Catherine was running up the steps of the Richmond Public Library with her briefcase in hand, when she heard someone call out her name. She turned and saw a group of five men milling about, who looked as if they were homeless. Then one man emerged from the group and walked toward her. And as he came closer she recognized him. Ten months earlier she had met Donald at the homeless shelter where she had volunteered her evenings one week. During that time she had had several conversations with him, and he had taught her to play a card game that he enjoyed.
Now, standing on the steps of the library, they chatted about his job prospects and where he had been the past few months and the hot weather we had been having. After they went their separate ways, she realized that the encounter had touched her deeply. Not only was she glad to see that he was doing alright and to hear about some of the things that had been happening in his life, but she had a new awareness. For the first time she realized he was not simply a nameless figure lost among the shadows of downtown. Instead, he is that kind and funny guy she has come to know who has a family in Ohio and two grown sons. And when he talks about them he beams with pride, the same way she does when she talks about her children.
She says that encounter on the library steps, helped her to see that he's a real person, just like she is. Although his material circumstances are very different than hers, he has some of the same thoughts and ideas and dreams. He's not some nobody, he's a human being. He's not a shiftless character, he's a child of God. And now she sees every single person in a different light than she did before that day at the library.
In one way the encounter was no big deal - it lasted less than five minutes. But in another way, it was quite profound, because it has had a lasting impact on her. It has helped her realize that each person is a unique man or woman with feelings and ambitions and hopes. She is very thankful for this new awareness, it adds a richness to her life.
On several occasions, when Jesus talked to his followers, he told them about the kingdom of heaven - this wonderful realm where life is the way God intends for it to be. It is a realm in which we experience love and peace and justice and joy. And where the things which normally divide us from one another, are done away with. But the kingdom of heaven is a difficult concept to grasp because it's so broad and inclusive. And so Jesus could not explain in one or two sentences what the kingdom of heaven is, so he told parables, which helped his followers get a flavor of what it is like.
He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
He told them another one. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
But that wasn't enough and so he said, "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."
But so as not to limit their understanding, he said, "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."
Then he added yet another parable. "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."
To help his followers grasp something that was beyond their full understanding, Jesus made comparisons to the things they knew very well. He talked about seeds planted in the ground and the effect of yeast on flour. He talked about finding a treasure in a field and discovering a priceless pearl. He talked about fisherman hauling in a catch. And he said the kingdom of heaven is in some ways like these things which are familiar to you.
The first pair of images he presents is a mustard seed and yeast. A mustard seed is not much larger than the head of a pin, yet when planted and nourished, it will grow to great size. Yeast is just a powdery substance which doesn't look like much, but when it is mixed into flour, it will make it rise. What Jesus is telling us about the kingdom with these two parables is that the kingdom is surprising and much more than first meets the eye. It grows to something more than we initially anticipate. Catherine's chance encounter on the steps of the public library serves as an example. In one way it was simply a brief conversation with another person. But it had a special quality about it, and it broke something open inside of her and she gained a surprising new awareness that went far beyond that momentary discussion.
Talking about the kingdom of heaven is tricky business because the Scriptures say different things about it. Most of us are used to thinking about the kingdom of heaven as a future realm, something wonderful that is coming in the days ahead. But the Scriptures indicate that we also get glimpses of it in our present lives. That it's not just something which is coming some day, but something that will at times emerge within our midst. When Catherine became aware that the things which often divide us - class, social standing, race - are actually superficial and the real truth is that we're all children of God, the kingdom of heaven became a present reality for her. If only for a time, she experienced life as God intends for it to be.
The next two parables in this morning's passage tell of a buried treasure and a pearl of great price. In each story, a person finds something of enormous value, and sells all that he has in order to obtain it.
When we hear the story of a person who discovers a treasure in a field and rather than telling the owner about it, decides to buy it for himself, we might raise our eyebrows. Even though what the person did was perfectly legal, we might question how moral it was. But the parable is so sketchy we can't draw too many conclusions from it, other than the main point which is that a person discovered the true value of something and became totally committed to obtaining it.
How well do we recognize the things in life which hold the greatest value? It seems that often times we take for granted or overlook the things which are genuinely important. And sometimes it takes a crisis to awaken us and to remind us of the things that really count. We might be alienated from a loved one, but a brush with death can quickly alter our view of the relationship. We suddenly realize that life is too short to hold onto grudges, and that we had better mend any fences we can while there is still time. In this story of the buried treasure, Jesus is saying that the kingdom of heaven is precious, and that we ought to do everything within our power to obtain it.
In the story of the pearl of great price, he communicates something similar. It's helpful for us to know that in the first-century Mediterranean world, the pearl often served as a symbol of the most precious item or the highest good, much like diamonds do in our culture today.(1) Jesus says that a merchant is searching through fine pearls, and comes across one of enormous value. He recognizes its true worth and he sells all he has in order to purchase it. The point of this little story seems to be that the kingdom is something very rare, but it is attainable for those who are willing to pay the price.
A colleague shares the story of a Chinese student who was committed to the Christian faith. He narrowly escaped imprisonment and death, and then he traveled to this country and attended Princeton Seminary. One day he jarred his comfortable and secure fellow students with a prayer he gave. He said, "God, give us something to die for; for if we have nothing for which we would die, we are not alive."(2)
Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is that precious, and we ought to do whatever it takes to obtain it.
The final image Jesus presents in this string of parables, is one of a fishing net that is thrown into the sea where it catches fish of every kind. The fishermen haul in the net filled with both desirable and undesirable fish and then they sort them out. The point seems to be that sometimes the kingdom of heaven is not something we find, but something that finds us and hauls us in.(3) The story reminds us of those times in life when some unexpected grace enveloped us. It wasn't on account of anything we were doing, it just came to us from somewhere else. Perhaps it was the love of another, when we were not especially deserving, and it brought us healing and joy and overwhelming gratitude. The kingdom of heaven is sometimes like that.
Episcopal preacher, Barbara Taylor, shares the insight that what is striking about all of these parables, is the image of something hidden. The mustard seed is hidden in the ground, the yeast is hidden in the dough, the treasure is hidden in the field, the pearl is hidden among the other pearls, and the net is hidden in the depths of the sea. If the kingdom of heaven is like these stories indicate, then it is not something readily apparent to the eye. It is something we must be on the lookout for. It's something just below the surface of things waiting there to be discovered and claimed.(4)
You may know the story of why people started moving to the Chester area following the Civil War. This used to be little more than a train station, a stopover for people traveling somewhere else. But a story began to circulate around the country in the late 1860s that there was buried treasure here. Supposedly General Butler had a treasure chest full of valuables, but when he had to make a hasty retreat, he could not transport the chest with him. So he buried it in Chester Station. The only clue was that it was somewhere near a large oak tree. The story spread and people from various parts of the country began coming here to search for the buried treasure. It was never found. There weren't enough clues, there was no detailed map, and there was no X to mark the spot. And so it's probably still hidden around here somewhere, just waiting to be found.
The kingdom of heaven is like that too. It's around here but it's hidden. So how can we ever hope to discover it? These parables of Jesus give us a powerful clue. They suggest that we need to be on the lookout for something special in the midst of very common things. That's why Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven in terms of farmers and fields, women baking bread, merchants buying and selling things, fishermen catching fish. He talked about people discovering great treasures amidst the ordinary things of life. And so we need to keep our eyes pealed for the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. That's because X marks the spot in the familiar people and places and events of our lives.
The story is told of a wealthy businessman who took his son out to a rural area. The purpose of the trip was to show the boy how poor some people are. They spent an entire day and night on a farm with a poor family. Then, the next day as they were driving back to their home, the father asked his son, "What did you think of our trip?" The boy replied, "It was great!"
The father asked, "Do you see how poor some people are?" And his son responded, "I sure do."
And then the father said, "Tell me what you learned." And the boy said, "I saw that we have one dog at home, but they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, but they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the back yard, but they can see more stars than I've ever seen. I can see the houses across the street, but they can see clear to the horizon. Thanks, Dad, now I can see how much we've missed in life and how poor we really are."(5)
Christ calls us to sharpen our vision so that we can detect the signs of God's presence in our midst. We find it where the beauty of God's world is recognized, where love flourishes, where friendship is shared, where generosity is expressed, where meaning is celebrated, where kindness is sown. And more often than not, it's right in front of our face, partially hidden in the routine events of our lives.
NOTES
1. The New Interpreters Bible: Matthew (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996) p.314.
2. John Buchanan, "The Lesson of Mount Moriah," preached at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, June 27, 1999.
3. Barbara Taylor, The Seeds of Heaven (Cincinnati: Forward Movement Publications).
4. Taylor, Seeds of Heaven.
5. Author unknown.
© 1999 Gregory Knox Jones, all rights reserved