Psychologists agree that people spend their lives searching for and trying to fulfill their needs. The need for safety – including food and shelter. The need for love and belonging. The need for recognition and self-esteem. But the greatest of these needs, the ultimate treasure of needs, is to understand their purpose and find meaning in their life. What would you be willing to pay for the prize of understanding your purpose and knowing the meaning of your life?
In Matthew, Jesus tells two parables about finding the ultimate prize. Let’s look at what Jesus says about what people are willing to pay when they find what they’ve been searching for their whole life Matthew 13:44-46.
Matthew is the only Gospel that records these two parables. As I’ve said in other episodes, the Gospel of Mark was written before Matthew, and Luke was written after Matthew. Mark’s Gospel was probably written for believers living in Rome, and Luke’s Gospel was written for Gentile believers with a Greek background. Matthew’s audience was primarily Jews who believed in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. So, as these parables are unique to Matthew, we have to interpret their meaning from the perspective of a Jew believing that Jesus is the Messiah.
What was the Jewish expectation of the “Kingdom of Heaven?” They had a lot of expectations for the coming kingdom of heaven, but we can condense their hopes into two themes;
The Messianic Hope: The fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, which included the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom with the Messiah as king and the liberator from every enemy. They expected a warrior king who would defeat all the enemies of Israel and establish Jerusalem as the capital of the world.
The Hope of Transformation: They expected an end of the old world and a new world that is completely transformed. This transformed world would include the resurrection of the dead, the judgment, and the triumph of God over evil.
The kingdom of heaven to the Jews was something that was hidden. It couldn’t be seen until the time when God would reveal it to His chosen people. To the Jews, the kingdom of heaven was something that would happen all at once in the future. But in these two parables, Jesus presents stories about two people who are searching for their treasure. Jesus shows them that when they discover their treasures, they’re willing to sell everything they own to possess them.
Remember, to the Jews, the kingdom of heaven was the future revelation of the Messiah and the future transformation of their existence. But, with these parables, Matthew is telling them the kingdom of heaven is here right now. When you discover that Jesus is the Messiah and the King of God’s kingdom and that the power of the Holy Spirit can transform your life, then you possess the kingdom of heaven right then.
Matthew’s call to his Jewish audience is that Jesus is the hidden treasure and the priceless pearl in the parables. Jesus is the fulfillment of their prophecies and their hopes, and He satisfies their need for purpose and meaning in their lives. Everything they thought was their purpose as the chosen people of God and their meaning as a light to the world can be fulfilled in them by believing in Jesus Christ.
But to realize the fulfillment of their purpose and find meaning in their life, they’ll have to give up everything they possess as a Jew. They will have to leave their Jewish identity and heritage behind because the Jews don’t accept or believe that Jesus is the promised fulfillment of the national purpose and meaning for all their suffering.
Can they give up everything that made up their old life to possess the fulfilled promises of God in Jesus Christ right now?
This is also the call from these parables to us today. What have you been searching for your whole life? Do you want to know God’s purpose for you? Do you want to discover the meaning in your life for every event and circumstance you’ve lived through to get to where you are today? Do you want to know the outcome of your spiritual journey? The outcome of all your hardships, and trials, and disappointments, and pains, and joys, and triumphs, and blessings. Then, are you willing to give up everything the world has told you is important and find your fulfillment, purpose, and meaning in Jesus Christ?
You know the promises of this world don’t work; otherwise, you wouldn’t keep searching for your purpose and meaning. You know in your heart every time you accomplish a worldly achievement, you’re left unfulfilled and empty of meaning. The comedian Jim Carrey has spoken out about the emptiness of achieving career goals. He said, “I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer.”
If fulfilling our worldly desires isn’t the prize we spend our lives searching for, what is? The great treasure, the priceless pearl, is finding and believing in Jesus Christ. God is faithful and will fulfill every promise through Jesus Christ in you. When you let go of what this world treasures and give your all to what God treasures, you will find your ultimate prize. You’ll discover your purpose in this life and the meaning in all you do, all you say, and all you believe.
I hope these two parables from Matthew inspire you to seek the ultimate prize in your life. Are you willing to give up the value system of this world and fully embrace what God values more? Jesus Christ is the ultimate prize, but the cost to find your fulfillment and meaning in Christ is everything this world values. Until our next episode, May the Lord keep your heart and mind stayed upon the promise of eternal life, which was purchased for us by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God Bless you and keep you in His Grace and love always!
