Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:44-52 – NRSV)
Introductory notes
General
These three parables – four parables if we include “the scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven” – are unique to Matthew. They form part of the so-called “day of parables” found in Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel. These parables are not so much concerned with those who reject Jesus but the nature of the kingdom and what happens in the lives of those who embrace it.
Daniel Harrington writes: “The rest of Matthew’s “day of parables” combines material from Mark, Matthew’s special tradition, and Matthew himself: the parable of the wheat and weeds (13:24–30), the parable of the mustard seed (13:31–32), the parable of the leaven (13:33), the reason for Jesus’ use of parables (13:34–35), an explanation of the parable of the wheat and weeds (13:36–43), the parables of the hidden treasure (13:44), and the pearl (13:45–46), the parable of the dragnet (13:47–50), and the parable of the householder (13:51–52). Matthew used Mark for 13:31–32, 34–35. He probably composed the two explanations (13:36–43, 49–50) by himself. The remainder (13:24–30, 33, 44–48) is most likely attributable to M, the special tradition(s) found only in Matthew.
“The parable of the wheat and weeds (13:24–30) follows upon the parable of the sower. The setting is agricultural, and the subject is the mixed reception accorded Jesus’ word of the kingdom. The problem faced in the parable is the fact that some Jews accept and others reject the gospel. The issue before the Christians is, How do we react to this reality? The parable, which surely has allegorical features (though not as many as Matt 13:36–43 supplies), counsels patience and tolerance in the present. The assumption behind this counsel is the confidence that at the final judgment there will be a separation between the just and the unjust along with appropriate rewards and punishments.
“The same dynamic underlies the parable of the dragnet (13:47–50). Though not the elaborate story that Matt 13:24–30 is, the problem is the same: how to deal with the mixed response accorded the gospel. And the solution is also the same: patience and tolerance until the final judgment, when God will set matters straight.
“The parables, which are so close as to constitute a pair, reflect an approach common in Jewish apocalyptic writings. A good example is the “instruction” on the two spirits in the Qumran Manual of Discipline (1QS cols. 3–4). That text divides humankind into two segments: The “sons of light” who follow the Prince of Light and do the deeds of light, and the “sons of darkness” who follow the “Angel of Darkness” and do the deeds of darkness. These two groups walk in their two ways until the final end. But God “has set an end for the existence of perversity; and at the time of visitation he will destroy it forever. Then truth shall arise in the world forever” (1QS 4:18–19). The same point is made later: “For God has allotted these spirits in equal parts until the final end, the time of renewal” (1QS 4:25).
“The two parables and the Qumran text try to deal with what their writers reckoned as misguided and even morally reprehensible behavior. The particular problem facing both groups is how are the “insiders” to react. The solution is to leave judgment to God in the end-time. For the present the proper response is patience and tolerance born from the conviction that in the end God will make all things right.
“The other four parables (13:31–32, 33, 44, 45–46) come in pairs. All concern the kingdom of heaven but not the particular problem of the mixed response to Jesus’ preaching about the kingdom. Rather they provide information about the nature of the Kingdom and how one should respond to it.
“At this point the basic significance of these disparate materials in Matt 13:24–52 is clear. The general topic is the kingdom of God. The particular problem is the mystery of the rejection and acceptance of Jesus’ word of the kingdom. The two traditional parables—the wheat and the weeds, and the dragnet—put forth a message of trust in God’s final judgment in the future and patient tolerance in the present. If it is correct to attribute the explanations of those parables (13:36–43, 49–50) to Matthew himself, then it seems that his special interest was the future judgment. Nevertheless, he was sufficiently concerned also with the theme of patient tolerance that he included the two parables.
“The two pairs of parables in Matt 13:31–33 and 13:44–46 highlight the contrast between small beginnings and great results as well as the inestimable value of the kingdom. They serve to make rejection of Jesus’ message and the presence of the kingdom in his ministry all the more mysterious. The quotation of Ps 78 (77):2 added to the saying about Jesus’ use of parables in teaching the crowds asserts that this style of teaching—and its resultant incomprehension—was in accord with God’s will.
“If we are correct that Matt 13:1–52 concerns the same basic problem as Romans 9–11 does, it appears that Matthew has focused on only part of the problem and given reasons for Jewish rejection of the gospel. He has also advised Christians on how to deal with their fellow Jews who reject the gospel.
“The message of patient tolerance and leaving to God the settling of scores is timely today also. For a world in which so many conflicts occur on the basis of religion, race, ethnic identity, and so forth, this is sound advice. As Christians and Jews try to work toward a more positive and trusting relationship, Matthew’s message is at least a first, minimal step on the way to recovering the fuller and more adequate approach outlined by Paul in Romans 11. And, of course, readers of all generations need to be reminded of the wondrous promise and surpassing value of the kingdom of God that are sketched so neatly in the little parables in pairs” (Daniel J Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007, 208-210).
Specific
like a treasure: The focus is well and truly on the kingdom as something to be cherished. The analogy is unmistakably profane – it represents material wealth. As such we can think of it as an affirmation of the incarnational way in which God works. We call it sacramentality – in the material is the spiritual, in the human is the divine, in the temporal is the eternal and so on. Typically, a human being will be thrilled to find material treasure. Follow that line of thinking: How much more the impact when you discover the kingdom!
someone found: “Someone” could be anyone, it could be you! And there is a serendipity to it all – the treasure is found. When we “find” something, it implies a process over which we do not have control. It almost suggests that the treasure found us. If we knew there was a treasure there, we would simply go and get it.
in his joy: Benedict T Viviano OP writes: “This note (of joy) must not be overlooked: the kingdom is such a priceless treasure that a wise man would gladly give all to seize it; it is the chance of a lifetime. Half measures will not do for the kingdom of God.” (“Matthew” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, edited by Raymond E Brown et al, Geoffrey Chapman, 1990, 657.)
like a merchant seeking fine pearls: “The qualification ‘seeking fine pearls’ introduces a different dynamic from the parable of the treasure. The precious material there was a surprise, whereas here it is the result of a deliberate search. In other respects the emphasis is the same: the great value of what is found (= the kingdom), and the single-minded response that it should elicit” (Daniel J Harrington, op cit, 207).
like a net that was thrown into the sea: “The fish-net is a “seine-net,” which is either dragged between two boats, or is laid out by a single boat and drawn to land with long ropes (Jeremias, Parables, 225). The dynamic of this parable is the same as that of the wheat and the weeds (Matt 13:24–30); they form a pair” (Ibid).
threw out the bad: Torah forbad eating certain fish: “Anything in the seas or the streams that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and among all the other living creatures that are in the waters—they are detestable to you and detestable they shall remain. Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall regard as detestable. Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you” (Leviticus 11:10-12)
What does it mean to be a Christian?
In today’s Gospel – Matthew 13:44-52 – we have three more parables of the kingdom. The kingdom is compared with a “treasure hidden in a field,” “a merchant in search of fine pearls” and “a net that is thrown into the sea and catches fish of every kind.” I would like to focus on the first two of these parables. They are parables in which people are taken by surprise and their lives are changed forever. They each find something. This suggests gift rather than achievement. They are overtaken. A new reality breaks into their limited worlds. As a result, they are set in motion, they each sell everything they own in order to buy what they have found.
The sense of surprise and excitement in these stories is palpable. The responses of the individuals need no explanations. They do what any of us might do when we have been surprised by such a life-changing event. Such a discovery can change the way a person thinks, their expectations, their values, their attitudes, their behaviour, their life.
Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like that. It is a new way of being that breaks in upon us and changes everything. Discovering this new way of being – and it may be discovered anywhere, anytime in any circumstance – will have a lasting impact.
We might wonder then, how many Catholics have had this experience. Do you think people would walk away from the Church if they had discovered a treasure there? Would they lose interest if they had found the pearl of great price? These two parables invite an important question we might all ask ourselves: Is it possible to miss the point of what it means to be a Christian? Maybe this very question had already arisen in Matthew’s community? Consider, for example, his interpretation of Jesus’ parable of the sower – see 13:18-23. It sounds like he is explaining to the members of his community that there are different outcomes when the Word is proclaimed.
Pope Benedict, in a magnificent statement at the beginning of his first encyclical, writes: “‘God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them’. (1 Jn 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of humankind and its destiny. In the same verse, Saint John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: ‘We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us’. We have come to believe in God’s love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his or her life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus caritas est (December 25, 2005)).