The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a
Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)
The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.
# 5 The Outcome of the
Kingdom - Matthew 13:45-46
Matthew 13:44–46 (NKJV) 44
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man
found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys
that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
At the close of this
age, God will have three peoples: the Jews (the hidden treasure), the church
(the pearl), and the saved Gentile nations who will enter into the kingdom (the
dragnet). Let’s look for a moment to the FIRST people group.
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| The Blood Bought Church |
The pearl of great
price (vv. 45–46). A well-known Gospel song perpetuates the interpretation that this pearl
is Jesus Christ and His salvation. But the same objections apply to this
interpretation as applied to the previous parable. The sinner does not find
Christ; Christ finds the sinner. No sinner is able to pay for salvation, even
though he sells all that he has.
The pearl represents the
church. The Bible makes a distinction between Jews, Gentiles, and the church 1 Corinthians 10:32 (NKJV) 32 Give no offense, either to the
Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God. Today, the church, the
body of Christ, is composed of believing Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11ff).
Unlike most other gems, the pearl is a unity—it
cannot be carved like a diamond or emerald. The church is a unity (Eph. 4:4–6),
even though the professing church on earth is divided. Like a pearl, the church
is the product of suffering. Christ died for the church Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved
the church and gave Himself for her, and His suffering on the cross made
possible her birth.
A pearl grows gradually,
and the church grows gradually as the Spirit convicts and converts sinners. No
one can see the making of the pearl, for it is hidden in the shell of the
oyster under the waters. No one can see the growth of His church in the world.
The church is among the nations today (waters in the Bible represent nations,
Dan. 7:1–3; Rev. 13:1; 17:15) and one day will be revealed in its beauty.
Revelation
13:1 (NKJV) Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns,
and on his heads a blasphemous name.
So, in spite of Satan’s
subtle working in this world, Christ is forming His church. He sold all that He
had to purchase His church, and nothing Satan can do will cause Him to fail.
There is but one church, a pearl of great price, though there are many local
churches. Not everyone who is a member of a local church belongs to the one
church, the body of Christ. It is only through repentance and faith in Christ
that we become a part of His church. Of course, all true believers ought to
identify with a local assembly where they can worship and serve.[1]
[1]
Wiersbe, Warren W. (1996). The Bible
exposition commentary (Mt 13:44). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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