Primary Text: Matthew 13:36-53
Memory Verse: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
Introduction:
The passages covered in this week’s lesson have a common theme. Each shows how the people of God can experience tremendous joy. Why is joy so important? Because, the Bible says, the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). We need the strength that joy brings to overcome evil, to persevere, and to witness to the ends of the earth.
In the first parable, the Sower and the Tares, there is a caution that weeds are being planted by the evil one, whose sole desire is to choke out the righteous. But those righteous who keep at it will end up with a joyous reward.
In comparing the Kingdom of God to a treasure and a precious jewel, Jesus showed that even when there is great personal sacrifice, as shown by the farmer and the merchant selling everything they had, their sacrifices brought joy that surpassed the value of what they had sacrificed. The emphasis here is not what the men gave up, but their reason for giving those things up, and the incredible joy they received for doing so.
Another theme in this passage is on the fearful end of the wicked. While these parables are meant to encourage the church, they also bring with them a warning about the judgment that will fall on the unredeemed.
In the previous lesson, Jesus’ teaching was to the multitudes (Matthew 13:1-35). In this portion of Matthew, Jesus’ teaching is to His disciples—those closest to Him. So, when Jesus is encouraging, He is speaking directly to believers. And when He is warning, He also is speaking directly to believers. Jesus assures a reward to believers who persevere. But those believers who fail to live up to their commitment in Christ will receive condemnation in the final judgment. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked,” Galatians 6:7 warns. “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” In the final parable, the Householder, He reminded them of three important responsibilities: to be scribes to discover the truth; to be disciples who do the truth; to be stewards who dispense the truth.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- What does Matthew 13:36-39 show about the importance of mission work?
- Discuss how Matthew 13:40-43 and 47-50 compares to Matthew 24:37-44?
- Contrast the “end of the age” (Matthew 13:40) rewards of the unrighteous and the righteous. Matthew 13:42-43
- Compare the costs of the Treasure and the Pearl in Jesus’ parables to the resulting rewards in Matthew 13:44-46
- What different ways can truth of God’s Kingdom be discovered? Matthew 13:44-46
- Do we ever reach a point where we’ve learned enough of the Word of God? Matthew 13:52; Acts 17:11; Isaiah 28:10
- When the storms of life surround us, where should we turn? Psalm 46:1
- Do the wicked have true peace? Isaiah 57:21