马太福音13:44-52

愿恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们所有被天国的主人寻找并买回的人。阿们。

在今天的福音经文中，主耶稣继续天国的主题，用比喻进一步教导门徒们。“天国好像宝贝藏在地里，人遇见了就把它藏起来，欢欢喜喜地变卖一切所有的，买这块地。天国又好像买卖人寻找好珠子，遇见一颗重价的珠子，就去变卖他一切所有的，买了这颗珠子。”（太13:44-45）后面还有一个撒网的比喻，我们稍后再讲。

弟兄姐妹们，你觉得这个宝贝，又或这个重价的珠子是指什么呢？是天国的救恩和救主，是耶稣祂自己，对不对？当然可以这样解释，因为谁还能称得上宝贝，又或重价的唯一的珠子呢？除了主耶稣和祂所要赐给我们的一切礼物之外，还能又其他的吗？我们按照自己的本性是有罪和不洁净的，怎能配得上宝贝或者唯一的贵重珍珠呢？

然而，然而，你还记得最近几周我们看天国的比喻的一个重要原则吗？天国是谁的工作？是主上帝，是主耶稣自己的，这在撒种、农夫和天地的画面中我们讲了不少东西。今天的天国比喻也是一样，天国的主人、做事情的都是上帝自己。为什么这样讲？道理很简单，我们人并不会寻找天国，那怕我们遇见了，也认不出来；我们的本性就是贪恋世界和世上的一切荣华，今生的骄傲等等。藏在地里的宝贝，我们从上面走过去，一点儿感觉都没有，不是这样吗？天国的福音到处宣讲，信的人，或者说识货的人寥寥无几。我们如果是其中的买卖人，也是一样，并没有那个眼力劲，能够从众多珠子中识别出那一刻重价的（唯一的）珠子——原文是单数，也就是那颗独一无二的珠子，无与伦比，值得你用所有的其他珠子来换。

那好，我们调换一下角色，按照之前的比喻原则来看今天的经文：我们是宝贝藏在地里，我们是重价的珠子，而主耶稣是那位遇见宝贝的人，是那位买这颗珠子的人。这样可以吗？说得通吗？答案是可以。为什么？我们被称为宝贝，重价的珠子，不是我们多么可爱，而是神真的有这么爱我们。祂拣选我们，称我们为义，神不爱惜自己的儿子，让耶稣为众人舍了，神是我们的帮助，祂爱我们，神就是爱，这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里彰显表达出来的。我们之前我们本来的样子，我们甚至也知道我们成为信徒，天国儿女之后，仍然活在肉体当中，会跌倒，会犯罪，会悖逆圣灵的律。然而神爱我们，因为祂就是爱，不是因为我们多么可爱，多么值得祂舍弃一切来拯救。

还有，这就像今天的旧约经文所说的，神拣选以色列人为圣洁的、属神的民，是因为什么呢？神从万民中拣选了以色列民，为什么？申命记说：“耶和华专爱你们，拣选你们，并非因你们的人数多于别民，原来你们的人数在万民中是最少的。”（申7:7）换句话说，神拣选的是软弱的，多病的，不洁的，甚至是拜偶像的——亚伯拉罕和祖辈本来就是大河那边拜偶像的。神拣选以色列民是出于自己良善圣洁的旨意，出于拯救世人的宏伟计划，因着祂的信实和怜悯，并不是因为我们多好。

好，我们再看经文的一些细节。宝贝藏在地里，这样解释：宝贝是我们或者说我们的灵魂，土地可以比喻成我们的肉体，我们的灵魂是爱我们的神看为宝贵的，却常常被血气和情欲牵绊缠累，甚至隐藏起来。不是这样吗？试想今天的世代，谁还会在乎灵魂的高尚呢？大家夸耀的都是多漂亮的躯壳脸蛋儿，住着多么漂亮的房子，挂着多高档的包包等等，总之都是看得见的东西。然而，主耶稣来了，祂能够一眼识别出我们这些宝贝，透过肮脏、会朽坏的外在看见事物的本质，我们还要记得，我们是按照神的形象被造的，只是堕落了。神怎会不寻找我们这些被土地埋葬的宝贝呢？况且我们也知道，主耶稣欢欢喜喜地变卖一切所有的，天上的宝座和荣光，买了“这块地”，就是成为跟我们一样的人，只是没有罪——取了“奴仆的样式”，为得是把我们这些宝贝赎回。我们既然属于祂了，就不再深埋在土地里，而是明白自己的真实身份，是被神所爱，舍己买回来的，要彰显出宝贝的光芒。用之前的比喻来说，就是要从地里发芽结果实来，让天国继续不断地在地上扩张。

第二个比喻怎么讲呢？买卖人，有能力识别珠子的这个人也是主耶稣，而我们，就是因信称义，加入教会的基督徒，就是那颗独一无二的珠子。同样在申命记，快到最后的时候，32章里面说：“耶和华遇见他在旷野——荒凉野兽吼叫之地，就环绕他，看顾他，保护他，如同保护眼中的瞳人。”（申32:10）珠子和瞳人（眼珠子）之间的关联是不是非常紧凑？另外，变卖他一切所有的，或者说这位买卖人之前看的是的，已经收纳在库存里面的宝贵珠子，如今他要做个交易，或者说替换，买卖。这一切其他的指的是列邦万国，而这颗珠子就是以色列，新约的教会。以赛亚书43:3-4“因为我是耶和华—你的　神， 是以色列的圣者—你的救主； 我已经使埃及作你的赎价， 使古实和西巴代替你。 因我看你为宝为尊； 又因我爱你， 所以我使人代替你， 使列邦人替换你的生命。”当然，这里不是说以色列人比其他民族好，或者我们信徒比不信的人多么优越，值得神爱我们，前面已经讲的很清楚。

我们继续看第三个比喻。天国好像网撒在海里，聚拢各样水族。再一次的，仍然是神在做事情，祂撒网，天国的福音广传，最后末日拉上岸来，把好的和不好的分拣开来。好的就是义人，不好的就是恶人。不好的要丢掉，丢在火炉里，不是烧掉了，都消失了，而是永恒的火湖和审判，“在那里必要哀哭切齿了。”（太13:50）这里我们再一次看见天国的工作是广泛的，是在整个世界这个大海洋里面撒网，福音到处不分高低贵贱，种族肤色撒网。并不像精明的渔夫，编织网的时候肯定考虑要把多大的鱼，以及什么样的鱼给捞进来。上帝的天国不是这样，而是毫无偏见，偏心，平等地对待所有人，那怕是罪大恶极的人也是如此。就像上周主日的经文稗子和麦子混合在田地里，不拔稗子，等着收割一样，今天的天国渔网也是要等着末日审判再收网。意味着我们今天教会里面也有好的和不好的，义人和恶人混杂在一起，有时候很难区分开来，必须等到末了神审判的日子。但诗篇1篇不也警告说：“当审判的时候，恶人必站立不住；罪人在义人的会中也是如此。因为耶和华知道义人的道路，恶人的道路却必灭亡。”（诗篇1:5-6）

求主帮助我们，或许我们有些人虽然被福音的网网住了，但仍然感到不舒服，想要继续在世界的海洋里面畅游无阻，不顺服天国的道理的约束，那么我们就要快快悔改，免得审判的日子被查验恶人丢弃了。但今日这道再一次进到我们耳朵里，就能够更新我们心田的土壤，让我们成为好土，成为义人，成为神的宝贝，成为这颗珠子上面的一份子，就是真教会的肢体。我们要记得，“有耳可听的，就应当听，”这是说给我们每一个人听的，如今就是蒙悦纳的时候。让我们紧紧抓住天国的道理，让天国不断地彰显在我们身上，并且在地上不断地扩张。奉耶稣基督的名。阿们。

Matthew 13:44–52

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, to all of you who have been sought out and found by the Master of the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

In today’s Gospel reading, the Lord Jesus continues the theme of the kingdom of heaven, using parables to further instruct His disciples:

“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. Again, 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.” (Matt. 13:44–46) Following this is the parable of the net, which we will address in a moment.

Brothers and sisters, what do you think this treasure, or this pearl of great value, refers to? Is it the salvation of the kingdom of heaven and the Savior—is it Jesus Himself? Right? Certainly, it can be interpreted this way, for who else could truly be called the treasure, or the single pearl of great value? Apart from the Lord Jesus and all the gifts He gives to us, could there be anything else? By our own nature, we are sinful and unclean—how could we ever be worthy of being the treasure or the single precious pearl?

However... however, do you remember an important principle we have seen in recent weeks regarding the parables of the kingdom of heaven? Whose work is the kingdom of heaven? It is the work of the Lord God—of the Lord Jesus Himself. We have seen much of this in the imagery of the sower, the farmer, and the heaven and earth. The same is true of today’s parables: the Master of the kingdom, the One who acts, is God Himself.

Why do we say this? The reason is simple: we human beings do not seek the kingdom of heaven on our own. Even if we encounter it, we fail to recognize it. By our nature, we covet the world and all its worldly glory, the pride of life, and the like. We walk right over a treasure hidden in a field without feeling a thing—is it not so? The Gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed far and wide, yet those who believe—or rather, those who recognize its worth—are few and far between. If we were the merchant, we would be no different: we would lack the insight to identify from among many pearls that one pearl of great value (which is singular in the original text)—that unique, incomparable pearl worth trading all other pearls to obtain.

So, let us swap roles and look at today’s text according to that previous parabolic principle: we are the treasure hidden in the field, we are the pearl of great value, and the Lord Jesus is the One who found the treasure, the One who bought this pearl. Is that possible? Does that make sense?

The answer is yes. Why? We are called the treasure, the pearl of great value, not because of how inherently lovable we are, but because God truly loves us this much. He chose us and declared us righteous. God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. God is our helper; He loves us, and God is love—a love revealed and expressed in Christ Jesus our Lord. We know what we were like before, and we know that even after becoming believers and children of the kingdom, we still live in the flesh, stumble, sin, and rebel against the law of the Holy Spirit. Yet God loves us because He is love—not because we were so lovely or so deserving of Him giving up everything to save us.

Moreover, this is just as today’s Old Testament reading says regarding God choosing Israel to be His holy, set-apart people. Why did God choose the people of Israel from among all the nations? Why? Deuteronomy says:

“It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples...” (Deut. 7:7)

In other words, God chooses the weak, the feeble, the unclean, and even the idolaters—Abraham and his ancestors originally served other gods beyond the River. God’s choice of Israel arose from His own good and holy will, out of His grand design to save the world, and by virtue of His faithfulness and mercy—not because we were in any way good.

Now, let us look at some details of the text.

The treasure hidden in the field: Consider this interpretation: the treasure is us—or our souls—and the field can represent our fleshly nature. Our souls are precious in the eyes of the God who loves us, yet they are often entangled, burdened, and even hidden away by worldly passions and fleshly desires. Is this not true? Consider today’s generation: who still cares about the nobility of the soul? People boast of beautiful physical bodies and faces, how fine a house they live in, what luxury bags they carry, and so forth—all visible things. Yet, when the Lord Jesus came, He could recognize us as treasures at a single glance, seeing the true essence of things through the dirty, perishable exterior. Remember, we were created in the image of God, though fallen. How could God not seek out us, His treasures buried in the dirt? Furthermore, as we know, the Lord Jesus joyfully "sold all that He had"—His heavenly throne and glory—and bought "that field." That is, He became a man like us, yet without sin—taking the "form of a servant"—in order to redeem us, His treasures. Since we now belong to Him, we are no longer buried deep in the dirt; rather, we understand our true identity as those loved by God, bought back through His self-sacrifice, called to display the brilliance of His treasure. To use the earlier parable, we are to sprout from the ground and bear fruit, so that the kingdom of heaven may continually expand on earth.

The second parable: Who is the merchant, the one with the capability to recognize the pearl? He, too, is the Lord Jesus. And we—Christians who are justified by faith and brought into the Church—are that unique pearl. Similarly, near the end of Deuteronomy, Chapter 32 says:

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” (Deut. 32:10)

Notice how closely connected the pearl is to the "apple of his eye" (literally, the pupil/iris). Furthermore, regarding selling all that he had: perhaps this merchant previously valued other precious pearls already gathered in his inventory, but now he makes a trade—a purchase and exchange. All those "other things" refer to the nations of the world, while this single pearl is Israel, the New Testament Church. Isaiah 43:3–4 says:

“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.”

Of course, this does not mean the Israelites were better than other nations, or that we believers are somehow superior to non-believers, deserving God’s love—that was already made clear earlier.

Let us continue to the third parable: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.”

Once again, it is God who acts: He casts the net, the Gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed far and wide, and finally at the end of the age it is drawn ashore, separating the good from the bad. The good are the righteous; the bad are the evil. The bad are thrown away—thrown into the fiery furnace. They are not simply burned up into non-existence; rather, it is the eternal lake of fire and judgment, where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:50).

Here again, we see that the work of the kingdom of heaven is vast—casting its net into the great ocean of the entire world. The Gospel casts its net everywhere without regard to high or low status, race, or skin color. It is unlike a shrewd fisherman who carefully weaves his net with specific sizes and types of fish in mind. God's kingdom is not like that; it is without prejudice or partiality, treating all people equally—even those who are deeply sinful.

Just like last Sunday’s Gospel reading where the tares and wheat grew together in the field—where the tares were not pulled up, but left until the harvest—so today’s kingdom net waits until the final judgment at the end of the age to be drawn in. This means that in the Church today, there are both good and bad, righteous and wicked mixed together, sometimes very difficult to distinguish, until the final Day of God’s judgment. Yet, does not Psalm 1 warn us?

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Ps. 1:5–6)

May the Lord help us. Perhaps some of us, though caught in the net of the Gospel, still feel uncomfortable and wish to keep swimming freely in the ocean of the world, refusing to submit to the discipline of the kingdom's truth. If so, let us repent quickly, lest on the Day of Judgment we be examined, found wicked, and cast away. But as this Word enters our ears again today, it is able to renew the soil of our hearts, making us good soil, making us righteous, making us God's treasure, and making us part of this pearl—living members of the true Church.

Let us remember: "He who has ears, let him hear." This is spoken to every single one of us. Now is the favorable time. Let us hold fast to the truth of the kingdom of heaven, allowing the kingdom to be continually revealed in us and to expand across the earth.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.