CORNERSTONE BIBLE CHURCH

November 17, 2013

THE PARABLES OF GREAT TREASURES

Matthew 13:31–35, 44–46
Introduction: Valuable Possessions
• In 2009, a lady by the name of Jinx Taylor took a collection of antiques
her father had given her that he had obtained while stationed in China in
the 1930s and 1940s to the PBS show Antique Roadshow. She was
hoping to find out the value of these bowls from China that looked very
old. It turns out that her bowl and statues were dated to the early 18th
Century leader in China. What she thought was some weird looking
artifacts turned out to be valued at just around one million dollars. Do you
know what happened next? After finding out the value of this collection,
she decided to sell it. In October 2009, she sold the collection for
$494,615 and Taylor responded to the sale by saying she was
disappointed by the price she received at the sale.1
• Think about that. It was not worth anything and then someone said it was
worth close to a million and she is disappointed when it brings just about
500k. This teaches us a lesson on value.
• Think about it, what is valuable to you? What is your most valuable
possession? Isn’t it true that most things in our life are valuable to us
because we have assigned some sort of value to them? I’m sure have
heard the statement, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Why’s
that true? It is because we are always assigning value to them. There are
few intrinsically valuable things in life. They are valuable only because
we say they are valuable.
• What is the most valuable book you own? What is your most valued toy?
What is your most valued tool? It could simply be rated on what cost the
most money, but it is probably more than that. The things we tend to
treasure are because we have assigned value to them.

Now, what if I could tell you that there is something more valuable than
anything you can imagine? What if I could tell you there is something that is
not valuable because you assign value to it, but because it is intrinsically
valuable? What would you do with that item? This is what we find this
morning as we continue in Matthew 13 as we look at the parables of Jesus.

We have seen three different parables so far. The parable of the soils taught us
about the condition of our hearts in response to the word of God being planted
in our life. The parables of the weeds & net were both given to show us that
there will be a separation that will happen at the end of the age—God will
separate the righteous from the wicked. This will be a horrific event for the
wicked, leading to their eternal punishment.

1
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/01/the-antiques-roadshows-five-most-valuable-finds/.
1
Today, we are going to look at four parables. Yes, four. Don’t worry, they are
all short and they share a common theme—they all talk about the great
treasure of the Kingdom of God. We are going to see the intrinsic value of
being in a relationship with God through Jesus. Let me just say up front that
many people do not believe the kingdom of God is valuable. They think it is
dumb. They have been blinded to the value of this great relationship and
therefore, they think there are hundreds of other things in this life that are
more valuable than Jesus. It is my hope this morning that God would open
your eyes to see the greatness of King Jesus and what it means to be in a
relationship with Him.

As we make our way through these four parables this morning, I hope we will
be astonished at how valuable the Kingdom of God is and be moved to
acknowledge its value in our life this morning. We will not assign value to it,
but we certainly can recognize it this morning. To help frame our discussion
today, let me give you THREE DESCRIPTIONS CONCERNING THE GREAT
TREASURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

DESCRIPTION #1: ASTONISHING GROWTH (VS. 31–32)

Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man
plants into his field. Immediately, we must deal with a problem that many
people cannot get over. Jesus says that the mustard seed is the smallest of
seeds. However, modern day botany confirms that it is not the smallest seed in
all the earth.

For instance, we know the orchid seed found in the tropical rain forest is so
small that it is almost like dust, weighing in at 35 millionth of an ounce.
That’s small. While the mustard seed is very small, it is not the smallest of
seeds in the world. So what are we to do with this? Is the Bible wrong?

No, notice first that Jesus in the parable is talking about the smallest that man
takes to sow in the ground. He is referring to the seeds that are sown in the
gardens of the common Palestinian region. As far as the Jews were concerned,
this would have been the smallest seed that they planted in their soils; in their
person gardens. To the Jews, it was the smallest by far of anything they
planted in their gardens.

But there is probably even more than that. In their Jewish culture, the mustard
seed was known as a “proverb for being small.” It was a common expression
in their day to talk about the mustard seed being the smallest thing they knew
of in their day. And so, don’t initially dismiss what Jesus is saying. He is not
investigating all seeds in the entire world before making this statement; He is
using it in a proverbial way to make a point about something really small that
seems insignificant, but astonishes people by how large it grows.

2
In fact, that is what Jesus says; this small seed grows into a really large bush
that could even be referred to as a tree. In its full maturity, the mustard seed
can grow between 8’ to 12’ tall. And being that large, it is strong enough for
birds of the air to come and make nests in its branches.

What’s the point of this parable? Even though it is small, do not overlook the
results that come from it. The point is to contrast the beginning and the end.
Maybe the disciples or even the people viewed Jesus’ ministry as relatively
nothing. It was incredibly small. But that does not mean it would not be
something great someday. The parable of the mustard seed is meant to give us
confidence in the apparent smallness of the gospel and ministry of Jesus. The
kingdom may seem inconsequential at first, but the tiny seed will lead to a
mature plant. As one commentator put it . . .

“For three hundred years the Roman Empire threatened the church at every
turn. Far too often the threats led to deprivation and violence. The church had
no funds, no media outlets, no training centers, and many foes, yet it spread
without ceasing. After three hundred years, historians estimate that five to
eight million Christians ranged through every corner of the empire. Today,
the Christian faith is more widespread than any religion, any faith, any
ideology. In virtually every nation on earth, Christ is worshiped each day,
each week. So the kingdom that had an insignificant beginning is coming to a
great climax. Its final size will amaze us.”2

With the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see astonishing growth. Christian, let me
ask you a question: Do you believe in the gospel? Do you believe that it has
the power to be something significant? Do you believe this little gospel
message can change people’s lives? Let me share two examples of people you
have probably never heard of and how they viewed this little gospel message.

Illustration: The Conversion of Charles Spurgeon

• On January 6, 1850, a 15-year old young man was walking to an
appointment in Colchester, England, when he realized he was not going to
make it because of a severe snowstorm. He saw the Primitive Methodist
Chapel on the corner and decided to go inside. As he entered, there were
about 12 people gathered for church that morning. Here are the words of
the young man as to what happened that morning . . .
• "The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose.
At last, a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of
that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. He was obliged to stick to his
text, for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was,
‘Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.’ When he had
managed to spin out ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether.
Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few
present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he

2
Doriani, Daniel M. Matthew, Volume I: Chapters 1—13. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2008), 583.
3
 knew all my heart, he said, ‘Young man, you look very miserable.’ Well, I
did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit
on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck
right home. He continued, ‘and you always will be miserable—miserable
in life, and miserable in death—if you don't obey my text; but if you obey
now, this moment, you will be saved.’ Then, lifting up his hands, he
shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, ‘Young man, look to
Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but to look and
live.’ I saw at once the way of salvation. I had been waiting to do fifty
things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" What a charming word it
seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes
away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away,
and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and
sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ,
and the simple faith which looks alone to Him.”3
• It was this day that one of my favorite preachers, Charles Haddon
Spurgeon was saved. Some unknown man was brave enough to use this
insignificant message of Jesus, which God used in its smallness to grow
larger than anyone could have imagined.

Illustration: The Conversion of D. L. Moody

• Five years after this event, across in the great pond, there was a young
man who had just moved to Boston to work as a boot salesman in his
uncle’s store. When he had moved there to work with his uncle, the uncle
had only given him one requirement: He had to attend church. And so he
did. Upon attending church, this young man met Edward Kimball, who
taught the young man’s Sunday school class. Kimball described this
young man in these terms: "I can truly say that I have seen few persons
whose minds were spiritually darker than was his when he came into my
Sunday School class.”
• But Edward Kimball was bent on sharing the gospel with this young man.
After praying about the matter, he arranged to visit him at the boot store.
Listen to what happened. Kimball says . . .
• "I was determined to speak to him about Christ and about his soul, and
started down to Holton's boot store. When I was nearly there I began to
wonder whether I ought to go in just then during business hours. I thought
my call might embarrass the boy, and that when I went away the other
clerks would ask who I was, and taunt him with my efforts in trying to
make him a good boy. In the meantime I had passed the store, and,
discovering this, I determined to make a dash for it, and have it over at
once. I found him in the back part of the building wrapping up shoes. I
went up to him at once, and putting my hand on his shoulder, I made what
I felt afterwards was a very weak plea for Christ. I don't know just what
words I used; I simply told him of Christ's love for him, and the love
Christ wanted in return. That was all there was. It seemed the young man

3
http://www.spurgeon.org/heathbio.htm.
4
 was just ready for the light that then broke upon him, and there in the
back of that store in Boston, Dwight Lyman Moody gave himself and his
life to Christ."4
• I’m can’t imagine that Edward Kimball could have imagined the
astonishing growth that would take place through his boldness to simply
share the gospel with D. L. Moody. God used this little gospel to
transform thousands upon thousands of lives because one unnamed man
was committed to its power.

Philosophy of Ministry – There are many things you can do to attract a crowd.
There are many things you can do to put on a show. There are many things
you can do to entertain people. But there is one thing that seems very
insignificant that will grow astonishingly large. To preach the Word of God
and trust God to do the work He promises He will do seems relatively
insignificant. The kingdom grows one person at a time. It grows little by little
as we trust His precious seed of truth. This is the great treasure of the
Kingdom of God.

DESCRIPTION #2: SURPRISING TRANSFORMATION (VS. 33)

Jesus gives another parable, this time talking about the infiltrating affects of
leaven among a batch of flour. He imagines a situation where a woman was
baking and took some leaven and mixed it with a new batch of bread. The
terminology that is used is probably leaven, not yeast, although it would have
had the similar affect. Leaven is some of the dough from a previous batch that
was kept and added to the next batch.

The interesting part of this story is that we are told she hid that leaven in
about three measures of flour. This may mean nothing to us, but converting it
to our day, that would have been about 50 pounds of flour, or as some people
have equated, enough bread for well over a hundred people. A little leaven
infiltrated this entire batch. Once it went in, it had a transformative affect on
all the flour.

The point is similar to the parable of the mustard seed. The little bit of leaven
on its own probably didn’t look that significant. In fact, it probably looked
relatively small. But just because its beginning was insignificant didn’t mean
it didn’t have a great impact. As surely as a tiny piece of leaven had its affect
on the large mass of dough, so surely the kingdom of God will have its affect
on the world. It might start relatively small, but it will change people and
impact cultures.

The gospel transforms. When it takes root in the hearts of people, it

transforms them into something they were not. The Kingdom affects the
values and actions of people. This proves the point we have tried to make

4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_L._Moody.
5
many times in the past, our greatest weapon in a degrading moral culture is
not to picket or petition our politics (although there is nothing wrong with
those methods). Our greatest weapon is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom.
Our goal is not to moralize unconverted people, but to see immoral people
converted. The problem with our culture and the downward spiral of our
morality can never be solved through making laws or rules, but only through
people believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It alone will infiltrate their life.
Let me share two Biblical examples . . .

 1 Corinthians 6:9–11  “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will

not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually
immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice
homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of
you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

 Titus 3:1–5  “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities,

to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one,
to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all
people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray,
slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and
envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness
and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own
mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit…”

We have been given this great treasure we are told will infiltrate and change
people. The gospel of the Kingdom will bring surprising transformation, so
let’s use it everyday.

DESCRIPTION #3: SHOCKING VALUE

In vs. 44–46, we are told two parables that show the incredible value found in
the gospel, in being part of the Kingdom of God. The first one tells us a story
of a man who is walking through a field and comes across a treasure that is
hidden there. He finds it and is shocked at the value of this treasure. In
response, he goes and sells all he has so he can buy that field and own the
treasure for his own.

A few things that will help this parable come to life. In these days, they had
no safety deposit boxes or banks they could put something of value for them.
So, when they had something extremely valuable, they would most likely
bury it in a field (think under the mattress idea). This would especially happen
if they were about to go on a long journey, they would bury it so nobody
would come into their home and rob them of their great treasure.

6
It was not uncommon for someone to hide something in a field and then die,
leaving the great treasure hidden in the field until someone happened upon it.
It is very possible that nobody knew the great treasure was buried in that field.

Elder retreat – we were walking the property on Friday afternoon and came to
the back of the property and a shovel was buried up to the handle. I thought
God might have given us this great treasure. We laughed about it, but we
didn’t dig anything up. If you want to check it out, I’ll let you know where it
is located.

There are many commentators that speak of Rabbinical law about something
found in a field belonging to the owner of the field. Other people claim that
the Jews lived by a “Finder’s Keeper’s” sort of mentality. The reality is that
this man made certain that the owner of the field had no claim to the prize.
For when he found it, he hid it again and sold all that he had to purchase the
field. That way he was the owner of the field and he was able to legally
possess this great possession.

The next parable is similar, but contains a few differences. Instead of

someone happening upon some great treasure, we have a man who is looking
for treasure. We have an expert merchant in search for fine pearls. And after
much looking, he happens to find one pearl of great value. In fact, it was so
valuable that he goes and sells all he has in order to purchase this one great
pearl of great price. He found one that is worth giving up all that he has in
order to gain it. For this man, there is no cost too great when it comes to
gaining this great treasure.

I’m sure you understand the implications of these parables. It seems easy to
understand what Jesus is saying; harder to imagine the implications upon our
lives. The kingdom of heaven is like this man who happens upon a great
treasure and willingly sells all he has in order to gain it. Being part of the
kingdom is like a man who seeks and finds a treasure of such extreme value
that he willingly gives up all that he has in order to attain it. The Kingdom is
of extreme value that nothing compares to it. Jesus is not saying you can
purchase your way into the kingdom. But what He is saying is that the
kingdom of Heaven, the gospel of the Kingdom, a relationship with God
through Jesus is worth more than anything else we can imagine.

Now, at this point, let me ask you a very real question. As you read this story,
do you feel sorry for this traveller or this merchant? Does anyone ever read
this and feel bad that these men had to give up all they had in order to attain
these great treasures? Of course not! Nobody would think that. Why? Because
the value of their physical possessions didn’t compare to the value of the
treasure. The men made short-term sacrifices in order to gain a reward that far
outweighed any sacrifices. Yes, they had to give up all they owned, but they
gained something of far greater value. I’m sure if they were to be interviewed
and asked about their sacrifice, their response would have been, “What
7
sacrifice? What are you talking about? There was no sacrifice at all, I gave
up lesser treasures for a much greater one.”

One word that seems to jump out of the Bible to me is found in vs. 44, “With
JOY he goes and sells all he has.” Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t say, “With
hesitation, the man goes and sells all he had”? Are you glad that it is
begrudgingly he sells it all? I doubt any kid with his sucker in his hand that he
treasures wouldn’t very quickly trade it for one of those monster suckers that
are as big as their face. Why? Because with joy they quickly realize how
much greater the bigger one is.

The joy these men have for the great treasures move them to sell everything.
And of course, the spiritual analogy is that there is nothing greater, nothing
more valuable, nothing worth comparing to the great treasure of the Kingdom
of God. We could say it like this, “Selling everything is a bargain to get what
you get in the gospel of Jesus Christ!” Randy Alcorn makes this point in his
book, The Treasure Principle, which every one of you should read (not many
books I say that about) . . .

“The man wasn’t exchanging lesser treasures for greater treasures out of
dutiful drudgery but out of joyful exhilaration. He would have been a fool not
to do exactly what he did. Christ’s story about treasure in the field is an
object lesson concerning heavenly treasure. Of course, no matter how great
the value of that earthly fortune, it would be worthless in eternity. In fact, it’s
exactly this kind of treasure that people waste their lives pursuing. Jesus is
appealing to what we do value—temporary, earthly treasure—in order to
make an analogy about what we should value—eternal, heavenly treasure.”5

The sacrifice of selling everything is no sacrifice at all once your eyes have
been opened to understand the wealth of treasure that can be found in Jesus.
This is why the Apostle Paul was quick to say that he counted all things as
loss to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord (Philippians 3:8).
Do you want to know why many people struggle with Christianity and giving
up their life to follow Jesus? It is because they have not viewed Jesus as a
treasure chest of joy.

Conclusion: Jim Elliot

• Many of you have heard of Elizabeth Elliot, the wife of the former
missionary, Jim Elliot. He was one of five missionaries killed by the Auca
people in Ecuador in 1956 as they were trying to establish relationships
with them to share the gospel with them.
• In a journal entry in October 1949, he expressed his belief in the great
treasure of the Kingdom of God. He is famous for saying, “He is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” It is
possible to read that statement and think that he was just one of those

5
Alcorn, Randy. The Treasure Principle. (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2001), 12.
8
 super spiritual giants who didn’t care about what he gained in life. That
couldn’t be further from the truth. Gain is exactly what he was concerned
about. It just was a gain he couldn’t lose. He wasn’t worried about the
gain that can be taken from him; he concerned himself with the gain that
couldn’t be taken away! He was concerned about real treasures! He knew
the Kingdom had shocking value!

The sobering reality is that not everyone sees the greatness of this treasure.
Not everyone sees Jesus for what He is, for what He offers. But to those
whose eyes have been opened, I invite you to come and feast on His
greatness:

 Isaiah 55:1–3  “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and
he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that
which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen
diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will
make with you an everlasting covenant.”