2^nd August 2011

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 24 July 2011

Lessons -- Psalm 78:1-3; Matthew 13:31-34, 44-52

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 13:45,46 NRSV). And Jesus asked his
disciples, 'Have you understood all this?' (13:51).

Understanding Jesus' parables takes considerable effort! Although the scenes depicted are familiar, their meaning is not immediately clear.
God's loving reign on earth (Kingdom of Heaven) is not clear-cut. Here and there a few get the point (13:51). Many are puzzled. Others are offended (13:54ff). Understanding requires a determined effort of mind-and-heart that is all too rare.

The parables invite us to look beyond the obvious to see the unique beauty and splendour of God in what Jesus says and does. The Good News about God's sovereign love for the world cannot be understood superficially!
Indeed, God's rule as 'Lord of the earth' and 'King of the nations' is by no means obvious to all. It is hidden in the everyday world, where, if it were not for the presence of Jesus, no-one would be aware of what is already taking place.

When what is hidden is uncovered before our eyes, we cannot help but marvel at its magnificence.

Take the parables of the 'Treasure' and the 'Pearl' (vv44-46). 'Hidden treasure was a favourite theme in oriental folklore' and 'pearls were highly valued in ancient times'. What Jesus says is familiar to his audience. But then he 'surprises them by treating these well-known stories in such a way as to emphasise a unique aspect that they do not in the least expect' (J Jeremias, Rediscovering the Parables, p156).

In popular stories about treasure and pearls the finders were usually good folk who are rewarded by using the proceeds of their find to build splendid palaces, buy slaves or marry the daughters of field owners. But in Jesus' parables things are reversed. They are so overjoyed at their unexpected discoveries that they sacrifice everything else in order to keep them. Next to the incomparable splendour of what they have uncovered, all else is valueless.

The unexpected twist in the story makes us sit up and listen. If those who find treasure or pearls are so delighted that they sell everything to keep and enjoy them, then those who have discovered the priceless beauty of God's kingdom on earth will be so delighted that they are prepared to give up everything. Thus the parable invites us to respond to the discovery of God's presence in Jesus in a spirit of joy and self-sacrifice. The discovery of God's unmerited love for each one of us and for all people cannot help but be expressed in joyful, whole-hearted living!

Having explored the background to the two parables we can understand them in historical context.

But the question remains whether we really understand them?

Do we really think that what God has revealed in Christ is so magnificent?
Do we really think that being disciples is a delight for which we are willing to make such sacrifices? Or are we really embarrassed by the message that, in Jesus' words and actions, the incomparable goodness and mercy of God for all people has been uncovered? Do we, like so many people in the church and the community, really believe that there are many ways to God: many equally fine treasures and pearls found in religious and human wisdom?

There is a vital place for dialogue with folk who do not share faith in Christ. But our engagement with them will be futile if we start out with the assumption that what God has done in Christ for the redemption of our broken world is simply one among many ways to spiritual enlightenment.

We urgently need to rediscover that what is 'priceless' about the Kingdom of Heaven is the singular fact that, in Jesus, God has shown the world that 'all is of grace'. Our worth does not depend on our achievements or failures, but on the unmerited acceptance of God. That is why it is 'the real treasure for which all our energies and hopes should be gladly and freely expended'. ('Take and Read' in Church & Nation, 15 July 1981, p14.)

If we understand the incomparable magnificence of God's grace in Christ, then we will have understood these parables. As citizens in a multi-faith society which is largely hostile to the Christian faith and practice, we will also understand how easily the 'treasure' can be desecrated and the 'pearl of great price' sold at 'bargain basement prices'. The dumbing-down of Christianity, the apathy of many Christians and the hostility of militant atheists can easily dull the splendour of the Gospel and make the future of the Church seem bleak.

At such times, the parables of the 'Mustard Seed' and the 'Yeast' (vv31-
33) speak to us. They focus on the 'smallness' and 'hiddenness' of the Kingdom of Heaven and the contrast between small beginnings and splendid endings. As an infinitesimal seed will bring forth a large tree in which many birds will nest, and as the tiniest amount of yeast will make a loaf of bread to feed a large group, so the Kingdom of Heaven, that has begun in such a small way in Jesus' ministry, will grow within the world until God brings history to a magnificent completion in the fullness of time.

These two parables encourage us when the world is oblivious to the beauty and splendour of the Gospel -- when the 'treasure' is treated like 'trash'
and the 'pearl of great price' is treated as a worthless trinket. 'Do not lose heart' even in the most unpromising circumstances! As disciples, we are to be 'guardians of the treasure of the gospel' (v52) (Church & Nation).

Therefore the Church should not to be distracted from proclaiming the magnificence of God's grace in Christ -- even when people substitute fake pearls for the genuine article!

As the Parable of the Net (vv47-50) teaches, it is not the Church's role to determine the eternal destiny of those who reject the Gospel. In the Kingdom of Heaven there is no room either for harshness (because God is
gracious) or slackness (because God's grace requires sacrificial service).

These five short parables ask whether we have really understood what it means to follow Jesus. They are unsettling. They jolt us out of complacency. They point us to a reality that surprises, delights and forces us to decide where we stand in relation to the unique beauty and splendour of God's grace in Christ. They invite us to delight in the Gospel so that our joy is expressed in sacrificial living.

None of this comes naturally to us. Most of us are comfortable with a faith that is not too grand (vv44-46). Nor do we want to belong to a cause that -- for now -- is small, insignificant and hidden in the world. We also find it hard to wait patiently for the fulfilment of history without seeing obvious signs of success(vv 31-33) and we like to condemn those who are apathetic or blatantly hostile to the Church (vv47-50).

Believing the Gospel does not come 'naturally'. But that is precisely why Jesus taught in parables! He used what was 'natural' to confront us with what is magnificently 'unnatural': the incomparable grace of God. Although it is hidden in the world, the Good News that Jesus proclaimed and embodied unexpectedly permeates its life, bringing mercy, healing and hope to sinful, broken and despondent people like you and me and so many of our brothers and sisters.

This is the Good News that the Church of Christ is bound to preach, teach and live out in sacrificial service. Thus we are called to understand and give expression to the unexpected presence of what DT Niles simply calls 'the pearl of great price and the treasure of heaven . . . so freely and lavishly given' (Australian Hymn Book 105). That treasure, that pearl, is God's gift to the world in Jesus Christ himself.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.