Sermon Notes for March 4, 2007
March 4, 2007
The Hidden Treasure
Mark 4:30-32, Mathew 13:44
1. Before we get into discussing the two parables for today, I would like to say some basic things about parables in general and about Jesus use of parables in his teaching.
First of all, we must ask ourselves: “What is a parable? Well, by definition, a parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. For instance, it differs from a fable -- in that it excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of mankind.
For instance, for the sake of comparison, we might consider one of Aesop’s famous fables like the one about the ant and the grasshopper. How many of you remember the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper? It goes like this:
Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
2. Now, we must realize that lots of religious teachers all over the world have taught with stories and parables. For instance here is a story about the Buddha who used a similar image of the mustard seed to get a point across: It goes like this:
There was a young woman name Kisa Gotami. She had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said: "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.” At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request: "I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can." The girl said: "Pray tell me, sir; who is it?" And the man replied: "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha."
Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and cried: "Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy." The Buddha answered: "I want a handful of mustard-seed." And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend." Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said: "Here is mustard-seed; take it!" But when she asked “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" They all answered her: "Alas the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And, so, Kisa discovered that there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Now, Kisa Gotami became very weary and hopeless, and she sat down at the wayside, watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to herself: "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads to immortality to those who have surrendered all selfishness."
And then it goes on to give the Buddhist answer to all suffering. It’s no exactly the Christian answer, but my point is that it is a good story which teaches wisdom in the face of sorrow and grief all from the Buddhist perspective. And we don’t need to become Buddhists to learn from other religions from time to time.
3. But my main point is that, when Jesus told parables, he did not create a whole new literary genre. Rather, he made use of a genre which was already of long tradition and which was familiar to all throughout the Mediterranean and the whole world. In fact, in Greece and Rome, parables were often employed by rhetoricians, politicians and philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle. For instance, Aristotle even talks about parables in his famous book on Rhetoric. And, in Israel parables were uttered by prophets and wise men and they even appear in the oldest books of the Old Testament.
4. So, as did many religious teachers and the rabbis of his time, Jesus also used simple word-pictures, called parables, to help people understand who God is and what his kingdom or reign is like. Jesus’ images and characters were taken from everyday life in order to create a miniature play or drama to illustrate his message. His stories appealed to the young and old, poor and rich, and to the learned and unlearned as well. In fact, over a third of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain parables told by Jesus.
5. Jesus’ parables are therefore clever word-pictures which are designed to challenge the mind to discover anew what God is like and to emotionally move the heart to make a response to God's love and truth. And so Jesus used the ordinary everyday things of life to point to another order of reality which is “hidden, yet visible” to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". His parables are therefore much like the buried treasure waiting to be discovered in the field (Matt. 13:44).
So, we may ask, “How can ordinary everyday images and stories, such as hidden treasure, a tiny mustard seed, a determined woman looking for her lost coin, a barren fig tree, the pearl of great price, the uninvited wedding guests, portray timeless and extraordinary truths?”
6. Well, Jesus taught primarily by the use of comparisons like the parable of the mustard seed:
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed... (Mark 4:30-31).
From this we see that God's kingdom or reign is like what happens in Jesus' stories. And it is important to realize that Jesus’ comparisons have to do with the whole process, and not simply with an object or person alone. This is because, while his parables are rooted in a specific time and place, they nonetheless speak of timeless realities to people of every time and place – even to us today.
So, Jesus' parables often have a double meaning. First, there is the literal meaning, apparent to anyone who has experience with the subject matter. But beyond the literal meaning lies a deeper meaning -- a beneath-the-surface lesson about God's truth and his kingdom.
For example, the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:33) describes the simple transformation of dough into bread by the inclusion of the yeast. Simple enough and this, then, points to the deeper reality that we are being transformed by God's love when we allow his word and Spirit to take root in our hearts. And, in turn, we are called to become the leaven that transforms the society in which we live and work.
For instance, Jerome, an early church father and biblical scholar wrote that: "The marrow of a parable is different from the promise of its surface, and like as gold is sought for in the earth, the kernel in a nut and the hidden fruit in the prickly covering of chestnuts, so in parables we must search more deeply after the divine meaning."
7. Jesus' parables often also involve an element of surprise or an unexpected twist. We are sometimes taken off guard by the progression of the story. The parable moves from the very familiar and understandable aspects of experience to a sudden turn of events or a remarkable comparison which challenges the hearer and invites further reflection.
For example, why should a shepherd go through a lot of bother and even risk his life to find one lost sheep when ninety-nine are in his safe keeping? Well, this illustrates the shepherd's concern for one lost sheep and his willingness to risk his own life for it -- tells us a lot about God's concern for his each of us – no matter how lost we may feel at times.
In addition, Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables.
"To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear (Luke 8:10)."
Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing his listeners? Very likely not -- because Jesus was speaking from experience and was aware that some of those who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe.
And so, Jesus knew that God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges the need for God and for his truth. As a result, the parables of Jesus will only enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart and are ready to let them challenge us. But, if we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.
7. So, for us today, when reading the parables it is important to not get bogged down to much in the details of the story. The main point is what counts. In addition, we should be aware that Jesus often throws in a surprise or unexpected twist. These challenge the hearer and invite us to reflect. Jesus meant for his parables to provoke a response. If we listen with faith and humility then each will understand as we are able -- to receive what Jesus wishes to speak to each of us individually and therefore they will obviously mean different things to different people. In short, we may not entirely agree about the meaning of each parable. That’s okay.
8. So, much for the background on parables. Let’s move on to the parable of the Mustard Seed.
PASS AROUND MUSTARD SEEDS
Now, to understand this parable we need to know a couple of things about mustard seeds and plants.
a. The seed IS very small (but so is an acorn compared to an oak tree. So the size of the seed is not critical.
b. The mustard plant is not extraordinarily large – like the famous Cedars of Lebanon which grow to over 100 feet high and are mentioned in the Bible over 75 times. So, size is not critical.
c. The mustard seed does, however, grow fast and tends to get out of control and birds do like the seeds.
So, for the listeners to Jesus' parable, a mustard seed could only grow into a small bush-not more than four feet high and only a few birds would be able to make a bedraggled nest in its branches.
As a symbol, therefore, the mustard seed is the reverse of what the Israelites at the time had in mind when they envisaged the Kingdom of God. They believed that, through Israel, God would establish his sovereignty and rule over all the nations of the world (like the mighty Cedars of Lebanon). Yet, the parable clearly states that the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with a vindictive triumph over one's enemies or worldly success as was expected by Jesus’ listeners (or by us).
9. One interpretation of this parable might be then that, if you think that your church, your nation, or your ethnic group is going to be delivered by God, and enjoy a magnificent triumph--or if you expect that the whole world is going to be converted to Jesus Christ--you are mistaken; it isn't going to happen. What the Gospel is interested in -- is you. Not what you can do; just plain you.
In the bulletin I have also included other possible suggestions. Such as the mustard seed being a metaphor for the growth of the Christian faith – from such a small beginning. Or the fact that
The mustard seed rapidly goes to seed and continues growing and often can get out of control. Could this mean that God’s word is not something that is under our control? In other words, is the church merely what we want it to be – or is to be what God wants it to be?
Or, as I first suggested is it just about you or me? Is it how something which appears to be insignificant – such as the power of God’s love … has the ability to transform people’s lives?
In other words, is it about growth? Is faith something that grows like a plant – mysteriously within us? Does it have a life of its own? If so, how should we take care of our faith and keep it going?
10. We will come back to the mustard seed parable again next week.
Now, let us touch briefly on the parable of the hidden treasure.
On surface it seems pretty straight forward. Except that it
appears to be a little extreme, perhaps. Give up everything you have? What on earth would be so valuable that you would give up everything you have? Wouldn’t that involve a pretty big risk? It must, then be something very valuable indeed! What is this kingdom of God which is a buried treasure?
Now, part of the problem, as I have said before, is that we do not live in a kingdom today in America. Hence, the word kingdom is a bit unfamiliar to us today. So, I would like to substitute another word: reality. For, in Jesus times, kingdoms were reality for most people. Not just political reality but also religious. And, as one biblical commentator has said, “When Jesus said in the K of G the ‘last shall be first’ he was saying something very radical.” Because the only kingdom everyone knew was the Roman Empire. And in the Roman Empire the last were not first!
11. How many kingdoms do you live in? How many realities do you live in?
TALK ABOUT THE REALITIES:
FAMILY
SCHOOL
WORK
COMMUNITY – BEMIDJI
STATE – MINNESOTA
NATION – AMERICA
RELATIONSHIPS/MARRIAGE – FRIENDS
MONEY
CHURCH
How important are these realities in your life? Which is
the most important? How do they affect your life?
Now, what is the kingdom of God? What is the reality of
God in this life?
Is it: Faith in God?
Trust in God?
A relationship with God?
A spiritual life?
A relationship with other people of faith who love
And care about us?
Is it: inner peace?
Is it salvation and forgiveness for sin?
Is it: knowing God loves and cares about you?
Or is it all of these things?
12. Now let us suppose that something bad happened to you?
Suppose you lost your job or went broke?
Suppose your marriage failed?
Suppose your health failed?
Suppose you lose a loved on?
Suppose your friend desert you or you discover they weren’t
Really your friends?
Suppose you commit a crime or sin or become addicted to
Drugs?
Suppose you even die?
What then? Will God forsake you? Will God stop loving you?
Well, Jesus’ answer is “No!” Not even if we are the lost sheep.
And, so, if God will not forsake you … then maybe all is not lost, right? Maybe if God loves you – then all things are possible asSt. Paul says, “What shall separate me from the love of God …
Nothing!”
How important is this to us – how valuable is it?
Now, then, the question is if you discover that God loves you …(and remember the treasure is not something you made or caused to happen … it is something that is discovered) …? Well, it would be the greatest reality in all the world, would it not?
And what would Jesus say? “Think about it!” “Think about it!”
And so we will come back to these two parables next week and more as well – I hope you are keeping up with your Lenten Bible study.
Let us pray …
The Hidden Treasure
Mark 4:30-32, Mathew 13:44
1. Before we get into discussing the two parables for today, I would like to say some basic things about parables in general and about Jesus use of parables in his teaching.
First of all, we must ask ourselves: “What is a parable? Well, by definition, a parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. For instance, it differs from a fable -- in that it excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of mankind.
For instance, for the sake of comparison, we might consider one of Aesop’s famous fables like the one about the ant and the grasshopper. How many of you remember the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper? It goes like this:
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
2. Now, we must realize that lots of religious teachers all over the world have taught with stories and parables. For instance here is a story about the Buddha who used a similar image of the mustard seed to get a point across: It goes like this:
There was a young woman name Kisa Gotami. She had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said: "She has lost her senses. The boy is dead.” At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request: "I cannot give thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can." The girl said: "Pray tell me, sir; who is it?" And the man replied: "Go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha."
Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and cried: "Lord and Master, give me the medicine that will cure my boy." The Buddha answered: "I want a handful of mustard-seed." And when the girl in her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added: "The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend." Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said: "Here is mustard-seed; take it!" But when she asked “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" They all answered her: "Alas the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief." And, so, Kisa discovered that there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
Now, Kisa Gotami became very weary and hopeless, and she sat down at the wayside, watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to herself: "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads to immortality to those who have surrendered all selfishness."
And then it goes on to give the Buddhist answer to all suffering. It’s no exactly the Christian answer, but my point is that it is a good story which teaches wisdom in the face of sorrow and grief all from the Buddhist perspective. And we don’t need to become Buddhists to learn from other religions from time to time.
3. But my main point is that, when Jesus told parables, he did not create a whole new literary genre. Rather, he made use of a genre which was already of long tradition and which was familiar to all throughout the Mediterranean and the whole world. In fact, in Greece and Rome, parables were often employed by rhetoricians, politicians and philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle. For instance, Aristotle even talks about parables in his famous book on Rhetoric. And, in Israel parables were uttered by prophets and wise men and they even appear in the oldest books of the Old Testament.
4. So, as did many religious teachers and the rabbis of his time, Jesus also used simple word-pictures, called parables, to help people understand who God is and what his kingdom or reign is like. Jesus’ images and characters were taken from everyday life in order to create a miniature play or drama to illustrate his message. His stories appealed to the young and old, poor and rich, and to the learned and unlearned as well. In fact, over a third of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain parables told by Jesus.
5. Jesus’ parables are therefore clever word-pictures which are designed to challenge the mind to discover anew what God is like and to emotionally move the heart to make a response to God's love and truth. And so Jesus used the ordinary everyday things of life to point to another order of reality which is “hidden, yet visible” to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". His parables are therefore much like the buried treasure waiting to be discovered in the field (Matt. 13:44).
So, we may ask, “How can ordinary everyday images and stories, such as hidden treasure, a tiny mustard seed, a determined woman looking for her lost coin, a barren fig tree, the pearl of great price, the uninvited wedding guests, portray timeless and extraordinary truths?”
6. Well, Jesus taught primarily by the use of comparisons like the parable of the mustard seed:
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed... (Mark 4:30-31).
From this we see that God's kingdom or reign is like what happens in Jesus' stories. And it is important to realize that Jesus’ comparisons have to do with the whole process, and not simply with an object or person alone. This is because, while his parables are rooted in a specific time and place, they nonetheless speak of timeless realities to people of every time and place – even to us today.
So, Jesus' parables often have a double meaning. First, there is the literal meaning, apparent to anyone who has experience with the subject matter. But beyond the literal meaning lies a deeper meaning -- a beneath-the-surface lesson about God's truth and his kingdom.
For example, the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:33) describes the simple transformation of dough into bread by the inclusion of the yeast. Simple enough and this, then, points to the deeper reality that we are being transformed by God's love when we allow his word and Spirit to take root in our hearts. And, in turn, we are called to become the leaven that transforms the society in which we live and work.
For instance, Jerome, an early church father and biblical scholar wrote that: "The marrow of a parable is different from the promise of its surface, and like as gold is sought for in the earth, the kernel in a nut and the hidden fruit in the prickly covering of chestnuts, so in parables we must search more deeply after the divine meaning."
7. Jesus' parables often also involve an element of surprise or an unexpected twist. We are sometimes taken off guard by the progression of the story. The parable moves from the very familiar and understandable aspects of experience to a sudden turn of events or a remarkable comparison which challenges the hearer and invites further reflection.
For example, why should a shepherd go through a lot of bother and even risk his life to find one lost sheep when ninety-nine are in his safe keeping? Well, this illustrates the shepherd's concern for one lost sheep and his willingness to risk his own life for it -- tells us a lot about God's concern for his each of us – no matter how lost we may feel at times.
In addition, Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables.
"To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear (Luke 8:10)."
Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing his listeners? Very likely not -- because Jesus was speaking from experience and was aware that some of those who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe.
And so, Jesus knew that God can only reveal the secrets of his kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges the need for God and for his truth. As a result, the parables of Jesus will only enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart and are ready to let them challenge us. But, if we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.
7. So, for us today, when reading the parables it is important to not get bogged down to much in the details of the story. The main point is what counts. In addition, we should be aware that Jesus often throws in a surprise or unexpected twist. These challenge the hearer and invite us to reflect. Jesus meant for his parables to provoke a response. If we listen with faith and humility then each will understand as we are able -- to receive what Jesus wishes to speak to each of us individually and therefore they will obviously mean different things to different people. In short, we may not entirely agree about the meaning of each parable. That’s okay.
8. So, much for the background on parables. Let’s move on to the parable of the Mustard Seed.
PASS AROUND MUSTARD SEEDS
Now, to understand this parable we need to know a couple of things about mustard seeds and plants.
a. The seed IS very small (but so is an acorn compared to an oak tree. So the size of the seed is not critical.
b. The mustard plant is not extraordinarily large – like the famous Cedars of Lebanon which grow to over 100 feet high and are mentioned in the Bible over 75 times. So, size is not critical.
c. The mustard seed does, however, grow fast and tends to get out of control and birds do like the seeds.
So, for the listeners to Jesus' parable, a mustard seed could only grow into a small bush-not more than four feet high and only a few birds would be able to make a bedraggled nest in its branches.
As a symbol, therefore, the mustard seed is the reverse of what the Israelites at the time had in mind when they envisaged the Kingdom of God. They believed that, through Israel, God would establish his sovereignty and rule over all the nations of the world (like the mighty Cedars of Lebanon). Yet, the parable clearly states that the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with a vindictive triumph over one's enemies or worldly success as was expected by Jesus’ listeners (or by us).
9. One interpretation of this parable might be then that, if you think that your church, your nation, or your ethnic group is going to be delivered by God, and enjoy a magnificent triumph--or if you expect that the whole world is going to be converted to Jesus Christ--you are mistaken; it isn't going to happen. What the Gospel is interested in -- is you. Not what you can do; just plain you.
In the bulletin I have also included other possible suggestions. Such as the mustard seed being a metaphor for the growth of the Christian faith – from such a small beginning. Or the fact that
The mustard seed rapidly goes to seed and continues growing and often can get out of control. Could this mean that God’s word is not something that is under our control? In other words, is the church merely what we want it to be – or is to be what God wants it to be?
Or, as I first suggested is it just about you or me? Is it how something which appears to be insignificant – such as the power of God’s love … has the ability to transform people’s lives?
In other words, is it about growth? Is faith something that grows like a plant – mysteriously within us? Does it have a life of its own? If so, how should we take care of our faith and keep it going?
10. We will come back to the mustard seed parable again next week.
Now, let us touch briefly on the parable of the hidden treasure.
On surface it seems pretty straight forward. Except that it
appears to be a little extreme, perhaps. Give up everything you have? What on earth would be so valuable that you would give up everything you have? Wouldn’t that involve a pretty big risk? It must, then be something very valuable indeed! What is this kingdom of God which is a buried treasure?
Now, part of the problem, as I have said before, is that we do not live in a kingdom today in America. Hence, the word kingdom is a bit unfamiliar to us today. So, I would like to substitute another word: reality. For, in Jesus times, kingdoms were reality for most people. Not just political reality but also religious. And, as one biblical commentator has said, “When Jesus said in the K of G the ‘last shall be first’ he was saying something very radical.” Because the only kingdom everyone knew was the Roman Empire. And in the Roman Empire the last were not first!
11. How many kingdoms do you live in? How many realities do you live in?
TALK ABOUT THE REALITIES:
FAMILY
SCHOOL
WORK
COMMUNITY – BEMIDJI
STATE – MINNESOTA
NATION – AMERICA
RELATIONSHIPS/MARRIAGE – FRIENDS
MONEY
CHURCH
How important are these realities in your life? Which is
the most important? How do they affect your life?
Now, what is the kingdom of God? What is the reality of
God in this life?
Is it: Faith in God?
Trust in God?
A relationship with God?
A spiritual life?
A relationship with other people of faith who love
And care about us?
Is it: inner peace?
Is it salvation and forgiveness for sin?
Is it: knowing God loves and cares about you?
Or is it all of these things?
12. Now let us suppose that something bad happened to you?
Suppose you lost your job or went broke?
Suppose your marriage failed?
Suppose your health failed?
Suppose you lose a loved on?
Suppose your friend desert you or you discover they weren’t
Really your friends?
Suppose you commit a crime or sin or become addicted to
Drugs?
Suppose you even die?
What then? Will God forsake you? Will God stop loving you?
Well, Jesus’ answer is “No!” Not even if we are the lost sheep.
And, so, if God will not forsake you … then maybe all is not lost, right? Maybe if God loves you – then all things are possible asSt. Paul says, “What shall separate me from the love of God …
Nothing!”
How important is this to us – how valuable is it?
Now, then, the question is if you discover that God loves you …(and remember the treasure is not something you made or caused to happen … it is something that is discovered) …? Well, it would be the greatest reality in all the world, would it not?
And what would Jesus say? “Think about it!” “Think about it!”
And so we will come back to these two parables next week and more as well – I hope you are keeping up with your Lenten Bible study.
Let us pray …
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