old Testament and by a gift of Himself from heaven, the Holy Spirit makes this so wonderfully real. We believe. We know. We are healed. You don’t have to prove anything one way or another to the people at home. Simply and quietly receive the gift of faith from God today, and combine it with training you may have received in the past and can have today, and live again for the glory of God, as one who knows that Jesus Christ is the answer yesterday, today, and forever.

Questions for meditation and discussion:

1. What was a scribe? How could a believing scribe use things old and things new in a good way?

2. Why do you think the people in Nazareth responded to Jesus as they did?

3. What is a prophet, and why is he so often shown disrespect from those he grew up with?

4. We often think about the power of faith, but how does this passage show the power of unbelief?

Trust Jesus on the Kingdom of Heaven

“The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like…”

(Matthew 13:44-50, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 7, 2007)

Matthew 13:44-50 ⁴⁴ "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. ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. ⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Introduction – Explaining the stories of a distant land…

In 1719 Daniel Defoe wrote what some people refer to as the first novel in English. It was the story of a man named Robinson Crusoe who spent 28 years on a remote island before being rescued. Of course, there was no real Robinson Crusoe. It was just a story, but the inspiration for the story seems to have come from the true account of a real castaway named Alexander Selkirk who was abandoned on an island off the coast of Chile for four years and was rescued in 1709.

It is said that when Selkirk was rescued that he was completely incoherent with joy. How could he explain to people far away in Scotland and England the adventures that he had been through over those last four years? Explaining the stories of a distant land to people who know nothing of the place that you describe is always a difficult task. I recently read the account of a church member attempting to describe life in Ethiopia to her congregation back in the United States. More than once she used the words, “You cannot possibly understand…” Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Jesus spoke in parables when He described the Kingdom of heaven. How can you and I understand the truth about Immanuel’s land when we have never been there? It would be much easier for us to understand the life of an 18^th century Scottish sailor lost on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, than to have much of an understanding about the life that someone lives in heaven.

Jesus was aware of this difficulty. When He spoke to Nicodemus, a religious leader of the Jews about the need for spiritual rebirth in order to see the kingdom of God, he said this: “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12) In a similar way, it was exceedingly difficult for people that grew up under the Old Testament system of approaching God through animal sacrifice and the laws of clean and unclean, to think that that a new way of life had been given through the Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven is not make-believe. It begins now in the life of the church… but it gets much, much better.

Like treasure hidden in a field (44)

The kingdom that the Lord speaks of in Matthew 13 is of the greatest value. He gives two brief illustrations of this in our passage this morning and then presses the importance upon us of our inclusion in this kingdom by speaking of eternal judgment. First Jesus speaks of a man who found treasure in a field. Apparently he was aware of the great worth of this treasure because he it for safe-keeping, and with a joy that might have seemed incomprehensible to someone who did not know the wonder of this treasure, the man sold everything that he had in order to gladly buy the field where he had hidden the treasure.

Like a merchant in search of fine pearls (45-46)

Have you ever stumbled upon something so great that you would gladly give up everything else just to have that one thing? Yet not everything that looks like a diamond is real. What if the man in the first parable just has not traveled very much and is unaware that all that glitters is not gold?

Enter the merchant of verses 45-46. Here we have someone in our second story who is an expert on the matter of treasure. As a merchant he has seen a lot of pearls, but this one is far beyond anything else. That is his expert judgment, and he knows pearls. When he finds the one pearl of great value, he sells everything and buys that pearl.

Both of these stories point to the great worth of the kingdom. It is truly worth everything that you have. The additional insight that comes to mind from the story of the merchant is that there is one person who is able to tell us of the great worth of the Kingdom, and He is the one who is telling us the story. He knows heaven like the best merchant of jewels knows pearls.

What is most unique about the Lord is that He is an expert concerning both heaven and earth. He came from heaven and knows heaven as God knows heaven, and then he became man and lived on earth. He knows earth not only as the one through whom all things were made, but also as the one who dwelt among us in order to save us. Here we have someone speaking to us of a distant country, but also one who has come so near to us in order to teach us of the worth of His homeland as only He could do.

Like a net that gathered fish of every kind… Sorted at the close of the age (47-49)

It is of the greatest importance that His homeland be your homeland. It is of the greatest importance that you buy that field, that you get that pearl, that you not walk away from the moment of a lifetime having passed by the one thing that matters most. Truly Jesus is not only the merchant who knows the pearls of heaven; He is also the pearl of great price Himself. To lose Him and gain the world is to lose heaven and therefore to lose everything.

Why is the kingdom of heaven worth everything that you have? He tells us in the remaining story. There is a net, and that net has in it fish of every kind. One day men will sort out the good fish from the bad fish. And one day the angels of God will come and separate the evil from the righteous. The evil will be in something called a fiery furnace. They will not be happy there. They will not be in a better place. They will not be at peace or rest... In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus speaks with complete authority here of both heaven and hell.

How can anyone know what the kingdom of heaven will be like?

You can’t just go around and say things like that. It would be wrong for Jesus to warn people like this about hell unless He really knew what He was saying. But of all the people who ever walked the face of this earth, He alone was uniquely qualified to speak to us about these matters. As the pre-existent Son of God, before Jesus became men, He was eternally God.

So what does He have to say about heaven and hell? He says that to be outside of heaven for eternity is unspeakable torment. Whatever speculation we might engage in about the nature of hell, we can be sure of this; it is not heaven. It is a place of horrible mourning and loss and death.

My desire for you this morning is that you would be motivated not only by the avoidance of hell. I pray that you will hear the message that comes from a man who knows a better distant land. Jesus comes to us as the leading resident of heaven. He says it is a great treasure. In addition to being the most knowledgeable person on the details of heaven, He is also the judge of heavenly citizenship. If you want to be in heaven, you need to know that your participation in heaven is a matter of His judgment. He calls you to be a part of His church on earth now. That church is an expression of heaven in the midst of a world of pain. You need to have an eye for the treasure of heaven, and your view into that far country comes nearer to you in His Word today.

The one who gave to us the words of the kingdom is not only an expert on heavenly matters, and the leading citizen of heaven, and even the judge of heavenly citizenship, He is especially the savior of the children of the kingdom. This is another important way to rightly view the worth of heaven. Look at the cost of winning your citizenship there. The eternal Son of God became man to do this for you through the giving of His perfect life. That’s what it took to win heaven for you. Sometimes you can get a sense of the value of a gift from the cost of getting it. This was the most costly gift. I don’t suppose we can understand heaven much, but you can appreciate the cost to some degree and be assured that what God has for His children is very wonderful.

It is interesting that New Testament church life is said to be a participation in heavenly worship, and also that there seems to be interest in heaven concerning our worship here today (Eph 3:10, Heb 12:23, 1 Pet 1:12). That is amazing, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Heaven is not just church here forever. We lisp along here in this world of pain. We are poor preachers, distracted listeners, grudging givers, and off-key singers. Yet we actually have the deposit of the Holy Spirit, and we do give our lives away, at least to some extent, even in this world of sin. And even now we can experience inexpressible joy because of the certainty of the promises of God.

Church on earth is to be esteemed as great because heaven and heaven’s Lord is the greatest treasure, and He has determined to use the weakness of the church to bring the message of heaven to millions. Do not look around at the weakness of the church to determine the worth of heaven. Listen to the word of our King, and catch a glimpse of the land He came from and knew better than you know your home town, and then value what we have in the church now. Do not allow our weakness or sin to cause you to walk away from the most wonderful treasure that your eyes could ever behold. Do not throw away the pearl of great price.

Questions for meditation and discussion:

1. What is the kingdom of heaven?

2. What details within these three parables seem to be extraneous?

3. What is the point of the first two parables? How does the second one add more meaning to what the Lord is saying?

4. How does the parable of the net compare to the earlier parable of the wheat and the weeds?