Sell Out, Or Sold Out
Matthew 13:44-46
On a scale of one to 10, with one being very low and 10 being the highest rating, "how sold out to Jesus are you"? Now if the same question was given to Jesus about you, would Jesus give you a higher number or a lower one.
The Parable of the Treasure: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matthew 13:44).
Burying your valuables in the ground sounds strange to us, but it was a very common practice in the first century.
Example: Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable of talents.
Over the years, the ground of Palestine became a veritable treasure house.
It wasn’t uncommon at all for a person who was plowing or digging in a field to accidentally come across a treasure.
There is a concern that people sometimes have about this parable: the parable seems to be dishonest. Jewish rabbinic law said that "if a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder."
The main point of the parable is: A man found something so valuable that he sold everything he had to get it. He was so excited about finding the treasure that he was willing to do whatever he had to do in order to purchase it.
The Parable of the Pearl: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45).
Pearls were the most valuable gem in the world at that time. If you owned a pearl, you owned a fortune.
The Bible also stresses the value of pearls.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:6 that we’re not to cast our pearls before swine. In other words, "Don’t give something of such great value to a pig; it’s a foolish thing to do!"
In Revelation 21, when John described heaven using earthly figures of speech, he mentioned the streets of gold and the gates of pearl. Tremendously valuable!
Lessons From These Parables
Both of these parables teach us about the incomparable value of the Lord’s kingdom, the church.
The pearl is the only gem that cannot be improved by man. A pearl is perfect when it is found and it can’t be improved by cutting and polishing.
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus used the image of a pair of scales when he asked the question, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Jesus made a distinction between our salvation and our choice to be a disciple.
Not everyone who comes to Jesus for salvation moves on to being a disciple.
Salvation means coming to the cross and trusting that Jesus died in your place.
But discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. Discipleship means no longer looking up at the cross, but rather carrying the cross and following Jesus. It’s possible to be saved, without ever moving to discipleship.
Jesus wants as many sinners to be saved as possible, but he cautions us not to take discipleship to lightly because there is a price to pay.
There are many people who want Jesus for salvation, but not for sanctification.
Discipleship is the process by which we start becoming more like Jesus.
He says, anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. When Jesus called us, the call is to come to the cross and die.
The Kingdom Involves a Sacrifice: A cross means death to self, to our plans and our ambitions.
What does it cost us to be sold out to Christ.
It cost us our heart.
It cost us our minds.
It cost us our eyes.
It cost us our ears.
It costs us our hands.
It cost us our feet.
It cost us our mouth.
It costs us our desires.
It costs us our energy.
It costs us our options.
When we consider all these things, where are we on our chart of 1 to 10 in being sold out for God. The main reason we should be sold out to God is that God voluntarily chose to be sold out to us.
Paul said, "whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ " (Philippians 3:7-8).
""If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." (Luke 9:23-24).
For, "we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18). The kingdom of God truly is a hidden treasure, a precious pearl.