Sharing Bread Matthew 13:44-46

SHARING BREAD

⁴⁴ “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.”

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matt 13:44-46 (NIV)

“If religion is worth anything, it is worth everything.  They who do not like Christ on these terms, may leave him at their peril.  Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with this belief, that it is well worth what we give for it.  The terms are, that we prefer Christ.”   Matthew Henry

The question of the day for us to ponder appears to be – Is Christ worth all to us?  Is He above the “pearls” of our professions, our possessions, and our people?  Do we search for Him as the hidden Treasure, the Pearl of great prize?  Could we, as Paul stated in Philippians, count all things as lost – all credits to our fading honor – in order to passionately pursue Him – ever desirous of going deeper still in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus?  This, of course, was the goal Paul pressed on to achieve – as if one could ever comprehend fully the depths of the Infinite.

⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What 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 ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  ¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:7-14 (NIV)

“For when I am to you more precious than all else; when I have become more real to you than all else; and when you love Me more than you love any other, then shall you know complete satisfaction.  Your peace shall flow as a river, and your joy shall overflow as a fountain, and My glory shall be poured out as the fragrant anointing oil upon all your other relationships.”   Frances J. Roberts  

Did you note the continued passion in Paul’s words?  The straining, the pressing onward, the focus on the goal all clearly demonstrated he believed he had by no means reached the final stage of his sanctification.  He continued to maintain that he still had more spiritual heights to climb.  This was Paul, for heaven’s sakes.  He had been a believer for 30 years when he wrote this and had won many spiritual battles as well as grown greatly in the faith.  I do not believe I exaggerate when I state modern day believers would be hard pressed to find someone who could fill his shoes (to say the least!).  This serves as a reminder to us that there will never be a time in our spiritual life where we are in a stalemate regarding our spiritual growth or reach a plateau beyond which we cannot climb further still.    

Jesus Christ is to be our true Treasure.  In Him are found the fullness of all the riches of incomparably great understanding, knowledge, wisdom, power, mercy and grace.  He is of unspeakable value and worth and in having Him our cups are not only filled, they run over.  These are paltry and inept statements in light of the great “I AM” – mere words could never do Him justice.  He is the God of ultimate sufficiency if we allow Him to fill every crevice in our aching souls.  That is His desire you know.  He longs for us to be complete in Him for that was what we were created for.

 

“Blessed are they to whom the gospel has made known the unsearchable riches of Christ.  He is that one pearl of great price, in comparison of whom all other goodly things that men desire are worthless.  Without him we are poor and miserable, though we abound in all manner of worldly store; but if we have found him and discovered the excellency of his name, we are in possession of a treasure that makes us rich indeed, and have reason to be content with our portion, though stripped of every earthly comfort; for the Father gives grace and glory, even eternal life, in his Son Jesus Christ; and he that hath the Son of God hath life.  Oh, my soul, thou, like the merchantman, hast been seeking goodly pearls, and eagerly looking here and there for happiness all thy days.  Hast thou, at length, been enlightened to perceive where true joys are to be found?  Then wilt thou be willing to sell all in order to win Christ, and be found in him; if there is anything that thou art unwilling to part with for his sake, thou knowest not his value, thou art not worthy of him.”     K. H. Von Bogatzky

 

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.   Col 1:15-20 (NIV)

 

“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”   Dallan Forgail

 

What I glean from this:

 

·       Christ is to be worth everything to me – more precious than all else.

·       There is never to be a time in my spiritual life where my growth is stagnant.  I am either going forward or I go backward.

·       Jesus is my true Treasure.