Thoughts for the Day

Three Parables

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; 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; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out 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 furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

So we often say that Jesus used parables as a way of explaining serious spiritual messages, and we can see that some parables are easier to understand and some are easier to remember. However the smaller ones can sometimes be a little more difficult. So what are the three parables that we're looking at today about? Well for a start the first two, the parable of the treasure hidden in a field, and the parable of the pearl of great worth appeal to our human acquisitive nature and the desire to become wealthy. They ask the question what is important to you and what would you sell or give up to gain it.

These parables take me back to a time when I stood on a grassy hillside shaped somewhat like a bowl that ran down to the shores of the lake of Galilee. It was a large area and certainly hundreds of people could have gathered there to listen to Jesus' words. I could almost hear them nodding in agreement as Jesus told these first two parables, that is until we remember that Jesus likened the treasure and the pearl to 'the Kingdom of Heaven'. For the question is how important is the Kingdom of Heaven to those first people who heard the parable, as well as to us today? What value do we place on it in our day to day life, how hard do we seek to find it, and what would we give up for it?

The parable of the net is slightly different, it reminds us that there will be a time of judgement and of separation between the righteous and the wicked. In our day-to-day lives we tend to forget the fact that we should put spiritual treasures as more important than worldly goods. Can we ask ourselves today "What is most important to me? Do I put worldly success and material possessions high on the scale of important considerations? Where do I place God and his Kingdom of righteousness?" It should remind us that the things of this world are fleeting and don't last, but the treasures of the Kingdom are eternal.

Heavenly Father,
teach us to reflect on our life,
to assess the time, money and energy,
that we place on the different parts of our life.
May we notice what is fleeting and ephemeral,
and will not last.
Then may we turn to You again,
and re-evaluate the importance of Your wishes
for our life and our future.
Amen.